“Hair loss prevention is a fundamental need, and many brands will continue to enter the hair loss prevention market this year.”
“The future growth of China’s hair care market lies in ‘nourishing and treatment-based care’.”
“The concept of scalp anti-aging is feasible, but the issue of transdermal absorption needs to be considered.”
At the end of last year, the “CHAILEEDO On the Frontline” segment conducted in-depth visits to 29 upstream and downstream enterprises in the beauty industry, including brands, factories, and raw material suppliers. Based on the feedback received, despite ongoing uncertainties in the overall cosmetics market, many industry professionals remain optimistic about the continued boom of the hair care sector in 2025. It is widely believed that hair loss prevention and advanced scalp care functions will see significant growth in the coming years.
Hair Loss Prevention: A Major Growth Area
According to the “2024 China Cosmetics Yearbook” produced by CHAILEEDO, the market size for hair care products in 2024 is projected to reach 89.995 billion yuan, representing a 59.32% year-on-year growth, making it the fastest-growing category. The popularity of the hair care sector is closely linked to the efforts of leading Chinese beauty companies. Over the past year, new hair care brands such as Awaken Seeds (Proya), Soonmu (Freda), Headthings (Giant Biogene), and Mo Fa (Mask Family) have emerged, continuing to fuel the heat in the hair care market.
In recent years, the collective investment of top Chinese brands in hair care has led many industry insiders to reflect on how the 30-year monopoly of foreign brands on the Chinese hair care market has been broken by the rise of domestic brands.
Looking back at the development history of the Chinese hair care market, from the 1980s onward, foreign giants like Procter & Gamble and Unilever dominated and shaped the Chinese public’s perception of hair care products. In the mid-to-late 1990s, the rise of the “Guangdong shampoo army,” represented by brands like Haodi, Laf, Dihuazhixiu, and Piaoying, sparked a wave of domestic hair care products in China.
Since then, the Chinese hair care market has gone through several reshuffles. During the golden period of offline channels such as CS (consumer service) and department stores, national hair care brands like Adolph and Ziyuan shone brightly. As e-commerce platforms rose, new and innovative hair care brands such as KIMTURE, KONO, Qianxiang, and Roye further expanded the possibilities within the sector. In the era of short video e-commerce, more and more Chinese “white-label” hair care brands like Vetes, 8+minutes, and GOTDYA are increasingly appearing in consumers’ shopping carts.
“Nowadays, young people don’t have to stick with Procter & Gamble’s brands,” said Feng Huashan, chairman of the professional hair care raw material company Curie Chemical, to CHAILEEDO. “Consumers need individuality, they need differentiated products. So, there is still great room for growth for Chinese domestic hair care brands.”
Chen Yue, director of the public affairs and brand communication department at Fandow, the parent company of KONO and Hexi, also mentioned, “Procter & Gamble, with 187 years of history, never talked about volume, but Head & Shoulders has launched oil-control and volume-enhancing shampoos in the last two years, which shows that everyone is noticing the shift in Chinese consumers’ hair care needs.”
As for the most prominent trend in hair care this year, “hair loss prevention” was the most consistent market feedback gathered during CHAILEEDO’s visit to industry leaders.
“By 2025, hair loss prevention will be a major growth area,” predicted Zhu Zi, general manager of Guangzhou Huamai, a leading ODM/OEM factory for functional personal care products, to CHAILEEDO.
He further explained, “From an industry perspective, special certifications for hair loss prevention are hard to obtain, and from a market demand perspective, the group affected by hair loss is getting younger, which is an observable trend.”
“Hair loss prevention is a necessity,” said Lao Shuqian, business director of Symrise Greater China, to CHAILEEDO. “Many brands will also focus on the hair loss prevention sector this year, but the certification requirements have raised the threshold, so it’s not that easy to succeed.”
An Ran, founder of the functional scalp care brand Roye, shared with CHAILEDO, “We’re also optimistic about hair loss prevention, but the certification process for hair loss products is indeed long, and the cost is quite high. For us, the investment cost is between 500,000 and 1 million yuan.”
Wang Hao, partner and deputy general manager of Winkey Technology, also believes, “Hair loss prevention is a very special field, and this year many brands will follow suit.”
According to consumer research data from CHAILEDO, among various scalp and hair issues, oiliness accounts for 55.50%, dandruff for 44.40%, and hair loss for 41.40%. Among these, the most troubling issues for consumers are high/receding hairlines and thinning hair.
From a market perspective, on the one hand, well-established brands like Bawang, Zhangguang 101, and Yangyuanqing dominate the hair loss prevention sector, enjoying broad market recognition. However, new and emerging brands like LUKFEY, Gurantang, and 8+minutes have also started introducing hair loss prevention products, grabbing market share, highlighting the sector’s booming growth.
Another phenomenon is that hair loss prevention, closely related to the concept of scalp anti-aging, has been advanced in recent years, benefiting from the trend of scalp anti-aging. Relevant products’ formulas and technology applications have been upgraded, helping brands enter the high-end hair care market.
For example, Proya’s brand Off&Relax has launched a hair loss prevention hair tonic that is the first in China to apply Type 17 collagen to hair care products, priced at 209 yuan for 300 milliliters on Tmall’s official store. Chinese domestic scalp care brand Spes has also applied “facial care-grade bio-peptides” in its hair growth and volumizing shampoo, priced at 99 yuan for 500 milliliters on Tmall. A spokesperson from Spes revealed that the brand will upgrade the formula of its peptide shampoo this year.
From Hair Loss Prevention to the Market Evolution of Scalp Care
During the visit, many industry insiders mentioned to CHAILEEDO on the Front Line that sensitive scalp care will inevitably be a high-growth sector in the future, but controlling the scale within this market will be key.
According to data from the “2024 China Cosmetics Yearbook,” the market size for hair and scalp care products in China in 2024 is expected to reach 31.216 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 33.45%. Xiong Zhongli, Chairman of Shanghai Xuyong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., confidently told CHAILEDO, “Scalp care will experience very large growth over the next five years.”
In January of this year, L’Oréal’s high-end hair care brand, Kerastase Paris, launched its first scalp anti-aging serum, marking its official entry into the scalp anti-aging market.
Additionally, according to the data on the top 10 shampoo and hair care brands from Taobao and Tmall in 2024, Kerastase Paris ranked first with sales of 2.016 billion yuan, nearly double that of second-place Pantene (GMV of 1.209 billion). As one of the current giants in the Chinese hair care market, Kerastase Paris’s launch of the scalp anti-aging serum during this phase is highly influential in leading the scalp care sector.
For Chinese brands, the “care” aspect of hair care is also considered a promising market for growth.
Feng Huashan from Curie Chemical stated, “China has previously focused more on the ‘washing’ aspect, and ‘care’ has been relatively weak. So, the future market space will definitely lie in ‘care.’”
He further explained, “‘Care’ can be broken down into hair care and scalp care. Currently, the scalp serums on the market represent a relatively untapped growth sector. If good products can be developed, the market demand will be huge.”
“Scalp care serums, as leave-in products, will definitely outperform rinse-out shampoos in terms of effectiveness,” said Guo Wenhua, Quality and Safety Manager at Zhejiang Haomai Technology Co. Ltd., the parent company of Spes, to CHAILEDO. “However, whether it’s a Chinese or foreign brand, there is still no product that has shown significant effects. Additionally, the user experience with scalp serums is generally poor; after use, the hair tends to be weighed down and flattened, appearing greasy. This is a problem that urgently needs to be solved.”
Another new concept in the scalp care field that cannot be overlooked is “scalp anti-aging.” According to the China Scalp Anti-Aging Expert Consensus, the scalp is an extension of both the facial and neck skin, and it ages faster than other parts of the body, including the face. However, there are differing views on this concept within the industry.
“It doesn’t necessarily need to be anti-aging; simply delaying aging is enough,” said Feng Huashan. “For a scalp that has damage, either protect it or nourish it, just like the skin. We don’t have to pursue too many effects; simple hydration is fine. So, the idea of scalp anti-aging is feasible.”
A senior executive from a Chinese hair care brand took a more conservative stance on this: “To be frank, scalp anti-aging is a pseudo-concept. Although we often say the scalp and face are connected, would you wash your scalp with facial cleanser? Scalp care clearly requires the right base and formula to meet its growth needs. I believe that consumer education in this area is still insufficient, and we are still observing this field.”
As the hair care industry transitions from the basic cleansing era to the current era of functional hair care, the exploration and focus on functional ingredients have deepened.
Cai Beilei, Vice President of Zhiyuan Pharmaceuticals, told CHAILEDO, “Zhiyuan’s brand, Zhirun, sells its selenium disulfide anti-dandruff shampoo, which is currently Zhirun’s best-selling product, priced at 89 yuan for 200 milliliters on Tmall’s official store. ‘Shampoos with functional ingredients are generally more expensive,’ Cai Beilei said. ‘If the selenium disulfide shampoo were priced cheaper, the active ingredient content would definitely be insufficient.’”
Cai Beilei further revealed that the bottle design of Zhirun’s selenium disulfide shampoo has been revised multiple times. After redefining and promoting the product under the Zhirun brand, it surpassed 100 million yuan in sales within one year.
Regarding the current trend of adding hyaluronic acid and collagen to shampoos, Guo Wenhua from Zhejiang Haomai stated that this approach is feasible, but the bioavailability must be considered, which means addressing the issue of how these ingredients can be absorbed through the skin.
Some industry insiders pointed out, “Concept-based marketing like this won’t last long. In the next phase, mild, non-irritating products will have the market.”
The Chinese Hair Care Market is Gradually Aligning with International Standards
Additionally, a noticeable trend is that hair care products are becoming more expensive. The era of shampoos priced below 10 yuan has ended, and the price range of major hair care brands is shifting toward the high end.
An Ran from Roye believes, “Looking at the overall market, it’s still much cheaper, but we feel that hair care products are getting more expensive because new brands are all priced higher. If products are to make breakthroughs in efficacy, the cost will rise. The market now is different from the past.”
Feng Huashan shares a similar view, stating, “The Chinese hair care market is gradually aligning with international standards. First, there’s the cost; second, there’s brand value. The popularity of low-end products is not beneficial to the industry. If we see a market where prices are rising, it’s a positive cycle, which will bring in more money and better products into the field.”
However, he also pointed out, “But domestically, China still doesn’t have a benchmark brand that can lead the hair care industry forward.”
This trend is also visible in the 2024 Taobao and Douyin (TikTok) hair care sales rankings.
In the overall Taobao rankings, L’Oréal’s Kerastase Paris leads the list, holding a clear advantage. Foreign brands such as Pantene, L’Oréal, Head & Shoulders, and Schwarzkopf are also ranked among the top, maintaining their dominant position. Only two Chinese brands, Vetes and Spes, made it into the TOP 20.
In contrast, on the Douyin platform, foreign brands are almost identical to the Taobao rankings, but emerging Chinese brands such as Hexi, 8+minutes, Gurantang, and GOTDYA have captured the top spots, challenging the dominance of foreign brands with a “counterattack.”
Feng Huashan believes, “There are already brands with the potential to be leaders in the market, but their scale is still too small.”
In his view, the brands that can carry the flag of Chinese hair care will inevitably take a mid-to-high-end approach. These companies have strong research and development capabilities, operational strength, and marketing abilities. “Some beauty companies in East China that have transitioned from skincare to hair care have this capability, but these brands are still very small. Who can lead the Chinese hair care industry forward is still an unknown.”
Zhu Zi from Huamai also remarked, “It’s incredibly difficult to build a brand in China.”
“First, you have to outperform others in your category, then find a way to outperform your peers. Only then will the industry start to pay attention to you. After that, you’ll face severe challenges like product counterfeit and gray market issues. Many brands fail at this stage. If you survive, you must continuously innovate, upgrade products, and iterate your brand.” From the perspective of an ODM/OEM factory, Zhu Zi said, running a factory is like running an investment firm. “You don’t know if small potential clients can survive, but as you grow, grassroots brands will find it increasingly difficult to rise.”
A senior industry professional with 20 years of experience in the hair care sector summarized, “If there is no breakthrough in technological upgrades or product concept shifts by 2025, and with the current downturn in consumer spending, it will be hard for any brand to stand out.”
CHAILEDO on the Front Line observed during the visit that in today’s rapidly changing and challenging environment, foreign hair care brands, which once held significant market share, are accelerating the loss of their dominance. This shows that while the high growth of the Chinese cosmetics market is becoming increasingly difficult, when categories become more segmented and channels become dispersed, Chinese brands can still become trendsetters in the hair care market as long as they focus on deeply understanding consumer needs.
