SOUTH AFRICA Beauty Industry
Source：Mordor Intelligence
From：Taiwan Trade Center, Johannesburg
Update Time：2019/01/06
The number of known salons catering for black people is estimated at 40 000, and about 3 000 of these cater for “non-ethnic hair”. The figures most likely exclude informal salons in homes. The salon space is highly competitive, given the number of alternative suppliers, which is great for consumers who have a variety of options and prices to choose from.
However, according to Euromonitor, ethnic hair, when kept in its natural form, is difficult to maintain and requires the correct product to moisturise and nourish. A person’s hair is often the most visible aspect of their appearance, which explains why consumers are willing to spend more to have the perfect look.
The Sorbet Group, a national franchise that has spa and dry bar services, has recently ventured into the black hair care market with Candi & Co, which says it is “South Africa’s first franchised ethnic hair salon that delivers world-class hair care services that are accessible, affordable and authentically beautiful”.
The top 3 ethnic hair salons in South Africa:
Candi & Co
Indalo Nubian Naturals
Blue Lemon Hair
The services offered at ethnic hair salons
However, black women prefer more variety in their hair care, going from braids to weaves, to chemical treatments, to other drastic style changes. The hair care variety demanded by African hair is more than that required for Caucasian hair. Furthermore, African women are looking for hair nourishing and damage repairing alternatives to existent hair care products like shampoos, conditioners, and even styling agents.
perms and relaxants
Research on the hair care industry is limited, but it suggests that relaxing remains the most popular treatment in South African salons, accounting for an estimated 80% of all business. Relaxers are hair chemicals used by the ethnic woman to make their hair softer.
The leaders in the local hair relaxing space are multinational companies such as L’Oréal (Dark and Lovely), Unilever (Sunsilk and Motions) and Sofn’free. Amka Products is able to offer a diversified product portfolio to consumers with different hair requirements and textures. It is one of the few players to offer perms and relaxants that specifically target children.
Braids
A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible hair. A braid is usually long and narrow, with each component strand functionally equivalent in zigzagging forward through the overlapping mass of the others. The most simple and common hair braid is a flat, solid, three-stranded structure. More complex braids can be constructed from an arbitrary number of strands to create a wider range of structures. Some more complex braids are fishtail braid, five-stranded braid, rope braid, French braid and waterfall braid.
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks are rope-like clumps of hair formed by your hair getting matted together. Dreadlocks have historically been found to be associated with ancient Greek, Aztec, Senegalese, Buddhist, and Rastafari cultures. Though they are now mainly linked to African culture and identity, people from all races do sport their hair in dreadlocks.
Weaves, hair extensions and wigs
Weaves and extension are fake hair used by ethnic women to enhance their hair. The fake hair resembles the Caucasian hair, however, the hair is very expensive and black woman spend anything from R2000 to R20 000 to purchase the hair, as the hair is usually imported from Asia.
Today, there are more than 100 brands of hair in South Africa, the bulk of which is the synthetic kind from Asia. There’s also a growing demand for more natural human hair, sourced largely from India, Peru and Brazil
Ethnic hair market in South Africa
There is definitely a market for ethnic hair in South Africa. A young and increasingly urbanized and working population in South Africa is responsible for a flourishing hair care market. This is complemented by an increase in disposable income. High diversity by way of race has driven the extremely high growth of the African haircare market in South Africa. Furthermore, ICT efforts are becoming mainstream for marketing via social media, and increasing inclusion of women in the workforce account for the high growth in the South African markets for hair care.
The market was valued at USD 451.8 million in 2017 and is expected to reach a value of USD 490.4 million by 2023 at a CAGR of 1.36% over the forecast period (2018-2023).
Sources:
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/south-africa-hair-care-market-industry
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/the-hair-industry-is-thriving-20180806-2
https://www.euromonitor.com/hair-care-in-south-africa/report
https://www.w24.co.za/Beauty/Hairstyles/by-numbers-how-big-is-the-hair-industry-20170927