Peru’s hair care market expanded 9.5% in value over the past year while volume growth stayed below 5%, a gap that reflects what researchers call a premiumization trend, according to a study by Worldpanel by Numerator.
Shampoo drove the bulk of the gains, accounting for 6.5 of the 9.5 percentage points of category growth. Conditioner added 1.5 points, styling creams 0.8 points, and hair treatments 0.7 points.
Shoppers spending more per trip
Average transaction values rose across the board compared with the same period a year earlier. The typical shampoo basket climbed from S/9.3 to S/9.7, conditioner from S/9.5 to S/10.4, and treatments from S/7.6 to S/9.0, even though purchase frequency for shampoo was largely unchanged.
Hellen Guerrero, New Business and Retail Manager at Worldpanel by Numerator, said shoppers are not abandoning value but are redefining where they are willing to pay more, with personal care and wellness categories among those where premiumization is now accepted.
Routines grow more complex
Six out of ten buyers now use between three and four hair care product categories, moving well beyond the traditional shampoo-and-conditioner routine. Treatments, serums, and styling creams are gaining ground alongside the core products.
Guerrero attributed the shift to the ease of finding specialized information through social media and AI tools that provide personalized recommendations, helping consumers build routines tailored to their hair type.
While shoppers over 35 account for the highest overall spending, Guerrero said consumers between 25 and 30, described as late Generation Z, along with younger millennials, are driving premiumization at the fastest pace. Treatments and styling creams still advance more slowly because they are the first items shoppers cut when budgets tighten.
Brand loyalty erodes
The expansion of routines is also reshaping brand relationships. Where consumers once used two or three brands within their hair care regimen, they now cycle through four or five, drawn by a wider product offer and a desire to experiment. For manufacturers, that means competing in a market where trial outweighs loyalty.
The purchasing pattern complicates matters further. Worldpanel found that 85.8% of purchase occasions involve only one category, meaning shoppers build their routines across multiple store visits rather than in a single basket. Guerrero said that explains why many traditional promotions have lost effectiveness, and that up to 20% of promotional spending in the channel still goes toward multi-unit packs and second-unit discounts, mechanics that do not match how consumers actually buy. The study’s conclusion is that routines are built through use, not through purchase, and that brands need to shift toward loyalty programs and communities that accompany the consumer throughout the buying process.
Channels and formats in transition
Neighborhood stores known as bodegas contributed 2.7 percentage points to category growth, while pharmacies added 2.9 points, benefiting from more specialized assortments and loyalty programs. Both channels are capitalizing on convenience and a greater consumer willingness to pay for added-value products, according to Guerrero.
Sachets remain the main entry point for new buyers, adding more than 180,000 households in the first quarter alone, but consumers are gradually moving toward larger formats. Sachet share in shampoo fell from 24% to 23% as bottles rose from 74% to 75%; in conditioner, sachets dropped from 12% to 9% while bottles advanced from 71% to 73%.
Guerrero said sachets now serve a recruitment function, with even premium brands launching the format to attract new consumers before migrating them toward higher-value products.
Worldpanel expects the market to keep growing, but said success will depend on innovations with clear benefits, channel-specific product ranges, and long-term consumer relationships rather than portfolio expansion alone.
