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The global hair and scalp care market was valued at $103.94 billion in 2024, and it’s projected to grow by 6.4% between 2025 and 2030.[a] Sales of scalp care products are rising at a rapid pace, with anti-dandruff solutions leading the charge.
Unilever Power Brands Dove and Clear are capitalising on this soaring consumer demand with the skinification of scalp care, combining advanced skincare ingredients and fully proven results in high-performance premium shampoos, conditioners, serums and treatments. These new targeted solutions go beyond generic products to address issues such as scalp irritation and dandruff – and they’re boosting business growth.
The products are pioneering, but Unilever’s Science & Technology team have been exploring the biology behind common scalp concerns like dandruff and follicle health for more than 50 years. With more than 80 scientific publications and 50+ patents in this space, our expertise is built on decades of superior science and rigorous research to understand the scalp and skin issues underpinned by common or distinct biological pathways.
Focusing on the health of the scalp as the foundation for achieving a healthier scalp and stronger hair, our brands are applying skincare ingredients such as niacinamide (vitamin B3) and ceramide precursor technology to scalp care to help build the scalp barrier integrity, enhance hydration and reduce irritation. And we’re leveraging our extensive research on the skin microbiome for future hair and scalp care, providing holistic solutions for beauty and wellbeing.
“We know consumers are increasingly seeking holistic care that provides proven dermatological efficacy while also offering indulgent textures and fragrances as well as stylish packaging,” explains Eric Han, Unilever Head of R&D, Beauty & Wellbeing, North Asia and Global Scalp Innovation Lead.
“The scalp care sector is undergoing a premiumisation shift, especially within the masstige segment. That’s exactly what our brands are delivering.”
Here’s how we’re setting a new standard in scalp care.
Launched in Mexico earlier this year, Dove’s DermaCare range was developed with dermatologists to expand Dove’s damage care expertise to the scalp – improving its condition and function and treating it as the source of beautiful hair.
As the scalp is also skin, the line is packed with nourishing ingredients more often found in high-end skin care, such as glycerine and niacinamide. Glycerine, a well-known prebiotic, works to soothe dryness and moisturise the scalp while caring for the scalp’s microbiome. Niacinamide strengthens and moisturises the scalp barrier while zinc and peptides nourish the follicle and fortify hair at the root.
The result? A visibly healthier scalp with stronger hair and up to 95% less hair fall.[b]
Developed through Clear’s proprietary Scalp Derma Research platform, and created with input and expertise from over 1,100 dermatologists, the brand’s new ScalpCeuticals Pro range launched in April 2025 and has Clear’s most sophisticated formulas to date.
Ingredients include selenium disulfide PRO – a formula that includes selenium disulfide, serine, alanine, glycine and panthenol. Clinically validated and recognised by scalp experts as the gold standard to treat severe dandruff, it activates at cellular level within the epidermis to achieve visible flake reduction of up to 99% after a single use. The efficacy can last up to seven weeks.[c]
There’s also Clear’s patented Piroctone Olamine technology for daily dandruff treatment: a breakthrough dual-action formula offering 500% anti-dandruff protection while regulating scalp barrier cell renewal. These results are based a Unilever in-vitro study inhibiting dandruff-causing factors compared with control samples.
SebumReg Tech is another Unilever innovation. Our first precise scalp grease control technology is applied in Clear’s ScalpCeutical Pro shampoos, targeting sebaceous gland activity regulation at the cellular level. Results based on sebum measurement in a Unilever clinical study show it can help to correct an overly greasy scalp in four weeks, after continued use.
Demonstrating the demand for premium masstige scalp care, Clear’s ScalpCeuticals Pro range broke new product development records on e-commerce site JD.com in China on the day of its release.
It became the site’s most successful range across FMCG categories during a new launch phase, achieving a strong net sentiment rating driven by irresistible sensorials and superior efficacy, with most shoppers saying they intended to repurchase the products they had tried. And it’s not just consumers who are loving the line.
Clear ScalpCeuticals Pro has also been endorsed and recommended by 200+ scalp skin experts in China, who participated in product trials and shared their assessment after four weeks of use, with 97% confirming exceptional scalp care efficacy. Up to 90% of the experts who evaluated the range also agreed Clear was their first choice for patients with scalp conditions.
Dove DermaCare has successfully positioned Dove as a trusted authority in scalp care, combining rich sensorial appeal with visible efficacy and formulas that target dandruff, oiliness, dryness and hair fall.
Standout claims such as ‘95% less hair fall’,[b] ‘Up to 100% dandruff-free’[d] and ‘Feel 2,800 more hairs in four weeks’[e] have seen a surge in consumer engagement and purchase intent – and the compelling approach to marketing extended into experiences too.
Dove opened more than 30 Dove Scalp Clinics at major retailers across Mexico, where shoppers could seek personalised scalp care advice and find the Dove ScalpCare products best suited to their needs.
Earlier this year, insights from Unilever’s comprehensive studies of scalp biology were included in a landmark book, launched at the 2025 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Paris. The new Clear Scalp Health Science and Research guide consolidates decades of dermatological research from over 1,000 experts and more than 350 peer-reviewed publications.
Unilever has also invested in one of the biggest multi-dimensional studies of textured hair in history, and we shared findings from this at the EADV event. The pioneering ‘Bridges Study’ incorporated both clinical and consumer studies to link consumer perception with biological findings – a vital way to ensure consumers are perceiving the differences in scalp health that we see in biological tests.
Bridges comprised 1,400 participants and applied advanced analytical techniques and next-generation multiomics – a biological analysis approach – exploring genes, proteins and metabolites. This provided a wide breadth of insights, including discoveries on scalp barrier integrity and function that will help us shape personalised hair and scalp solutions in the future.
(1, 2) Due to breakage with the use of Dove Derma Care Shampoo, Conditioner and Mask compared to non-conditioning shampoo.
Using clinical tests conducted by Unilever at a third-party institution, expert evaluations were conducted after seven weeks of discontinuing the use of Clear, following four weeks of continuous use. Individual results may vary.
Free from visible flakes with regular use of Dove Derma Care shampoo, conditioner and hair serum.
‘Feel 2,800 more hairs in 4 weeks^’ --> ^Based on a clinical study demonstrating a reduction in hair loss in four weeks with the use of Dove Anti-Hair Loss Hair Serum. Cosmetic product with no therapeutic action.
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