Overall revenues for all salon industry services (hair, skin, nails) plus salon retail grew 3.2%, according to the 2015 Professional Salon Industry Hair Care Study from Professional Consultants & Resources, a salon industry strategic consultants and data source. Total U.S. salon services and salon retail sales grew by 3% to $60.27 billion. There were nearly 294,000 U.S. salons and barbershops using and selling salon haircare products. Salon count declined by 2.5%, as large rental suites opened.

“The state of the professional salon industry is strong, with an upward growth curve and changing dynamically,” says Cyrus Bulsara, president of Professional Consultants & Resources. “Major economic barriers affecting the salon industry are fading, as innovative new products, salon suites and new management at top manufacturers bring new vitality. Manufacturer sales of haircolor, shampoos, conditioners, hairsprays, hair styling products and specialty products all increased. We also saw a major paradigm shift toward large family-economy chains and rentals. Most rentals still do not retail effectively. Therefore, product sales at mega-salon stores like Ulta increased. Diversion continued to fulfill consumer demand for professional products.”

Haircolor remained the all-important anchor service, attracting clients for other services like cuts, styles, straightening and others. Haircolor services were up nearly 4%, due to an aging baby-boomer population plus robust new demands for fashion hair-color, including blonding, highlights, babylights, balayage, ecaille, ombre/sombre, vibrants and pastels.

Keratin straightening services grew about 3.2%. Cutting and styling services grew at 2.6%, as the frequency of client visits to salons increased slightly.

Major study highlights include:

• The men’s sector grew at nearly 1½ times the industry’s growth rate.

• A major paradigm shift continued from independent salons and mid-tier mall chains toward family-economy chains and suite rentals, plus high-end men’s barbershops.

• Sales at two major U.S. distributors grew, with CosmoProf’s sales up 4.2%and sales at SalonCentric up 4%.

• Sally Beauty store sales were up 1%

• Chair/suite rental organizations like Sola, Salon Plaza, Salon Lofts, Solera, Phenix, Salons by TJ and Salon Concepts grew rapidly.

• Sales at Regis stabilized, as the company continued to study divesting high-end brands to concentrate on value brands and test rentals.

• Great Clips and Sport Clips registered 9.8% and 17% growth, respectively.

• Styling product sales increased by mid-single digits, as consumers continued home hairstyling, facilitated by new genres of styling tools.

• Salon retail product sales grew slight-ly, primarily due to dry shampoos, haircolor protection products, new types of hair and scalp masks, cleansing and protein-infusion products.

• Direct sales at Wella, Aveda, Kerastase and Bumble and Bumble grew. Wella had the strongest growth, due to new brands/education.

• Redken and John Paul Mitchell Systems were the only two major companies with high single-digit growth fueled by new launches.

New sections detail cut, color and style projections; data analysis of barbershops and men’s services/products; ingredient issues; leading manufacturers’ reps; plus sales figures for AG Hair, Aloxxi, Alterna, Bio Ionic, Brazilian Blowout, Cadiveau, Peter Coppola Beauty, Davines, Framesi, GK Hair, Kenra Professional, Keratin Complex, Keune, Marcia Teixeira, Phyto, Pravana and more.

For more information or to purchase the complete study, contact Bulsara at cyrus.bulsara@ProConsultants.us or  visit ProConsultants.us.