In Part 3 of our series on personalized beauty, you’ll learn more about the growing tide of interest in personalized products for hair, most appealing benefits of customization, top products she’s already using that are personalized, and more.
To better understand this flourishing category, The Benchmarking Company conducted a primary research study with more than 5,700 US beauty consumers in October 2019.
The State of Do it Yourself (for Hair)
Thirty-six percent (36%) of consumers have experimented with DIY hair care products at home, which include adding a unique ingredient to an existing product, or mixing two hair care products together to create something entirely new. And the results? As with skincare and color cosmetics, the majority of consumers admit that the results were just OK (52%), however, 42% say the end result was great. In general, personalized beauty is interesting to consumers, and 77% say they are interested in purchasing products from their favorite brands (skincare, color, and hair care) that they can personalize or have customized specifically to their preference.
How She Personalizes Hair care
Spending on conventional beauty products, on average anywhere between $26 – $250 per year, still trumps spending on personalized beauty, but that doesn’t mean the interest in these products isn’t there for consumers. Forty-four percent (44%) of consumers have already purchased hair care products personalized to their needs, and top brands mentioned include Function of Beauty, Curology, Pantene, Prose, L’oreal, Aveda, and Matrix.
When it comes to the benefits of customized or personalized hair care that she values most, price point is the top driver at 67%. Other benefits include:
Figure 1. Most Appealing Benefits of Personalized Hair care
Benefit
Create products that meet my price point 67%
Control scent/fragrance 62%
I get to choose ingredients 50%
Ability to choose sizes 48%
I get to formulate my own products! 44%
Hair care consumers are also taking advantage of personalized recommendations while shopping in-store or online at their favorite beauty retailers. When at an actual store, 43% have asked a beauty expert or associate for a personalized recommendation, and 37% have taken a hair care quiz (online) or a hair color quiz (26%) to pinpoint customized products and treatments for their tresses. Turns out, depending on the products, 77% of consumers trust these quizzes to accurately make recommendations, and once she’s taken one of them, 73% sometimes make a purchase.
Figure 2. Top Personalized Hair care Products She’s Purchased
Number Product
#1 Shampoo
#2 Conditioner
#3 Hair styling products
#4 Hair styling tools
#5 Hair coloring products
#6 Hair mask
#7 Scalp health products
As with color cosmetics, consumers are intrigued by and interested in trying augmented reality programs and apps that let them virtually try-on different hair colors and styles, and to help guide their purchasing options.
Figure 3. Hair care & Augmented Reality
Products She’s Interested In Trying
Smart mirror 76%
App to try on a new/different hairstyle 70%
App to discover new hair color 66%
Beauty and VIP Programs
Another angle of the personalization approach is consumer participation in beauty VIP programs through retailers such as ULTA, Sephora, and more. These programs, which reward shoppers for purchasing with free samples, discounts, and points not only let consumers pick their rewards or benefits, many times—they are used by brands and retailers to track interest in future products and services, including customization. Seventy-three percent (73%) of consumers are aware brands use these programs to gather personal data and information on buyers/members, but for the most part—consumers don’t care. Eighty-two percent (82%) say this data gathering doesn’t bother them, especially since they signed up for the programs.
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