Trend Watch: Neutrogena enters scalp care category

Facial skin care has been the leading beauty category for sometime now; and as a result, skin care is showing up everywhere. There are more and more makeup and self-tanning products with skin care benefits; there is skin care for the body, skin care for hands, skin care for nails​, and of course skin care for the scalp as well.

And this is where the newly launched Neutrogena Healthy Scalp collection fits in: “The idea behind the new collection was driven by the growing ‘skinification’ of haircare and a shifting consumer desire to approach haircare with more than just strand health,” ​explains this week’s media release about the new scalp care line.

Scalp care is amping up consumer hair care routines

“We know 78% of consumers believe haircare is just as important as skincare,” ​Hanan Wajih, Senior Marketing Director North America for Vogue International, tells the press. Vogue International is a hair care and personal care manufacturing business owned since 2016 by Johnson & Johnson. (Read about J&J’s acquisition of Vogue International here on Cosmetics Design.​)

“The team at Vogue, in partnership with Neutrogena,” ​says Wajih, “has been working on this line for two years to bring coveted skincare ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Micellar water, and tea tree oil to scalp and haircare – ultimately delivering healthy scalp and haircare gentle enough for everyday use.”​

Neutrogena’s media release also touts this new collection as a corollary to dry shampoo and encourages daily product use. “Just like skin, the scalp needs regular cleansing of hair to truly be healthy — meaning skipping out on regular hair washing and overloading on dry shampoo could be doing more harm than good….Featuring Natrasurf, an ultra-gentle mild surfactant developed specifically by scientists at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, the gentle formulas allow for daily cleansing of scalp and hair without the damage to strands associated with frequent washing.”​

Scalp care isn’t just for dandruff anymore

Conventional scalp care products have for years been all about skin concerns like dandruff. But in recent years scalp scrubs, in particular, have become commonplace and newer hair brands are frequently building scalp care products and tools into their product portfolios.

Taraji P Henson’s hair brand TPH that launched in January of 2020, for instance, includes “a tingling scalp conditioner” ​product called Mint Condition that comes in a bottle with a 3-point applicator tip.

And copy on the brand’s product page explains the thinking behind scalp care as skin care​: “You're already applying moisturizer to your face, so why are you ignoring your scalp? Mint Condition aids thirsty and dry scalps (especially scalps under weaves and in braids!), helping them feel more refreshed and moisturized. Formulated to quickly absorb, the tri-touch applicator gets in deep to help seal in moisture without leaving product buildup behind.”​

And the Virtue brand, launched in 2017, now has a collection of scalp care products in their brand portfolio: a Topical Scalp Supplement, a Scalp Exfoliating Treatment, and a Scalp Massage tool​. (Read about the beginnings of the Virtue brand in this Indie Beauty Profile, featuring Melisse Shaban, here on Cosmetics Design.​)