Men's hair dye market finally experiences brand disruption

After women’s hair color went through a renaissance in innovation and branding over the last six years, men’s hair color is now getting the same treatment.

What happened

On June 30, Madison Reed launched Mr. Hair Color for Men and facial dye through MadisonReedMR.com, while eSalon expanded into the men’s market with its first sub-brand, Colorsmith, on June 25. Amy Errett, Madison Reed CEO, said she recognized that the overall men’s grooming market had undergone changes in the last four years that mirrored the women’s market‘s decade-long evolution. This follows innovative DTC brands like Hawthorne and Oars + Alps that now offer men better ingredients and premium branding. Currently, only one brand dominates the men’s hair color market: 33-year-old Just For Men, which is owned by Combe Incorporated and sold in mass retailers like Walmart and CVS. According to Statista, Just For Men and its sub-brands like Moustache & Beard or Touch of Grey have earned a combined total of over $189 million in sales in the U.S. in 2020.

Why it matters

“We think that this is a massive opportunity,” said Amy Errett, Madison Reed CEO. “In general, what has been happening is that men’s personal care has been [refreshed] over the last three or four years and other brands have entered into the men’s personal care space.”

Errett said that 7% of Madison Reed’s existing customers are men, but demographically, they do not differ that much from its female customers. They are 35-years-old, have an average household income of $120,000 and are college-educated. Errett said she expects men to eventually make up 16-20% of the company’s customers, and that Madison Reed expects to expand services in its 20 locations to include men’s hair coloring.

Meanwhile, 4% of eSalon customers are men, according to Graham Jones, eSalon CEO. The men’s at-home hair dye market is only one-eighth the size of the women’s in the U.S. based on eSalon market research, he said, but the opportunity to innovate and reach consumers online means the potential to grow the market size. In its first 12 months, Colorsmith is expected to make up 5-10% of eSalon’s total revenue, he said. Colorsmith operates similarly to eSalon: Customers complete a questionnaire to determine their customized shade, which can be adjusted, and then the dye kit ships directly to them. One application of Colorsmith will remove some grays, and two or three applications removes all grays, according to the company.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Glossy on 2020-07-06. The original report is linked below.