Blonde is the UK’s number one dyed hair colour of choice. According to a recent research from Mintel [1], 42% of Brits who coloured their hair [2] transformed their tresses blonde - with a bold 18% opting for the platinum look.

"As the majority of Brits have naturally darker hair, lightening their locks blonde is the nation’s most obvious hair color solution," said Alex Fisher, Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel. Photo: © Elena Kharichkina / shutterstock.com

Meanwhile, just over a third (36%) of hair dye users plumped for brown locks, 17% chose an auburn/red mane and just under one in ten (8%) went black. Highlighting a strong interest in trendy shades, an adventurous 25% of users ventured for non-natural choices such as pastels and bright colours, mimicking the hugely popular unicorn trend. And while Brits of a certain age battle with their greys, one in twenty (5%) hair dye users opted for the grey/white look.

Men reach for the hair dye bottle most frequently

Also, Mintel research reveals home hair colouring remains a popular beauty solution, as almost four in ten (38%) Brits used hair colourant at home in 2017, increasing to just over half (53%) of women.

Not to be left behind in the beauty stakes, as many as one in five (21%) men coloured their hair in the comfort of their home, peaking at 38% of male 16-24s. While men are less likely than women to use at-home hair colourants, males lead the way in frequency of use. An appearance-conscious 57% of men who colour their hair do so once a month or more compared to just 28% of women.

Temporary colour - bright star of at-home market

Finally, although permanent hair colour accounts for the bulk (70%) of at-home value sales at £221.7 million, sales of permanent colourants declined 5% between 2016 and 2017. Meanwhile, temporary colour was the bright star of the category growing an impressive 48% in the last year alone to reach £29.5 million. Valued at £21 million and up 20% over 2016, highlighting kits also performed well, as did semi-permanent colour, which was valued at £13 million in 2017 and rose 16% over the same period.

Overall, 2017 saw value growth of just 0.6% in the hair colourants market, bringing the value to £317 million.

Key figures:

 42% of Brits who coloured their hair opted for a blonde dye

 38% of UK male 16-24s have dyed their home at home in the last 12 months.

 25% of hair dye users plump for a non-natural shade.

 Temporary hair colour boom sees sales rocket 48% between 2016-17.

Temporary and semi-permanent colourants continue to underpin category growth thanks to non-natural colour trends. Marketing support for permanent products has lessened as brands shift their focus to where value growth is coming from, perhaps exaggerating the decline of the permanent segment. Innovation has also moved towards more temporary solutions and root touch-up products are becoming a standard feature in a number of ranges. Growth in home hair colourants may be limited in the coming years as the ageing population leads to changing relevance of the market. Older consumers tend to look for affordable solutions, adding to the current stall in market value, so appealing to younger consumers becomes even more important,” concludes Alex Fisher, Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel.