Styling aids continue growth path

Drug Store News, April 7, 1997 by Liz Parks

This buyer also pointed out that because African-American hair is so vulnerable to damage caused by chemical processes such as relaxing, coloring, or just the normal exposure to sun, wind and water, "there is a large demand for products that deep condition the hair."

In the last year, a number of general market companies including Neutrogena, Nexxus, KMS and Infusium have been marketing their deep conditioning products with ad-campaigns and point-of-sale aids that feature African-American and Hispanic models, as well as Caucasian models.

Two new deep conditioning treatmentS from A.P. Products are doing a booming business in beauty and barber stores, and are now in the process of expanding into the mass market. They are the African Pride Miracle Color Treatment and Miracle Relaxer Treatment.

Gary Yowell, vice president of purchasing for Oklahoma City-based Jack's Merchandising, said that sales of products formulated to help relieve problems associated with the scalp, such as flaking, dryness or itchiness, have been growing steadily. He recently added the Chicago-based BioCare At One With Nature hair care line to his product mix, and he said sales have been picking up especially for the itchy scalp treatment. In addition to relaxer kits, the At One line also includes a Super Grow conditioner which adds shine to the hair and a leave-in conditioner.

Consumer loyalty

In the last few years, Dallas-based Pro-Line Corp. has played a major role in reviving the pomade category, which had stalled for a few years, partly because younger men felt pomades made their hair look greasy or waxy.

Sales of Pro-Line's Comb-Thru Gel Pomade have been surging, and this year Pro-Line will introduce a new wax-based Comb-Thru Pomade, which the company guarantees will not flake.

Chicago-based Soft Sheen has also been generating strong sales increases in the gel pomade category. In this case, the driver is its Sportin' Waves Gel Pomade, which has a loyal female and a loyal male shopper base.

Many drug chains have expanded their styling aids planogram to include Soft Sheen's Optimum Care Oil Sheen Spray and the Optimum Care Spritz, which is used to freeze or hold the hair in place.

The curl category segment has been soft for several years, but certain brands, such as Soft Sheen's Care Free Curl and the Worlds of Curls activators, continue to show gains in a down category.

One of the best sellers in the Soft Sheen line is the Care Free Curl Gel. One source said the item is popular because of consumer loyalty to the Care Free Curl brand franchise. "The gel works well on natural and texturizer hair," this source said. "And consumers like it because its formulated to moisturize the hair."

In mid-1997, Soft Sheen will be introducing several more styling aid products into its Optimum Care line. President Terri Gardner said the products will share the Optimum Care premium positioning, and will deliver value by helping consumers solve specific problems like hair breakage and flaky scalps, two problems that beset a large number of African-American consumers.