Hair care brands start to target African Brazilian

The report, entitled ‘Afro-Brazilian Haircare Consumer and Market Brazil 2012’, highlights that Brazil is a unique market in terms of its beauty industry as it has the largest black population outside of Africa. Indeed, there are close to 100mn people of African ancestry in Brazil, according to the report.

Maria Clarke of Diagonal Reports told CosmeticsDesign.Com USA hair and beauty retailers in Brazil say that until recently, few manufacturers focused on the needs of African Brazilians. Consumers in this segment were previously forced to rely on home-made hair care, she said, due to their low spending power and lack of available products.

Proliferation in products targeting African Brazilians​

“The past decade has seen a proliferation of products formulated specifically for African Brazilians,” ​said Clarke. “Many of these products are chemical-based but treatments using natural or bio ingredients sourced in the Amazon are also becoming very popular.” ​ 

The African Brazilian hair care market is worth approximately $2.5 billion in 2012, said Clarke, noting that this segment is predicted to continue to outperform the rest of the market and is forecast to more than double within a decade.

According to Clarke, the most popular hair care categories amongst African Brazilian consumers are hair straightening products and treatments to prevent or repair hair damage from chemicals.

“They​ want to straighten naturally curly and (often) high-volume hair for practical​ reasons (manageability), and because straight hair is in fashion,”​ she explained.

Brazilian hair straightening market is biggest in the world​

Brazil, where curly hair is the dominant hair type, is the largest hair straightening market in the world, the report highlights. This preference for straight hair is well established and forecast to continue, according to Clarke.

However, the report cautions that the diversity of hair types and skin colors in Brazil means brands will have to develop several different lines in order to appeal to the various ethnic and consumer segments in the country.

Clarke notes that international brands that have dominated the Brazilian market for many years are seeing strong competition from products produced locally. ​

“Their marketing is more in tune with people's needs,”​ said Clarke, explaining that these companies directly engage with consumers and the best performers focus on product demonstrations in-store. 

As the report highlights, the potential rewards for the brands and companies that successfully tap into this market are very high, both in Brazil and elsewhere. It is noted that these products are likely to benefit from the expanding multi-cultural markets of the UK and US and from growth in emerging markets in the southern hemisphere (particularly in sub-Saharan Africa).