Home ›› 16 Oct 2021 ›› News
The demand for hair colour products is increasing, especially among youngsters who use these as part of personal grooming to display their distinct styles.
No official data is available, but manufacturers and dealers say the order and supply of hair colour and dye products have risen by around 20% compared to the recent past.
Jahangir Hossain, a wholesaler in the capital’s Malibagh, told The Business Post he sells around six to seven mini packs of Godrej, five to six packets of HairCode, and four to five packets of Vasmol every day.
But five to six years ago, he used to sell only four to five hair colour products in a week.
He said the middle class people aged between 35 and 60 are the main customers of these products.
L’Oreal, Revlon, and Streax Insta are the most popular brands among young boys, girls, and those running beauty parlours, he added.
There was a time when only those with white hair would dye their hair black, but the growing availability of many different products in the market has allowed customers to choose among a range of colours.
A variety of shades, such as sunflower blonde, pure diamond, caramel, hot toffee, sparkling amber, midnight ruby, leather black, light auburn, and chocolate brown, have now gained popularity among different age groups.
Social media influencers on different platforms, such as TikTok and Likee, have also played a vital role in spreading the hype around hair colouring. Not only girls but also boys are taking an increased interest in changing their hair colour by watching the videos of these influencers. Schwarzkopf, L’Oreal, Revlon, Garnier, Godrej Expert, HairCode, Vasmol, Jolen, Streax Insta, and Tosowoong are among the brands that dominate the Bangladesh market.
Subarna, 21, told The Business Post she loves to colour her hair because it gives her confidence.
She said girls in Bangladesh have to face a lot of barriers and compromise on their preference to please society.
“But with my red hair, I feel like conquering the world by being weird, bold, and wild. I have the feeling that I live my life according to my own rules,” she added. Biplob Ahmed, 38, has to use a pack of Godrej every week to keep his hair black.
“Otherwise, my white hair is revealed. That makes me embarrassed in front of my newly married wife and colleagues in office.”
Besides international brands, there are some local herbal products available in the market. Some homemade hair dye packs made by local beauticians are also sold.
Aarong Earth Herbal Hair Dye and Ligion Henna Pack are reasonably priced local products. Many prefer these as they are less harmful to hair.
Tahmina, a customer relationship manager at Aarong, said her company believes in harmless beautification.
She said they sell products containing natural elements that do not have any side effects.
Customers are also willing to pay more for good products that produce the best and long-lasting results. They say it is far better to spend more on high-quality products than buy substandard ones.
But these products still come with side effects. Dr Mir M Siddiq, a skin specialist, told The Business Post customers should only buy products of good brands.
“We cannot ask them not to use such products because a person may feel bad when his or her hair turns white. Besides, hair dyeing has now become a trend,” he said.
He also said using too much black hair colour and going directly under sunlight without washing hair properly is very harmful to the scalp.
Using such products frequently may cause hair fall as well, he added.
Beauty Castle owner Avinash Chandra Das told The Business Post the number of customers dyeing their hair at his parlour had increased a lot in the past five years.
He said hair colouring in the past was kind of a necessity for those who wanted to hide their white hair resulting from aging, but it had now become a fashion.
“If it was harmful, people would have stopped doing it. It is popular in other countries but not here due to many stereotypes,” he said.
