In a category that often treats conditioner as shampoo’s automatic sidekick, recent YouGov data suggests a rethink is overdue.
The global market research and data analytics firm has revealed fresh insights; most notably, that 21% of Americans, or one in five U.S. consumers, never use conditioner.
How Americans shop for hair care is less about trends and more about texture, income, and where they love to browse, the report says. The big takeaway: In today’s hair-care market, knowing who conditions (and why) is everything.
Purchases of conditioner vary dramatically by hair type, income, and shopping channel, creating growth opportunities for beauty brands willing to get more targeted. Here are three main takeaways from the report.
1. Not surprisingly, conditioner loyalty booms among consumers with hair types that demand moisture. Around a third of people with frizzy and wavy hair use conditioner 2-3 times a week, significantly above the national average. The most common conditioning routines are: 2-3 times a week (24%), once a week (13%), every other day (9%), and daily (14%).
Fine or oily-hair consumers, on the other hand, are far more likely to go without.
Brands that lead with product benefits — hydration, smoothing, curl definition — stand to win sales among those in the first category. To convert non-users to buyers, beauty businesses should highlight lightweight, volume-friendly formulas while repositioning conditioner as customizable but not unnecessary.
2. Where people shop matters just as much as what they buy. Grocery stores, drugstores, and mass merchants such as Amazon and Costco dominate hair-care purchasing overall, but higher-income consumers are quietly reshaping the landscape.
They’re nearly twice as likely to buy hair care from salons and specialty stores, signaling a growing appetite for premium formulas and personalized recommendations.
This reinforces the power of endorsement by a trusted hair-care professional, plus retail environments that support sampling, product testers, and higher price points.
3. Premium conditioner isn’t mass-market, but it is real, loyal, and growing. Across income brackets, most Americans still spend between $5-$15 on shampoo and conditioner. Higher earners consistently spend $15-$25 and are twice as likely to splash out $25-$55 per product for premium brands.
The data shows that conditioner can't be considered an automatic buy among hair-care consumers. Growth in sales lies in hair-type segmentation, channel-specific strategies, and clearer value stories, whether it’s a $10 essential or a salon-grade splurge.