In the constantly changing professional beauty market, the Division’s diverse brand portfolio and omnichannel strategy mean it is perfectly equipped to meet the expectations of consumers and hairstylists worldwide. Thanks to its powerful ability to innovate, L’Oréal supports hairdressers and salons as they carry out their digital and sustainable transformations.
How did the Professional Products Division reinvent itself, and what were the year’s main achievements? Omar Hajeri, President, Professional Products, looks back at the Division’s winning strategy in 2022.
Thanks to our profound transformation, our acceleration in emerging countries, our solid innovation plan and our talented teams, we’re ready to continue our growth momentum and are ready for the future.
The Professional Products Division recorded strong growth, at +10.1% like-for-like and +18.3% reported. The Division strengthened its position in the professional beauty market, maintaining its growth momentum across all geographic Zones, with outstanding performances in mainland China, India and Brazil. It continued to perform in all distribution channels – in salons, in its SalonCentric network in the United States and in e-commerce – again confirming the success of its omnichannel strategy. As the industry leader, the Division continued to involve all its partner hairstylists in the sustainable transition with the rollout of its “Hairstylists for the Future” programme.
The Professional Products Division pursued its transformation in a fastchanging growth market. Its strategy – underpinned by an omnichannel approach capitalising on the complementarity of online and offline distribution channels – has paid off.
Premiumisation is a broad beauty market trend that is also growing in professional products. L’Oréal is particularly wellpositioned in this segment, thanks to its powerful portfolio of professional brands and, in particular, its highend brand Kérastase, whose haircare products feature refined textures and fragrances. Its innovative, concentrated formulas draw on more than 110 years of haircare expertise harnessed by Research & Innovation teams. The Chroma Absolu range even goes beyond haircare to capitalise on the Group’s skincare knowledge and expertise. The teams started with a base of acids and active ingredients providing potent healing properties generally used in skincare to develop a haircare product that deeply repairs and nourishes coloured hair.
SalonCentric is a powerful partner for hairstylists in the United States. Originally known for its brick-and-mortar stores and sales teams dedicated to reaching beauty professionals, SalonCentric launched its online sales platform and application SalonCentric Marketplace in 2022, providing digital access to a vast catalogue of products and services. Hairdressers receive support every step of the way on the path to purchase, learning about the brands, special offers, and events. The platform also includes a feature that allows them to create lists and manage their stock, leaving them more time to spend with clients and connect to their community. SalonCentric is a one-stop-shop for inspiration, education and innovation in both digital and physical formats.
As part of L’Oréal for the Future, each brand has committed to a particular social or environmental cause. Redken supports Hairdressers United: Stand Together Against Bullying, to make salons a welcoming environment for all, and particularly for the LGBTQIA+ community. Redken has partnered with It Gets Better to provide training opportunities and online campaigns in which hairdressers share their own personal stories to make the industry an inclusive place. Kérastase also announced its own cause, Power Talks, which aims to support mentoring programmes for women, to help young women develop self-confidence and reach their full potential.
Social commerce: a boost for salons
Professional Products distributes via salons, pure players, the brands’ online stores and social commerce, whose popularity continues to climb. This omnichannel strategy has enabled the Division to continuously expand its reach. In India, the L’Oréal Salon Shop platform has been incredibly successful with hairdressers by providing them with digital tools for selling on social networks, such as a catalogue for distribution on WhatsApp and a dedicated social commerce site. By sharing their expertise and recommendations on how to use products via social media, hairstylists are becoming influencers in their own right. They are by far the best brand advocates for the Division.
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