Who knew? Ethnic Personal Care is a huge market! Different hair textures, different skin tones and totally different needs than women with less melanin and silkier hair. African American women spend two to three times the amount of money on hair care and maintenance than do other ethnicities.
My editor sister friends, take notice! Women of Color read your words. We want to live by them but it is hard, oh so hard! We want you to lead us to products that work for us! And that, oh sister friends, is why I am here. Check out some stats below and let’s get some ethnic hair care brands- both independent and corporately owned- on the page!
• The ethnic personal-care market is a $5.1 billion industry, of which $1.6 billion is in retail, the rest in professional products and services, according to Segmented Marketing Services, based in Winston-Salem, N.C.
• Two years ago, L'Oreal established the L'Oreal Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research in Chicago and is devoting a third of its $360 million research and development budget to black hair and skin care.
• Carson Inc., creator of Dark & Lovely and Magic Shave for black men, acquired black-owned beauty company Johnson Products of Chicago in 1998. L'Oreal snapped up Carson two years later and merged it with Soft Sheen.
• Alberto-Culver USA acquired Pro-Line, creators of the Just for Me and Soft and Beautiful brands.
• Wella Manufacturing acquired the Gentle Treatment and Ultra Sheen brands created by Johnson Products.
• Bolstered by their acquisitions, mainstream companies are pouring money into marketing and research to develop new products.
• In May, L'Oreal moved its ethnic personal-care division, Soft Sheen-Carson, into the former Johnson Products building in Chicago after an $8 million renovation.
Now pick up the phone and give me a call. I bet I’ve got a product your legion of “sistah” readers really need!
Posted by Nikki Walker on June 12, 2006 5:33 PM
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