What’s in store for 2022? If only I had a crystal ball, but as a contract manufacturer, my team has some foresight into some things we can expect. Since development for 2022 starts in 2021, my team often sees in 2021 what the greater beauty community may only see trending in 2022. And, oftentimes, we are working with our clients to establish concepts that will become trends.

PHOTO: Craig Nandoo is Co‐Founder and President of JBK Wellness Labs

When it comes to hair care, here is what we are seeing:

The Year of the Shroom:

The mushroom boom is being highlighted by the “magic” varieties, but the non‐psychoactive varieties are proving to be important ingredients in hair care regimens. Mushroom benefits include the ability to mimic a silicone‐like feel, enhance hair fullness, act as an antimicrobial, and more. The fungi also contain a number of polysaccharides, including beta‐glucans, which stimulate cellular growth and tissue repair and balance inflammation. Both of these properties promote a healthy scalp.

Adaptogenic mushrooms are the new frontier in health and beauty. Mushrooms are rooted in East Asian cultures and have been used in skincare and supplements for thousands of years, as they are associated with correcting imbalances and restoring vitality, but Western research into how they work in nature, and in so how they work effectively in our bodies, is in its early stages. As more evidence of how efficacious these adaptogenic mushrooms truly are becomes available, mushrooms like Shitake, Maitake, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and others are finding their way into more beauty formulations. And just as CBD benefited from the attention around THC, adaptogenic mushrooms are getting a big boost in awareness in large part due to their “magic” cousins.

Micro brands:

As Amazon continues to march toward dominance in the marketplace, independent salons, day spas, and wellness clinics are looking for ways to remain competitive. Once a very lucrative part of their business model, retail sales of known brands have been lost to Amazon and other online resellers who can often sell for less and ship with lightning speed. As such, more of these small businesses are creating micro‐brands by purchasing small quantities of off‐the‐shelf white label products that they can then brand as their own. These micro brands cannot be purchased by their clients through other vendors on Amazon or other similar platforms, so the clients continue to have the incentive to repurchase directly from the micro‐brand owner.

The Rise of the Influencer

While not a new concept, influencer marketing is poised to continue to have a greater impact on consumers. And, it is not only well‐known brands that are going to benefit. Start‐up brands are looking to influencers to promote their brands to a generation that was raised on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, and allows less infiltration of traditional media into their lives.

And, not only are influencers promoting their preferred brands or brands that pay for their influence, more influencers are taking the leap into beauty entrepreneurship. Evidenced by the biggest kid on the block, Kylie Cosmetics, influencers are discovering that they can leverage their communities into a loyal base of consumers and brand champions for their own brands.

These types of brands are looking to social media and e‐commerce as their primary distribution channel.

What 2022 Holds for Hair Care

Without any unforeseen curveballs, keep an eye on influencers, mushrooms, and what I really feel will be the equalizer in micro brands staking their turf as the biggest trends for 2022. I predict this will be true across many aspects of health and wellness, but it will be truly defining for the hair care industry.

About Craig Nandoo

Craig Nandoo is Co‐Founder and President of JBK Wellness Labs, a contract manufacturer based in San Diego specializing in custom, private labels, and white label production. For the past 15 years, his team has helped small, medium, and multi‐national beauty and nutrition companies launch their brands into the market.