Germany Haircare Market Report 2026
Germany's haircare market continues to be resilient, even though growth is increasingly driven by price rather than volume sales.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for haircare in Germany
- Opportunities
- Act now: turn minimal routines into premium performance
- By 2028: build hair longevity ecosystems into existing routines
- By 2030: close the underserved textured hair gap across price tiers
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THE MARKET
- Snapshot – market size and forecast
- Cost-of-living pressures persist in Germany
- Graph 1: consumer perception of the cost-of-living crisis, 2025 and 2026
- Sustained price pressures will incentivise downtrading
- Graph 2: consumer price index for shampoo, 2024-26
- EU regulations push the haircare category to innovate
- The haircare category is on a sustained, albeit moderate, growth trajectory
- Graph 3: market value forecast for haircare, 2021-31
- A mature market shifts growth from volume to value
- Shampoos lead, while conditioners and treatments see renewed interest
- The haircare market remains fragmented
- Graph 4: market share for haircare products, by ultimate company, 2025
- Competition intensifies as mass weakens and premium pulls ahead
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THE CONSUMER
- Haircare routines and repertoires
- Germans prefer minimal haircare routines
- Encourage premiumisation in specialised solutions for routine minimalists
- Capitalise on the expanding interest in caring formats
- Graph 5: purchase of conditioners, by gender and age, 2025 and 2026
- Families expand routines while older men simplify
- Graph 6: repertoire of haircare products bought, by consumers with children aged under 18, 2025-26
- Consumers who use treatment formats are highly engaged
- Treatments can tap into longevity trends
- Haircare needs and product performance
- Hair damage is widespread among Germans
- Better address the care needs of textured-haired users
- Act now: turn consumers with somewhat damaged hair into consistent users
- Conditioners are in need of a shake-up
- Graph 7: purchase of conditioner formats, by hair damage, 2026
- Why this matters: conditioners are being replaced by masks and treatments
- International inspiration: conditioners that go beyond moisturising claims
- Current and future hair concerns
- Anxieties around hair issues are widespread
- Hair and volume loss are the most common hair concerns among Germans
- Graph 8: worries related to hair, by hair type, 2026
- Act now: consumers with hair-related worries look for targeted solutions
- Graph 9: behaviours towards haircare products, by hair worries, 2026
- Guide consumers through lifestage hairloss needs
- Fill the need for post-hair-procedure support
- Address greying as an integrated lifestyle solution
- Hair longevity narratives
- Interest in hair longevity is high among Germans
- Link longevity with prevention in haircare
- Graph 10: select focus areas around long-term beauty, by gender and age, 2026
- Hair concerns encourage the adoption of long-term haircare routines
- Longevity narratives: where to play?
- International inspiration: haircare longevity solutions highlight ingredients and delivery systems
- Consumer expectations of premium brands
- Ingredient quality and efficacy anchor premium expectations
- Turn to ingredient stories to justify premium value
- Deliver now, but stack results over time
- Sensoriality strengthens premium differentiation
- Consumer expectations of international brands
- Younger users trust international brands more than local ones
- Where international brands stand out: textured-hair options and damage repair
- Graph 11: agreement with international haircare brands giving better results, by hair damage, 2026
- Why this matters: perceived performance fuels premium trade-up to international brands
- K-Beauty acts as a gateway into masstige and high-engagement routines
- Local players can step in to better serve men’s haircare wants
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Prestige leads launches but remains most exposed to cutbacks
- Graph 12: haircare launches by beauty price positioning, 2022-26
- International prestige imports put pressure on local players
- e.l.f. brings ‘affordable luxury’ into haircare
- Anti-ageing claims tap into consumers’ future hair concerns
- Scalp care leans into sensorial cues
- Look to K-Beauty for lighter textures, glossy finishes and skincare-coded claims
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APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The market
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size and forecast of haircare products
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Market segmentation of haircare products
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Repertoire analysis methodology
- Germany generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Spark
- Abbreviations
- A note on language – Germany
"Simplify routines but elevate performance in this mature market. Multi-benefit formulas and specialised solutions will justify spend, especially for damage-prone hair."
Mihaela Suhalitca, Senior Research Analyst - Beauty and Personal Care
Germany’s haircare market continues to be resilient, even though growth is increasingly driven by price rather than volume sales. Ongoing cost-of-living pressures will continue to shape behaviour as consumers seek better value rather than exiting the category altogether.
At the same time, a clear divide has emerged in routines: while many consumers embrace minimalism, believing fewer products are sufficient, a majority still engage with targeted solutions to address specific concerns such as hairloss, damage or textured-hair needs. This creates a dual opportunity for brands to deliver high-performing, multifunctional products as well as specialised solutions for highly engaged users, especially as conditioners risk losing relevance and being replaced with treatments.
Consumer needs are increasingly shaped by long-term thinking, with growing interest in hair longevity and prevention, and they look for claims that combine immediate and lasting results. Premium offerings must focus on ingredient-led communication, efficacy and sensorial solutions to navigate value sensitivity. Meanwhile, competitive intensity is rising as international brands leverage perceived expertise in specialised and textured-hair solutions, infringing on local brands’ market shares.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Haircare product use and routines across demographics and hair types
- How consumers balance simplified routines with their demand for targeted and premium solutions
- Core hair concerns, including hairloss, damage and dryness across hair types
- Interest in longevity-driven haircare formulations, including where brands can play
- Expectations from premium product offerings, including ingredient efficacy and sensorial formats
- The competitive pressure of international brands
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