Hair Extension Packaging Needs a Cut of Luxury: Opportunities abound in the hair beauty industry

James Lucey May 2017

Hair extension packaging is more than a container.

A thoughtfully designed, diligently crafted package demonstrates the purpose and quality of the product it contains. That granola bar sealed in cellophane conveys everything you need to know about it- it’s portable, disposable, and intended to be consumed quickly.

When you buy a premium product that costs hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, you want the experience to align with that level of expense. That’s why we are particularly concerned with the apparent lack of luxury in one of the most prominent players in the business of beauty- hair extension packaging.

Hair extensions are a rapidly expanding segment of the glamour industry.

Since 2013, the hair extensions market has grown at a rate of 40% globally, with a 28.5% increase in the number of salons offering extensions in the US. Hairtrade.com found that 34% of women use hair extensions regularly. If you are scratching your head and thinking, “But none of my friends wear extensions…” a whopping 87% of users said they didn’t tell anyone they were wearing them. Clearly, there’s a demand, making there a large need for hair extension packaging.

We can attribute this burgeoning extensions craze to pop-culture and celebrity style. Personalities like the Kardashians, Arianna Grande, and even Queen Bey regularly use hair extensions to achieve their glamorous looks (and we mean plural looks). The attraction of hair extensions is the rapid and dramatic change to your appearance– why wait for hair to grow? Celebrities debut a different look each day, and consumers want in. Lucky for aficionados, celebrity-quality extensions are very much available if people are willing to pay celebrity prices to get them.

However, the majority of hair extension manufacturers and retailers are missing the glamour. A cursory web search reveals many a sad plastic bag, cheap folding box or even just a single piece of board with a bellyband.

Today, hair extension packaging is inconsistent with the quality of the product inside. Worse, extensions are packaged without regard for the long-term maintenance or storage of the extensions.

The products shown retail for up to $600 dollars each. Yet they come in the same packaging as holiday tinsel.

The kicker? The market for truly luxurious hair extensions is wide open thanks to the internet. Where extensions were once exclusively available at salons and boutiques, there is an increasing presence of digital storefronts to sell and distribute them. Real human hair extensions are now being packaged and shipped the world over.

Herein lies the opportunity for competitors and emerging beauty brands to differentiate themselves:

Ecommerce packaging that delivers a unique touch-point for the buyer, provides additional functionality and photographs beautifully for social media.

A Youtube search for the term “hair extension review” yields 28k videos, from accounts with anywhere from 14k to 1 million subscribers. It’s clear with beautiful packaging, “unboxing” videos could be leveraged to make brand ambassadors out of Youtubers and inspire viewers to covet. Note: We found Bellami is doing their part with this beautiful gold foil paper hinged lid box. Unsurprisingly, Bellami carries a Kardashian branded line— it would seem that Bellami “get’s it”. Who knows- maybe Bellami will become the Coca Cola of hair extensions?

Luxury hair should come in a decorated container that is both sturdy and reusable. From the first look, buyers should recognize the value of what’s inside and anxiously pine to open it. That’s the kind of experience that thrills an audience and turns shoppers into fans into brand evangelists. Keeping the hair out of the sink isn’t too bad either.

If you have a premium hair extension packaging product, or are looking for a collaborator in packaging another luxury beauty product, contact us today!