At-home formulas newest niche in hair coloring

Drug Store News, March 1, 1993

Hair coloring is heating up with some new introductions that have advanced formulations and will appeal to a younger customer willing to color her hair at home.

Clairol recently shipped its new Lasting Color by Loving Care line, which was launched in September. The 10-SKU line provides the gentleness and low commitment of a semi-permanent hair color with longer-lasting results. While other semi-permanent graycover products last from six to eight shampoos, Lasting Color lasts through 21 or more shampoos.

Clairol has introduced Glints, a new line of color enhancers that will appeal to women who wish to enhance their hair color, not change it. The line will be available in store in April.

The products is similar to L'Oreal's Casting Tone on Tone Colorant, a cream formulation that enhances hair color and provides shine without drastically changing the natural hair color. L'Oreal's 18-SKU line, already on shelves in some markets, will be shipped nationally in March.

L'Oreal's product represents a third generation of at-home hair color. Castings works deep into the hair shaft without lightening the hair add is ideal for women who are using hair color for the first time.

Shine sells

Clairol also plans a launch of Brights by Nice 'N Easy, eight new SKU's which will bring out highlights and add shimmer to hair in 10 minutes. The product uses salon-proven technology similar that used in salon luminizers.

Since shine is the buzzword in the hair care category, the new products should appeal to to younger customer who may be unwilling to drstically alter the color of her hair but wants some shine.

L&F Industries is also testing Ogilvy's Tender Color, a hair coloring for permed hair.

Buyers are enthusiastic about adding some life to the category. "I think more people are coloring their hair at home because of the rising costs of any service," said Marilyn Phelps, buyer at Keltsch Brothers.

Said Susan Schwartz, buyer at I Got it at Gary's: "Given the demographics, I would expect to see more introductions in hair color as more and more women have to contend with gray hair. "

Janice Jacobs, buyer at Austin Drugs, said that she has already seen good movement in Clairol's Lasting Color line and expects to do well with L'Oreals Casting and Clairol's Glints.

Consumer education is key

Since there's a disparity between what's available at the salon and what's available at retail, buyers believe that the new products are just the beginning of professional care products filtering down to the retail level in order to reach a greater number of consumers.

But they agree that how well these products do at retail depends on advertising support and how manufacturers can translate the benefits of the products to consumers.

Manufacturers are working on ways they can appeal to a wider audience by repackaging their lines and making the products easier for consumers to understand.

Clairol, for one, is working with chains to re-planogram the hair color department, has repackaged its entire line of major hair color brands and has developed a consumer education system, called Clairol Color System, to help consumers understand the products.

All products will include a designation as a Level 1, 2 or 3 product, Level 1 being the lowest-commitment hair color. Charts on packaging, instore educational shelf talkers and take-home POS materials explain to customers how the hair color will look in their hair and how long it will last.