Trips to hair salons may have declined among value-conscious consumers, but premium hair care continues its hold with the promise of professional results at home. According to Euromonitor, sales of premium hair care in the U.S. reached $2.9 billion in 2009, however, between 2004 and 2009, the category experienced an average drop of 2.1%, which translated to an estimated $326 million in that period. Global statistics placed the category at $6.8 billion, with an overall 2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).


That said, the premium category in hair care is still generating consumer interest. At the recent launch of Leonor Greyl’s Lait Luminescence, held last month in New York City, interest was high for the results-oriented premium hair care products. The company’s newest launch, Lait Luminescence, is a bi-phase detangling milk and styling spray that offers shine, manageability and protection from UV rays. Caroline Brooks, director of sales, Leonor Greyl, USA, responding to the timing of a premium hair care launch in a difficult economy, said, “Women are buying premium hair care products that offer results. We’ve all been waiting and holding our breath, but what I’m getting from consumers is if they really want to make it count, they’ll do it with hair care and skin care,” said Brooks.

Caroline Brooks, director of sales (left), with Caroline Greyl, daughter of founders, Leonor and Jean Marie Greyl at the launch of Lait Luminescence.

“In essence,” continued Brooks, “they’re getting a bigger bang for their buck. With Leonor Greyl, women are buying five or more products, including treatment oil, shampoo, conditioner, masques, and styling products,” she said. “As with high end skin care, women are buying a regimen. The Leonor Greyl company is more than 40 years old, and it’s not just a hair care line, it’s a treatment line,” noted Brooks.


The company, which pioneered natural hair care formulations, began in Paris, with gentle, innovative formulations suitable for different scalp and hair conditions. Today, the brand is used by more than 800 hairdressers, distributed in 60 department stores, 60 Sephora stores in France, and in more than 20 countries.


“We are one of the last family-owned hair care lines, have a strong celebrity following, and have a little bit of glamour that our competitors don’t have,” Brooks said.

Lait Luminescence by Leonor Greyl product shot.

The brand legacy thrives, she noted, as Caroline Greyl, along with her American husband Thomas Brooks—Leonor Greyl’s director of R&D and a biologist, chemist and plant enthusiast—continue to carry on the family business. Leonor Greyl is also an institute and hair care center in Paris, where techniques are applied to bring out elegance and glamour in hair through personalized treatments. With Lait Luminescence, R&D director Brooks has created a plant extract-based detangling treatment that works with two-phase action to detangle and nourish the hair, while it adds shine, luminosity and styling benefits.


Bi-Phase Lait Luminescence


Rich in Alaria esculenta, a seaweed extract collected along the Breton coast, which has strong smoothing and protecting properties, the two-phase system detangles and protects hair from UVB rays and drying caused by brushing. Cassia angustifolia, a plant cultivated in Southern India, smoothes and conditions even very dry hair for manageability. Manketti oil, also known as Mongongo oil, protects the hair from the drying effects of the sun, as well as hairdryers, and polymerizes the hair, creating a protective film, when it is exposed to the sun or to heat. These natural benefits give an immediate detangling effect, enhancing shine and enabling styling of hair, whether it is fine or thick.


As a leave-in product, it may be used after shampooing, on damp hair before brushing, or before exposure to the sun, for its protective properties. It features plant extracts, vegetable oils, and is formulated without silicone. The bi-phase lotion turns milky when shaken before use, and should be applied to the length and ends of the hair before brushing and before exposure to the sun, or after swimming.


Lait Luminescence will launch in April and retails for $43 for 150ml/5.2 oz. Additional information about Lait Luminescence and the ecologically friendly line of 30 Leonor Greyl hair products may be found at: www.leonorgreyl.com.