Trends report – Haircare

The UK haircare 👩🏼‍🦰conversation has shifted away from perfect hair and towards healthy hair.

In March 2025…”The haircare category continues to grow, as consumers hone in on their hair/scalp pain points and seek targeted solutions to remedy them.”

⏩Fast-forward to March 2026 and…”The haircare category continues to perform well, and future growth opportunities lie in K-Beauty, anti-hair loss products and alignment with the longevity trend.”

💬 Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst quoted in Mintel Haircare Market Reports 2025 & 2026

I welcome the shift we’ve seen to healthy hair, scalp care and targeted solutions – having felt at times that there were not always products out there that met my needs. I’m equally excited for the developments we’ll see in 2026. The future of the haircare market looks 💪 healthy, strong and shiny. (No more hair puns, I promise.)

The Mintel report said:

“The UK haircare category continues to defy value-driven shopping behaviours, reaching a value of £2.2 billion in 2025, with value sales rising 7.7% year-on-year.”

Trends the report outlines include:

• ‘Skinification’ – skincare-level ingredients might help us all level-up to healthier hair. There’s certainly an expectation nowadays that haircare formulation goes much, much further than just wash and go. (Think scalp serums, exfoliating scrubs and ingredient-led treatments.) Haircare rituals that can make us feel haircare is part of self-care? Count me in!
• Longevity – The largest growth opportunity the 2026 Mintel report identifies is to become the go-to brand in the longevity space with science-backed, convenient solutions. As a hair and beauty consumer I welcome the shift from “anti-aging” to longevity. With brands’ renewed focus on scalp and follicle health to maintain strong and healthy locks, I’m invested! It fits well with the emerging trend of ‘health from within’. I like my beauty and wellness regimes to complement each other in a more holistic approach.
• I’m also happy to see personalisation driving innovation. From online hair quizzes to hair-type formulation and AI-driven routines 🤖 UK consumers are increasingly aware that products can be tailored to their unique hair type, lifestyle and goals.

And then of course we’ve still got innovations in hair tech.  Non-damage styling tools, scalp cameras, LED caps and even smart brushes that track breakage and condition in real time.  It’s all getting very futuristic, very fast! 🚀