Despite economic uncertainty, the German hair care market shows steady growth, as consumers prioritise it over other BPC categories.
Hair Care in Germany — Current Landscape
The majority of Germans experience hair or scalp issues, which results in strong demand for targeted hair care. Consumers are increasingly looking for solutions that address concerns such as thinning hair and scalp health, placing greater value on proven efficacy.
The German hair care market is undergoing a structural shift. There is rising interest in science-led, multifunctional products that merge skincare principles with emotional wellness benefits. Traditional category conventions, such as gendered marketing or single-purpose formulations, are becoming less relevant, as consumers demand greater impact, inclusivity and evidence-based solutions from brands.
The German Hair Care Market — Statistics
- Hair Care in Germany: 74% of Germans reported experiencing hair or scalp issues between April 2024 and 2025, underscoring strong demand for targeted hair care products.
- Hair Care Trends in Germany: 38% of Germans prioritise hair care over other beauty and personal care categories. Strong private label and budget offerings support this trend, appealing to those who bought value products in the past year.
Germany Hair Care Market Report — What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- The short-, medium- and long-term impacts of inflation on the German hair care market, including changing usage habits.
- Consumer priorities about their hair, with many focussing on reducing hair loss/thinning and scalp irritation and repairing damage.
- Popular hair care products bought in Germany, with scalp treatments rising in popularity.
- Barriers to buying scalp treatments and masks.
- Perceived negative influences on hair health, with stress being in the lead.
- Attributes associated with leading hair care brands.
- Hair textures, with straight hair being the most common in Germany.
- Launch activity and innovation in hair care in Germany.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Silke Lambers, Principal Analyst. Silke joined Mintel in 2022, and became Principal Analyst for Beauty & Personal Care in 2025 following her contributions to the retail team. With a background as a trend forecaster, journalist and analyst, she has worked with leading agencies and companies across the US, UK, France, and Germany.
Brands can cater to the new mass market consumer by integrating scalp care into the broader wellness conversation and by preventing hair thinning in younger consumers.
Silke Lambers
Principal Analyst — Beauty & Personal Care
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Innovation highlights
- Market size and forecast for shampoo
- Market size and forecast for conditioner
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Redefine scalp treatments to meet the needs of a results-driven audience
- Turn low awareness into high-impact growth
- Integrate scalp treatments that tap into ‘skinification’ routines
- Graph 1: scalp issues, by age, 2025
- Elevate scalp care as an essential with proven actives
- Premium serums make scalp care stylish
- Prevent hair thinning for younger consumers and women
- Make hair thinning care proactive, not reactive
- Combat stress-related hairloss with wellness-oriented haircare
- Women are an often untapped audience in hairloss solutions…
- Graph 2: consumers experiencing thinning hair, by gender and age, 2025
- …but relatable campaigns can transform the hair-thinning stigma
- Transform haircare communication to align with consumer values
- Combat overpromising with honest marketing
- Leverage partnerships and social proof
- Swap slogans for science
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CONSUMER
- Hair issues
- Thinning hair leads consumer concerns
- Graph 3: hair issues, 2025
- Younger consumers are more likely to have multiple hair issues
- Graph 4: repertoire analysis of hair issues, by gender and age, 2025
- Younger women face greater hair challenges, highlighting the need for tailored solutions
- Targeted care for coily and curly hair with deep hydration and repair
- Graph 5: selected hair issues, by hair texture, 2025
- The need for education about scalp-focused issues
- Younger women push the need for innovative oily-scalp treatments
- Address the frizz challenges of women who want ‘glass hair’
- Haircare products bought
- Liquid shampoo continues to top haircare preferences
- Liquid shampoo and conditioner top haircare preferences
- Graph 6: selected haircare products bought, 2025
- Fathers’ demand for time-saving haircare
- Smart upgrades for solid haircare
- Trends in haircare product usage: consumers with damaged hair use treatments most
- Graph 7: hair products bought, by hair issue, 2025
- Spark curiosity in innovative dry shampoos
- Graph 8: types of shampoo bought for oneself, by gender and age, 2025
- Reasons for not purchasing a scalp treatment
- The hidden barrier to scalp care adoption is the knowledge gap
- Graph 9: barriers to scalp care usage, 2025
- Textured hair experiences the most scalp issues
- Scalp health matters equally for all hair types
- Graph 10: hair texture, by hair issue, 2025
- Unlock the hidden power of scalp care
- A collaboration between Head & Shoulders and Baller League
- Fighting stigma: the Head of CeraVe campaign
- Neuro-inspired care for ultimate scalp wellness
- Redefine scalp care for menopausal women
- Simplify scalp care for Gen Z haircare enthusiasts
- Educational ads can lower barriers
- Perceived negative impacts on hair
- Sun exposure ranked highest for external skin stressors
- Sun exposure was ranked highest among external skin stressors
- Graph 11: perceived environmental negative influences on hair, by severity of impact, 2025
- Pollution and sunlight drive hair damage awareness
- Extending haircare as essential to UV protection
- Unlock Gen Z’s potential as a target market for SPF in haircare
- Families feel the weight of pollution on hair health
- Stress emerges as the leading threat to hair health
- Graph 12: perceived internal negative influences on hair, by severity of impact, 2025
- Aromatherapy-driven haircare for stress relief
- Mintel Spark concept: AuraMatch Mood Switch Kit
- Viral head spas emphasise wellness on social media
- Air drying stands out as the gentler haircare option
- Graph 13: perceived styling-related negative influences on hair, by severity of impact, 2025
- Air drying evolution: addressing concerns with innovative products
- Brand perception
- Consumer perceptions of shampoo brands
- Honest marketing earns trust
- Graph 14: brands that are perceived as promising unrealistic results, by generation, 2025
- Build trust through clear claims and transparency
- Boost brand credibility by teaming up with trusted creators
- Stop selling stereotypes, start serving identities
- Position haircare as a creative tool rather than a gendered accessory
- Hair texture
- Unlock growth by innovating for textured hair needs
- Graph 15: hair texture, 2025
- Tailor haircare for textured hair
- Addressing diverse hair textures is key to modern brand credibility
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INNOVATION
- Haircare innovation moves towards specialised treatments
- Graph 16: NPD in haircare, by sub-category, 2020-24
- Products tapping into the ‘skinification’ trend
- Range extensions and new product launches increased in 2024
- Graph 17: haircare launches, by launch type, 2022-24
- Manufacturer brands continue to lead the way in innovation
- Graph 18: share of launches in shampoos and conditioners, brands vs private label, 2021-25
- L’Oréal and Henkel continue to spearhead innovation driven by their brands
- Graph 19: share of launches in shampoos and conditioners, by the top ultimate companies, 2019 vs 2024
- Eco-friendly claims remain key; efficacy claims are on the rise
- Graph 20: change in share of launches in haircare, by the top 10 claims, 2020-24
- NPD in haircare with skin disorder claims
- Skin disorder claims are rising
- Targeted scalp care rises as dandruff concerns grow
- Barrier-boosting formulas target dandruff at the source
- Hairloss treatments with scalp-nourishing ingredients
- Promote hair growth with novel ingredients
- Advanced scalp care solutions with upcycled saffron
- Add wellness factors with rosemary
- Advertising spend
- Declining haircare advertising trends
- Graph 21: total advertising spend for the haircare category, 2022-25
- Strategic shifts redefine haircare ad spend trends
- Graph 22: top five haircare brands, by ad spend, 2022-24
- The majority of haircare advertising expenditure is allocated to TV campaigns
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MARKET
- Market drivers
- Germans continue to feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis in 2025
- Graph 23: consumer perception of the German cost-of-living crisis, 2024 and 2025
- Haircare is a priority even for those struggling financially
- Graph 24: beauty/grooming products consumers would prioritise spending on when worried about money, 2025
- Wellness benefits can drive choices in Germany’s haircare market
- Market size
- Shampoo and conditioner sales have exceeded €1.4bn
- Graph 25: retail value sales of shampoos and conditioners, 2020-29
- Graph 26: retail value sales of shampoos and conditioners, by category, 2020-29
- Market segmentation
- Shampoos surge as conditioners stall and leave‑ins fall
- Market forecast
- Continued growth anticipated in shampoo sales
- Conditioners continue to show modest growth
- Why shampoo growth outstrips that of conditioner
- Growth amid challenges
- Forecast – a note on US trade disruption
- The impact of US trade disruption on the haircare market
- Market share
- Private label, L’Oréal and P&G make up about half of haircare retail sales
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Abbreviations
- Generations
- Advision advertising spend data
- Mintel Spark
- A note on language
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- Methodology – market size and forecast
- Forecast methodology
- Fan chart methodology
- Market size and forecast
- Market size and forecast, by segment
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (shampoos)
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (conditioners)
- Market segmentation
- Market share
- Methodology – correspondence analysis
- Table correspondence analysis
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