Growing trend

According to the report, 46 percent of Chinese women have received hair-dye services. About 500 million consumers go to professional hair salons for coloring per year. Three years ago, more than 20 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 24 dyed their hair, but this year, the percentage is 33.

At the same time, there is a growing trend in the country for men to dye their hair. More are businessmen older than 35, who want to cover gray and white hairs.

L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company, has specially launched gray-coverage service for the Chinese market in high-end hair salons that attract new male customers - especially in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

However, the company notes that some male consumers ask for a coloring treatment that produces a mix of gray and black, in a chic, modern style. That means Chinese men are becoming more open to coloring options beyond preserving the jet-black of their youth.

Christophe Schmutz, vice-president of L'Oreal China Professional Products Division, says the hair salon plays a very important role in the industry.

"In China, we see there are some key features of successful salons. First, top quality. Salons must be a good destination of beauty and well-being. Second, they must have a well-trained team, especially on coloration. The third one is using top-quality products to insure confidence and trust from the consumers. Good communication is also very important," Schmutz says.

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