2026
9
UK Hair Colourants Market Report 2026
2026-01-27T12:01:11+00:00
REP56957B6B_25F5_4AB6_957B_6B25F5FAB6D8
2995
190651
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Report
en_GB
The UK at-home hair colourant market delivered only 3.5% value growth in 2025. Rising financial pressures have reshaped routines; 65% of home colourant users say money worries are driving them…
UK
Haircare and Styling
simple

UK Hair Colourants Market Report 2026

"The hair colourants market will struggle to grow, as consumers prioritise hair health. However, increasing spend among engaged consumers can protect category value."

Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst

Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst

Market Intelligence ReportsHaircare and StylingUK

UK Hair Colourants Market – Trends and Insights

  • The UK at-home hair colourant market delivered only 3.5% value growth in 2025. Rising financial pressures have reshaped routines; 65% of home colourant users say money worries are driving them to stretch time between colour sessions. This has negatively impacted usage, and spending, on permanent hair colourants, which require continuous upkeep.
  • Relentless promotions, intense brand switching, and a digital shake-up have put added stress on margins. Hair colourant retail value sales via online-only platforms grew 6.5% in 2025, capitalising on social commerce and more inspirational shopping experiences, while grocers lost ground.
  • A shift to purchasing online reveals the need to elevate the in-store purchase experience to emulate online retailers’ success, with displays and signage that references beauty trends and popular hair colours.
  • Looking ahead, there is an opportunity to further lean into the haircare opportunity, relying on consumer knowledge gained in the haircare category. Using haircare ingredients, and explaining the science behind them, can boost trust in hair health claims and even encourage consumers to increase their usage frequency, as they won’t worry about damaging their hair.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Opportunities to hybridise hair colour and care to encourage frequent usage and protect value sales
  • The key growth segments that present significant scope for premiumisation in the category
  • Strategies from the wider BPC market that can elevate the hair colourant purchase journey
  • How social media trends and content can drive both usage and spending
  • The impact of heightened interest in longevity concepts on the hair colourants category
  • What at-home hair colourants can learn from professional treatments in the sustainability space

Report AttributesDetails
Published DateJanuary 2026
Report AuthorGeorgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst
Market Data Range2019–2030
Forecast Range2026–2030
Market SegmentationPermanents; Semi‑permanent; Temporary colours; Tone‑on‑tone hair colour
Consumer Data Source2,000 internet users aged 16+, October 2025
Leading Brands in the UK Hair Colourants MarketL’Oréal Paris; Garnier; Clairol; Schwarzkopf; Just for Men

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for at-home hair colourants
    • Opportunities
    • Beauty trends can excite the hair colourants category
    • Align with the longevity trend to revive falling segments and recruit new users
    • Premiumise the segment with expert collaborations and a focus on engaged consumer groups

  2. THE MARKET

    • Snapshot – market size and forecast
    • Offset the mixed impact of financial uncertainty by engaging higher spenders
    • Graph 1: the financial confidence index, 2009-25
    • Tax changes’ impact on salons and hair colourants
    • Take sustainability cues from salon colour to avoid consumers dropping out of the category
    • How BPC trends will affect the hair colourants category
    • Allergy-safe colourant products hold market potential
    • Offset a slow growth rate with a focus on hair health
    • Lean into savvy shopping behaviours to protect demand
    • Market size and forecast of at-home hair colourants
    • Graph 2: market value forecast for hair colourants, 2019-2030
    • Explore novel marketing strategies to disrupt the hair colourant category
    • Graph 3: share of retail value sales of at-home hair colourants, by brand, 2023-25
    • Boost grocers’ competitiveness

  3. THE CONSUMER

    • The next wave of hair colour trends
    • Tackle barriers to blonde to create more engaged consumers
    • Drive spending amongst blondes
    • Recruit new users to the hair colourants category
    • Embrace food-inspired marketing to align with BPC trends
    • Prepare for 2026’s hair colour trends
    • Tap into shifts in hair colourant usage
    • Recoup permanent colourant users to force category engagement
    • Graph 4: usage of at-home hair colourant products in the last 12 months, 2023-25
    • Promote the benefits of permanent colour to help the segment regain users
    • Position glosses as easy top-ups to boost how frequently users engage with the category
    • The hair colourant purchase journey
    • Combat brand switching
    • Retail strategies can drive spend in the category
    • Engage young non-users with colour theory
    • Opportunities to drive spending in the hair colourants category
    • Leverage professional expertise to create tiered spending
    • Graph 5: agreement with the statement “A professional endorsement would encourage me to spend more on a hair colourant”, by most expensive at-home hair colourant product purchased, 2025
    • The prevalence of grey anxieties reveals who to target with longevity claims
    • Align with the longevity trend to capture spend
    • Build trust in expertise to encourage trading up
    • Premiumise part colourants to further increase spending
    • Graph 6: most expensive at-home hair colourant product purchased, by types of at-home hair colourant products used in the last 12 months, 2025
    • Address barriers to hair colourant use
    • Address the hair health barriers to colourant usage
    • Seize the haircare opportunity to boost usage frequency among colourant users
    • Recognise the need to cater for textured hair
    • Take cues from haircare for innovation in curly/coily hair colourants
    • Graph 7: agreement with the statement “I struggle to find hair colourants suitable for my hair texture”, by self-reported hair texture, 2025

  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Grey hair colourants can help recruit new users
    • Unlock the potential of online influence on the hair colourant user
    • Engage with social media trends to reach new users
    • Lean into savvy behaviours to protect brand share
    • Clairol’s Colourstrong Permanent Hair Colour is a best-in-class example of innovation
    • Propose alternatives to bleach to allay hair health fears
    • Push natural launches further to align with consumer priorities

  5. APPENDIX

    • Market definition
    • The market
    • Forecast methodology
    • Forecast methodology – fan chart
    • Market size and forecast of hair colourants
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals
    • Channels to market
    • Market share
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology – EMEA
    • Repertoire analysis methodology
    • UK generation groups
    • Advertising
    • Advertising spend on at-home hair colourants, by media type
    • Advertising spend on at-home hair colourants, by advertiser
    • Advertising spend on at-home hair colourants, by product category minor
    • Other data source methodologies
    • Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
    • Abbreviations
    • Abbreviations and terms

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