L’Oréal launches at-home hair color service in an ever more crowded market

According to today’s media release from L’Oréal, there has been a 40% lift in consumer inquiries to the company’s customer care center in recent months. And the new Haircolor Concierge services​ are meant to make at-home hair coloring more accessible and help those used having their color done at a salon achieve desirable results at home.

“We are thrilled to introduce Haircolor Concierge and offer our consumers an on-demand hair color platform designed specifically to meet all their hair coloring needs – when and where they want it,”​ says Maude Brunschwig, SVP of Marketing at L'Oreal Paris, in the media release.  

“Haircolor Concierge,” ​she explains,” combines innovative technology with the hair color expertise and knowledge that only L'Oréal has to inspire, educate and empower our consumers. With more people coloring their hair at home than ever before, we want to be there for them every step of the way – because they're worth it.”​

Haircolor Concierge services include a live chat option with the L'Oréal Paris' Consumer Care Center, by-appointment video consultations with colorists, virtual try-on and color-matching tools, how-to and Q&A content as well as articles about shades, techniques, and hair color trends.

But L’Oréal isn’t alone in its efforts to capitalize on the surge of consumers seeking at-home hair color solutions. New brands and product lines are launching frequently.

Henkel brand Better Natured launches a hair color product line

In April, Henkel launched its new vegan Better Natured hair brand with a collection of care, treatment, and styling products, as Cosmetics Design reported.​ And now, this month, Better Natured added a line of hair color products. The line, which meets ISO Standard 16128, boasts hair color product formulations with 87% - 92% naturally derived ingredients, promises color that lasts as long as 8 weeks, gray coverage, and well-conditioned hair.

“When we started creating Better Natured hair color, we heard people's frustration about having to choose between naturally-derived products and vibrant results,”​ says Elizabeth Kenny, Vice President of Marketing & Creative for Henkel Beauty Care in North America, in her recent remarks to the press.

“We vowed to help put an end to that sacrifice,”​ she says. “So we committed to crafting a color with the highest number of naturally-derived ingredients possible and amazing vibrancy, coverage and long-lastingness – all the qualities you expect from professional color.”​

At-home hair coloring has taken hold in the men’s grooming category too

In June, two new at-home men’s hair color brands hit the market. Colorsmith is a new California-based brand that promises custom hair color for gray coverage. “Every order comes with custom color, personalized, easy-to-follow instructions, coloring tools and access to colorists who can help at every step,” ​explains the new brand’s press release.

“We're thrilled to launch Colorsmith and help demystify the hair color process so that every man can color their hair with ease and confidence,”​ Graham Jones, CEO, Colorsmith, tells the press. “Every facet of Colorsmith was thoughtfully designed to give men a completely customized experience from start to finish.”​

Also in June, Madison Reed launched a men’s line: Madison Reed Mr. “We think Madison Reed Mr. is the future of men's hair color,”​ Amy Errett, Madison Reed Founder and CEO, says in the brand’s media release announcing the men’s line.

“In our women's line,” ​she says, “we brought dimension to at-home hair color and created a category of salon quality hair color delivered to your door and so we set a challenge for ourselves with Men's -- to say goodbye forever to that flat, shoe polish look.”​

And like L’Oréal, Madison Reed has seen a marked lift in demand for at-home hair color. Over March and June, the company reports a 12-times increase in new customers.