The hair removal market has been gaining significant momentum over the last few years thanks to consumers' growing interest in the world of personal grooming. The demand for a greater number of products is increasing, while according to Caronlab, waxing still makes up 60-70 per cent of its salon business.
And it's good news for the ever-more educated beauty lover because waxing brands are moving with the times. There's now a myriad of different options relevant to age, hair type, skin type, financial status and (most importantly) pain threshold.
BEAUTYDIRECTORY sat down with Caronlab head trainer Holly Hayes to find out more about how the waxing industry has evolved and what consumers should be looking for when purchasing products.
Future-proof formulations
According to Hayes, brow shaping and Brazilians are still the most requested waxes in salons. The number of brow specialists in salons is growing and Brazilians remain popular due, in-part, to many women booking maintenance treatments after laser hair removal.
Two sensitive areas, the face and bikini line, both require a wax that is gentle on the skin but can still produce a clean line. Enter film wax, a hybrid of hard and strip wax that has the ability to spread very thinly but be removed like hard wax. Caronlab actually has its own version of this called Brazilliant that adheres to both fine and coarse hair without sticking to the skin.
For film wax try: Caronlab, BeautyPRO and LYCON PINKINI.
Hayes adds that film wax is definitely important when talking about brow waxing because, "traditionally strip waxes are used on the eyebrows to get a really clean line, but with people’s skin becoming more sensitive over the last five to six years because of the type of products that we use on our faces, film wax is the new thing that’s taking off and it’s much more gentle.”
She continues that access to cosmeceutical products and the increased use of retinols that make the skin thinner, all make it more sensitive to waxes that remove yet another layer of skin.
Sugaring has been practiced for centuries throughout North Africa, Greece and the Middle East but its currently experiencing a surge in popularity on a global scale. While consumers have been making more eco-conscious consumption choices across food and skincare, it appears they are also taking notice of what's being used to remove their hair too. The technique of sugaring involves a natural gel-like formula made from sugar, lemon and hot water that binds to the hair right down to the follicle, and pulls it out at the root. The gel is kneaded into the skin repeatedly, removing the hair in the direction it grows (which differs from waxing which removes the hair in the opposite direction).
On the home front
A 2017 research study predicted that the increasing popularity of at-home hair removal techniques will boost the market for waxing solutions across the world. As Hayes explained, the benefits of at-home hair removal are plentiful. “Obviously there’s the convenience factor," she says, "It’s also great for touch-ups in between treatments and it’s a lot cheaper."
Try: Veet, Mandy’s, Nair, Andrea and MOOM.
Product development means that at-home waxing has become cleaner and far more convenient in recent years. Consumers now have a wider variety of products to choose from that will suit their skin type, hair type and adversity to mess!
Hayes explains: "At-home waxing products now fall into two categories – water based or resin waxes. The resin-based waxes are going to be stronger in terms of removing all types of fine and terminal hair, whereas the water-based waxes are more convenient for at-home removal, they’re much less fussy and easier to clean up because you can just wash it off with water."
For people with sensitive skin, Hayes recommends looking out for products that contain Hydrogenated Resin. This is much more gentle on the skin, she says. Similarly, the ingredient Titanium Dioxide will help reduce skin redness.
For products with Titanium Dioxide try: Waxaway Salon Pro Creme Berry Twist Sensitive Skin Wax and Waxaway Salon Pro Crème Berry Twist Sensitive Skin Hard Wax.
As a final tip, Hayes recommends that consumers look for homegrown products that also have a professional range.