The Hair Report

Hair is a major player when it comes to identity and self-expression. However, as the industry continues to evolve, it can be hard to keep up with what’s hot and what’s not. Last year, the global hair care sector alone was estimated to be worth £395.7 billion and is expected to grow by 3.76% per year by 2026.

In creating the Hair Report, Cosmetify has discovered the biggest brands in hair care, as well as the hottest hair trends from the last year. We even reveal the predicted trends for 2023 (so you can get ahead of the game), as well as social media’s most popular ‘hairfluencers’.

Most Popular

Hairstyles

Whether it’s going for the big chop, cutting in bangs or experimenting with colour, hairstyles help us hit refresh on our look, allow identity expression and even define decades. Last year, we saw hair trends come and go, as well as the resurgence of some classic styles, but which style was your favourite? Below, we rank the most searched hairstyles, as well as the styles with the biggest increase in popularity.

1

Buzz cut

2

Wolf cut

3

Curtain bangs

4

Pixie cut

5

Box braids

1

Butterfly haircut

2

Wednesday Addams hair

3

Jellyfish haircut

4

90s layers

5

Bottleneck bob

Rank

Hairstyle

Avg Monthly Searches

2022 Total

Increase/Decrease
(%)

The Hottest

Hair Care Brands: Ranked

To discover the hottest hair care brands, we have taken four major factors into consideration, including the number of overall brand searches according to Google search data, the number of Instagram followers and hashtag mentions, and the brand’s social media engagement rate. Below, we reveal the hair brands that made the top four.

1

Olaplex

2

Kerastase

3

Redken

4

Wella

Rank

Brand

Monthly searches

Number of
Instagram hashtags

Number of
Instagram followers

Instagram
engagement rate

The Rising Stars

of Hair Care

It’s time to announce the brands to keep an eye on! Using Google search data, we’ve discovered the brands with the biggest increase in searches during the last year, which we also predict will continue to grow into 2023. We can’t wait to see what these brands do in the new year.

1

ColorWow

With a stunning 511% growth in searches during 2022, ColorWow demonstrates the power of listening to your customers. Delivering a diverse, high-performance product range that is constantly growing and meeting new customer demands, this award-winning brand has a solution for all hair types. If there’s one product to get your hands on, it’s the best-selling Dream Coat.

2

Gisou

Chasing on ColorWow’s heels with 400% growth in searches, Gisou is the viral brand dedicated to the hair benefits of honey. Founded by social media star Negin Mirsalehi, who you’ll see further down this list for her high rankings as a ‘hairfluencer’, this brand plays to two major consumer trends: shopping local (by using homegrown honey) and cruelty-free (by prioritising bee welfare during the production process).

3

Moroccanoil

Another brand built off the power of a single ingredient, Moroccanoil places third with its search growth of 311%. This brand uses the transformative powers of Moroccan argan oil to strengthen hair, while also adding shine, UV protection and vitamins. With no animal testing, high quality ingredients and partial recycled packaging (plus great results), we can see why this brand is continuing to grow in popularity.

Biggest

Social Following

Social media is one of the most important tools when it comes to promoting a business and is probably the most important when distinguishing your brand from others in an overly saturated market.

We’ve looked at the brands with the most followers, most hashtags and best engagement on Instagram to see which are playing a strong social media game.

1

Olaplex

2

Ouai

3

Kerastase

Olaplex’s 2.4m followers takes the top place, just beating out Ouai’s 2.2m and the 2m of Kerastase.

1

Olaplex

2

Redken

3

Wella

Again, we see Olaplex top the list with 14.3m hashtags, almost twice Redken’s 7.8m and Wella’s 7.7m.

1

Gisou

2

K18

3

Davines

The aforementioned honey-based hair care brand Gisou takes the lead in Instagram engagement at .89%, beating K18 by a mile with 0.46% and Davines with 0.35%. Similar to Olaplex, K18 offers patented hair repair products while Davines brings high-end, scientifically engineered Italian hair care to the market.

The Most Powerful

Hairfluencers

Influencers have been steadily gaining authority since the rise of social media, as consumers put their trust in content creators who seem a little more like everyday people. In the hair care industry, ‘hairfluencers’ are able to use their platforms to promote products for the biggest brands or start their own to booming success.

By using Instagram and YouTube data to calculate the estimated combined social earnings of each influencer, we have created a ranking to determine the top in the industry.

1
@negin_mirsalehi Verified

Negin Mirsalehi

The highest-ranked hair influencer by far, and maintaining her number one spot, is Negin Mirsalehi. Taking in a combined £15,995 per Instagram/YouTube post, which is 35% more than her nearest competitor, Negin also has the highest number of Instagram followers at 7m. This Amsterdam-based influencer is the sixth generation of a family of beekeepers, a tradition she used to inspire Gisou, the honey-infused range we’ve seen rank well in the above listings.

2
@jenatkinhair Verified

Jen Atkin

In second place is celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin. Earning a combined £11,102 per Instagram/YouTube post and boasting the second highest Instagram following with 5m, Jen has worked with the likes of the Kardashians and also owns hair care and perfume brand Ouai.

3
@bradmondonyc Verified

Brad Mondo

Despite having several million fewer followers than Negin and Jen, New York-based hairstylist Brad Mondo leads the rankings with almost 8m YouTube subscribers. His reaction videos to DIY bleaching fails and America’s Next Top Model, as well as his tips and tricks for everything from cutting fringes to choosing a hair dryer, have made Brad a YouTube star and earn him an estimated £9,802 per video and Instagram post.

Select Currency:

Rank

Name

Instagram Followers

Estimated Instagram
Earnings Per Post

Youtube Subscribers

Estimated Youtube
Earnings Per Video

Combined Followers

Combinded Earnings
Per Post