The Top Hair-Care Trends of 2025 Are Innovative Everyday Essentials
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Christine Hahn
We’re almost a quarter of the way into the 21st century and though we don’t have flying cars zipping around above us (The Jetsons was set in 2062, so there’s still time), we do have innovative hair products on our shelves. The hair-care market, propelled by scientific developments and burgeoning trends on TikTok and Instagram, is advancing quicker than ever—and 2025’s launches are exactly what you’ve been asking brands for.
A noteworthy shift that you might appreciate impacts drugstore dandruff treatments, a product many consider to be a necessary evil. (Okay, “evil” is a little harsh. But to be fair, so are traditional dandruff shampoos.) With revamped formulas, delightful scents, and less clinical packaging, your local drugstore’s shelves will soon be stocked with a new generation of flake fighters. Meanwhile, on the ingredient front, peptides are making their way into shampoos, serums, and scalp sprays, blurring the lines between skin care and hair care.
Perhaps most significant, as it bears weight on our physical and mental health, is the booming interest in products for treating the effects of stress-related hair loss and thinning. Our options now go far beyond mere volume-boosting mousses and blow-drying tricks.
With the unpredictability of the new year comes excitement—at least when it comes to hair care. Ahead, dermatologists, merchandisers, hairstylists, cosmetic chemists, and other industry insiders share their educated guesses on where the business will move next.
Meet the experts:
Mona Gohara, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and associate clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology.
Ellen Marmur, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and the founder of MMSkincare.
Addison Cain is the insights and marketing lead for trend-forecasting company Spate.
Michelle Hong is a colorist in New York City and the founder of NYC The Team hair salon.
Michael Dueñas is a hairstylist and groomer in New York City.
Jennifer Lucchese is the vice president of merchandising hair care at Sephora.
Penny Coy is a senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty.
Ginger King is a cosmetic chemist based in Parsippany, New Jersey.
Sheila Farhang, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Tucson.
Jazzee Green is a hairstylist and natural hair expert in New York City.
Kelly Dobos is a consultant cosmetic chemist and adjunct professor of cosmetic science at the University of Cincinnati.
Drugstore dandruff products are getting a much-needed upgrade.
Dandruff-fighting products that make you smell like your dad and dry out your hair are becoming a thing of the past. (No shade to dad, of course, but is that really what you want to smell like in 2025?) The active ingredients found in these products—selenium sulfide, pyrithione zinc, and coal tar—are the culprits behind that medicinal scent that signals “I just used a dandruff product!” to the world. Those ingredients also strip your strands of their natural oils, says Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and associate clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology.
Over the past few years, we saw a welcome shift in dandruff products with the arrival of elevated launches, like Maria Nila’s soothing Head & Hair Heal Shampoo and Conditioner, which received an Allure Best of Beauty award for the best shampoo and conditioner for dandruff. The duo treats flaky scalps with antibacterial oleanolic acid and anti-inflammatory apegenin. In 2022, Ouai came out with its luxe-feeling Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, which uses salicylic acid to address flaky scalps and carries a fresh scent. But these exciting products also come with price tags that exceed $30—three times more expensive than traditional options.
Head & Hair Heal Shampoo
$36.00, Nordstrom
Head & Hair Heal Conditioner
$36.00, Amazon
Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
$38.00, Amazon
Fortunately, 2025 will likely usher in more of these sophisticated formulas but with lower price tags. “There's a noticeable trend among drugstore brands toward developing dandruff products that not only address scalp issues but also nourish the hair,” says Dr. Gohara. Brands Vichy and CeraVe recently introduced dandruff formulas aimed at mitigating the drying effects of dandruff-combating ingredients.
While CeraVe’s Anti-Dandruff Hydrating Shampoo includes 1% pyrithione zinc, it also features ceramides and hyaluronic acid, which help maintain the scalp’s moisture barrier and hydrate the hair, says Dr. Gohara. The Anti-Dandruff Hydrating Conditioner you’re meant to follow it with contains a combination of the same three ingredients, though the pyrithione zinc is at a lower concentration (of 0.5%). Senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor used this fragrance-free duo when her scalp was flaking and irritated between summer and fall; she says it left her hair feeling soft, not stringy.
Anti-Dandruff Hydrating Shampoo
$10.00, Walmart
Hydrating Anti-Dandruff Conditioner
$10.00, Walmart
The Vichy Dercos Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for Sensitive Scalps contains selenium sulfide, which Dr. Gohara warns can contribute to hair dryness or brittleness. However, the Dercos conditioner contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin to counter that drying effect.
Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
$20.00, Amazon
Anti-Dandruff Conditioner
$20.00, Amazon
The costs of these fresh launches add to their sweetness: Vichy’s shampoo and conditioner each ring up at $20, and CeraVe has priced its shampoo and conditioner each at $10.
Peptides are popping up in your hair-care routine.
Last year, we predicted peptide innovations in the skin-care space, but we didn’t anticipate seeing the ingredient show up in more hair-care products. “While peptides have been used in skin care for some time, their application in hair products is gaining momentum,” says Dr. Gohara, who adds that consumers are craving targeted solutions.
“Peptides are small molecules that serve as building blocks for proteins in our bodies,” explains Ellen Marmur, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and the founder of MMSkincare. The purpose of adding them to your hair routine, she says, is to “enrich the scalp and build a robust environment for strong follicles.” Peptides can also reduce inflammation caused by excess hormones and/or irritation that may lead to hair loss.
The desire for these benefits is reflected in what you and your friends are searching online. Addison Cain, an insights and marketing lead for trend-forecasting company Spate, points out that there are 9,200 average monthly searches for the word "hair" alongside “peptides” on Google. There are 64,500 weekly views for peptide-related #hairgrowth posts on TikTok, she continues, which indicates that consumers are seeking products infused with this ingredient to address hair loss (more on this later).
Good news: As Allure editors preview what’s to come next year, they’re observing more peptide-spiked scalp serums that promote scalp health and density-boosting shampoos and stylers. Can’t wait? Try The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Treatment for Hair Density, a serum that combines peptides with caffeine and zinc “to strengthen hair at the roots, exfoliate the scalp, and improve circulation,” Margarita Lolis, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, previously told Allure. We also recommend trying the K18 Peptide Prep Shampoo, which contains a chain of peptides that helps strengthen hair as you cleanse.
Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo
$38.00, Amazon
Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density
$23.00, Nordstrom
Consumers are seeking mirror-shiny hair more than ever.
Let’s first acknowledge the (slick, shiny) elephant in the room: Glossy hair is not a new trend. But that doesn’t mean the pursuit of it has waned. According to Cain, Spate’s data indicates a 13.2% rise, year-over-year, in searches for hair glosses on Google. She adds that TikTok posts about glossy-hair routines and reviews receive over 419,000 weekly views on average, with a 169.7% increase year-over-year in searches, as of mid-November.
Michelle Hong, a colorist in New York City, says she now sees clients who come in for weekly glazes to keep their hair as shiny as possible. New York City hairstylist and groomer Michael Dueñas says the most consistent goal he hears from clients is very shiny hair. But getting shiny hair doesn’t necessarily mean a trip to the salon; there are a plethora of at-home products that deliver smooth, glossy results in your in-shower and styling routines—with more to come in 2025.
Jennifer Lucchese, vice president of merchandising hair care at Sephora, says the market is seeing a bump in effective shine-boosting products, adding that Sephora consumers are hunting for formulas that “deliver immediate, visible results.” Penny Coy, a senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty, says products like Living Proof’s new Perfect Hair Day High Shine Gloss (a lightweight, cuticle-smoothing gloss applied for five minutes in the shower) and Fekkai’s Brilliant Glossing Styling Crème (a shine-amplifying styling cream formulated with olive oil and prickly pear seed oil for use on wet or dry hair) have been particularly popular at Ulta.
Perfect hair Day High-Shine Gloss
$36.00, Ulta Beauty
$.00,
L'Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Glossing Shampoo
$10.00, Amazon
L'Oreal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Glossing Conditioner
$10.00, Amazon
Allure editors have been loving the newly launched L’Oreal EverPure Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner, which leaves hair gleaming thanks to amodimethicone, a silicone responsible for conditioning and shine, says cosmetic chemist Ginger King. “When the hair is well-conditioned, the hair aligns better so it looks shinier,” King explains. Plus it leaves a clean scent that radiates long after wash day. These at-home products will make your strands so reflective, that even Narcissus would fall victim to their glassy effects.
Stress-related hair loss and thinning are on the rise—and so are products that can be used to treat them.
The density of your lashes. The uniformity of your nails. The clarity of your skin. In addition to the obvious mental health implications of stress, it can take a heavy toll on nearly every part of your body—and your hair is no exception. Sheila Farhang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Tucson, and Dr. Gohara both have observed an uptick in patients who are experiencing stress-related hair thinning and loss. Chronic stress can have a disruptive effect on the hair growth cycle, Dr. Gohara says, leading to conditions like telogen effluvium, or hair shedding, which can leave those impacted by it feeling more anxious and self-conscious. Jazzee Green, a hairstylist and natural hair expert in New York City, says she frequently sees clients who come in with concerns about hair shedding and breakage.
Dr. Farhang says she’s particularly excited about the industry’s advancements in hair restoration, including the addition of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments to injections that contain a cocktail of prescription hair-growth ingredients, like minoxidil. The past few years have yielded multiple studies that show this treatment’s efficacy and dermatologists are employing it more in their offices. “Compliance is the hardest thing when treating hair loss—it’s difficult for people to apply a solution to their scalp one to two times per day,” Dr. Farhang says, adding that undergoing this treatment requires that you visit a dermatologist’s office once a month.
But in-office processes aren’t the only treatments getting more attention. Coy expects hair loss to continue to be a concern among Ulta Beauty consumers. In 2025, people seeking effective, science-backed treatments may turn to products that include ingredients like minoxidil, such as Women’s Rogaine 5% Minoxidil Unscented Foam (a two-time Allure Best of Beauty award-winner that is applied daily to the scalp as a topical foam), while others may opt for in-shower solutions that amp up the appearance of thickness, like Dove’s editor-loved Scalp + Hair Therapy Density Boost Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner (a fresh-scented, volumizing duo and fellow Allure Best of Beauty hair-care winners formulated with niacinamide). And, as previously mentioned, it seems that the rise of peptides in hair-care products may be partially attributed to our collective desire for stronger, thicker hair.
5% Minoxidil Unscented Foam
$44.00, Amazon
Scalp + Hair Therapy Density Boost Hydrating Shampoo
$10.00, Amazon
Scalp + Hair Therapy Density Boost Hydrating Conditioner
$10.00, Amazon
Remember, though, it’s important to speak with a dermatologist about why you’re experiencing hair loss before choosing a treatment path. Even conditions that can be triggered by stress, like alopecia, may have genetic factors or separate health conditions involved, so examining the cause(s) is essential. And if stress is the primary cause, a topical serum alone likely won’t solve all your problems. “Addressing stress requires a multifaceted approach,” says Dr. Gohara, who recommends practicing mindfulness, maintaining a nutrient-rich diet, and seeking mental health and community support when you need it. Yes, this is all easier said than done, but the more balance you find in 2025, the healthier you (and perhaps your hair) will feel.
Nonaerosol formulas for dry shampoos will become more commonplace.
You might be looking at your aerosol dry shampoos differently these days. Maybe you can’t get over the 2022 recalls, which affected some of the most popular formulas on the market, or maybe it’s climate anxiety. (Aerosols didn’t create the hole in the ozone layer, but they certainly aren’t helping.) Regardless, you’re not alone. According to Cain, Spate’s research indicates that searches for nonaerosol dry shampoos are showing positive growth on Google, with a 37.3% year-over-year bump.
Beauty brands are debuting updated dry shampoo formulas and mess-free delivery systems. Think powder formulas that smell fresh and are delivered via easy-to-use puffs, combs, and brushes. Allure editors are loving a pocket-size dry shampoo puff that makes application a breeze and leaves behind no residue. It’s launching later this month.
You can also expect more dry shampoo lotions and creams in the new year. We at Allure are big fans of this format, including the R+Co Bleu’s Vapor Lotion to Powder Dry Shampoo. (Allure commerce producer Sarah Hoffman can’t get enough of its oceanic scent.) We also recommend giving Raw Sugar’s Not So Dry Shampoo a try. Not only is this formula a 2024 Allure Best of Beauty winner in our Clean category, it’s priced at just 10 bucks.
It’s worth noting that, as with any new type of product in your routine, powder or lotion dry shampoos may come with a bit of a learning curve. Despite the potential downsides of sprays, they allow for a more even distribution of dry shampoo, says Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist and adjunct professor of cosmetic science at the University of Cincinnati. Powder application, on the other hand, “can be more messy and needs to be worked in more with fingers or a brush.” A little experimentation and practice will help you find the perfect amount and application method for your hair.
Bleu Vapor Lotion to Powder Dry Shampoo
$42.00, Nordstrom
Not So Dry Shampoo
$10.00, Walmart
Read more 2025 trend predictions:
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