COMPANIES large and small are adding new lines of business connected to the haircare segment. Recently, PA Benjamin introduced what it described as a luxury haircare line. And just last week, the company which emerged winner in the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s (JSE) Pitch Room competition was cosmetics company Mi Natural, which specialises in hair growth products.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) shared data with the Jamaica Observer which show that haircare products are a multimillion-dollar market, with high volumes imported from the United States, Caribbean countries, and other source markets.

Total imports in 2019 and 2020 were above $676 million.

Locally, while natural haircare is a growing segment, it is hair waving or straightening products which remain the best-sellers in the haircare market.

By value, the largest market is for hair straighteners and lacquers, with just over $314 million imported from the United States alone in each year.

Other source countries for hair straighteners are Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, Panama, Mexico, India, Hong Kong, UK, Spain, Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Canada and China.

Most imports by volume, however, are shampoos and conditioners. Main source markets are the United States, China, India and Mexico although the products are also sourced from many other countries.

In 2019, $336.97 million worth of shampoos was imported with the majority coming from the United States and China. In 2020, shampoo imports were only $214.49 million.

Conditioners are brought in at a lower volume than shampoos, it was indicated from the data provided by Statin. In 2019, total hair conditioner imports were valued at $126.45 million and in 2020 it was valued at $116.1 million.

Other countries from which hair products are imported include Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Italy.

Hong Kong is a big source of hair products for the island, but falls far behind the United States from which more than half of shampoos, conditioners, hair straighteners and lacquers are imported.

China and India place second to the US for shampoos and conditioners, but are not a source of hair straighteners.