The Highlight Reel: The Haircare Consumer of 2026

Overview

The Highlight Reel: Get to know the haircare consumer of 2026 - YouTube

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amika and Not Your Mother's Haircare leaders join Highlight to unpack how haircare is outpacing the rest of beauty — from skinification and wellness rituals to Gen Z's demand for texture-specific routines and community-built launches.

Key Insights

• Haircare growth is driven by emotional benefits, ingredient literacy, and formats beyond shampoo and conditioner.
• Gen Z and textured-hair consumers expect hyper-segmented solutions — one-size-fits-all mass brands are losing share.
• Benefit-led collections and co-creation with community keep brands relevant across generations.

Interview Highlights

In this episode, Highlight's Strategic Accounts Director Dilara Sharifi interviews haircare and beauty industry experts:

• Charlene Patten, CMO of Not Your Mother's Haircare
• Dr. Cicely Shillingford, AVP of Product Development at amika

Episode Transcript

Hello everyone and welcome to the Highlight Reel. The Highlight Reel is a series where we dive deep into topics that are relevant to product builders across CPG and retail. My name is Dilara Sharifi, and I am an account director here at Highlight for our strategic accounts. Highlight is a research platform that enables users to create products people love.

The Dynamic World of Haircare

In today's episode, we'll be diving into the dynamic world of haircare. Haircare is one of the fastest-growing categories within the beauty and personal care space. As consumer preferences evolve and their unmet needs drive product trials and supply side innovation, we're excited to welcome two special guests.

Charlene Patten leads the creation of insight-driven, culturally relevant brand expressions at Not Your Mother's Haircare. With experience at iconic brands such as Gillette and Pantene, she brings a wealth of marketing expertise.

Dr. Cicely Shillingford is an accomplished material scientist and chemist with expertise in cosmetic product development. She has a PhD in chemistry and has worked on important advancements in both skincare and haircare.

Influencing Factors in Haircare Growth

Cicely discusses how consumers are becoming educated about their products, especially in the post-pandemic era. They seek high-quality solutions for issues like stress-related hair loss.

Charlene adds that a trend in haircare is wellness, where emotional benefits and experiential elements in products such as scents are becoming increasingly important to consumers.

Addressing Diverse Consumer Needs

Cicely states that they focus on developing products based on benefits rather than specific demographics. This inclusivity ensures that even if not every product can serve everyone, there is something valuable for every consumer.

Charlene emphasizes targeting a mindset rather than an age group, focusing on empowerment and self-expression for women at any stage of life.

Future of Haircare

The guests express excitement about several emerging trends:

• AI's Role: Enhancing how brands connect with consumers.
• Waterless Products: A growing trend in beauty.
• Ingredient Evolution: The incorporation of peptides and other innovative components.
• Sustainable Sourcing: Increasing consumer awareness about the importance of ethically sourced ingredients.

Conclusion

Through their discussion, both brands are aligning their innovative approaches with evolving consumer needs and harnessing the power of community insight to drive product development.

For more information on the brand initiatives mentioned, updates can be found at Not Your Mother's and amika.

Stay tuned for the next episode of the Highlight Reel!