Overdrawn eyebrows and bountiful butts had their moment in the mid-2010s, just as glowy skin has had its in recent years. But now, consumers and brands are fixating on another region of our anatomy: the scalp.
Interest in treatments and products dedicated to the crown of our heads has exploded in recent years — so much so that some beauty insiders are calling it the new “it” body part, per The New York Times.
- Searches, views, and posts for “scalp serum” and “scalp massagers” were up 77% and 58%, respectively, in August compared to the year before across Google, TikTok, and Instagram.
- Searches for “head spas” — where you can pay anywhere from $35 to $330 to take a microscopic look at your roots — have hit an all-time high on Google.
Haircare brands have capitalized on the heightened consumer demand, with most now offering, or preparing to offer, some kind of scalp serum or treatment, packed with buzzy ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, as remedies for itchiness, dryness, or hair density.
There are also companies like Nutrafol and Hims hocking hair growth supplements, and upstarts like Jolie and Canopy selling shower head filters that promise to reduce shedding and help with dandruff.
The trend is no head scratcher
Scalp care, a fast-growing sector of the ~$107B global hair care market, is the latest self-care fad to dazzle Gen Z and millennial men and women, popularized online by TikTok tutorials, influencers, and wellness enthusiasts.
It also coincides with the growing popularity of beauty products and practices from Asian countries like Korea and Japan, where head spas have been around for decades and scalp health is a centuries-old priority.
But is it necessary?
Nope — while scalp massagers can promote hair growth by increasing circulation and treatments can help alleviate dryness or itchiness, it’s not like everyone’s suddenly developed scalp conditions that would call for them.
In fact, one dermatologist told NYT, putting unnecessary chemicals on a perfectly healthy scalp can cause issues like irritation and inflammation, while the minority of people with actual scalp conditions, like alopecia or seborrheic dermatitis, would be better off consulting a medical professional.
That being said, a good head spa sesh can still be a luxuriously relaxing time — which, one could argue, is an occasional must.
