Women, genes spur sales of hair tonics

The market for hair growth products is expanding again after receding for four years.

The stronger sales are being attributed to two new types of products in particular-those based on gene-level hair growth research and those developed for women.

Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. introduced Karoyan Gush in June and marketed the product at the latent female demographic. Thanks to an advertising blitz that included in-store campaigns and TV commercials, sales climbed to 2.9 billion yen during the first six months after its release.

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. plans to introduce a ladies' version of its popular Riup tonic. The company says it will launch the product as soon as it has received approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

As for genetic-based goods, Lion Corp.'s hair nourishing treatment Innovate, introduced in October 2003, is forecast to generate 5.8 billion yen in sales this year. The product contains cytopurine, a substance that increases the proteins that produce hair.

Shiseido Co. plans to begin sales of a hair growth tonic that contains adenosine, which is said to increase the genes that promote hair growth.

The new product, called Adenogen, was effective in stimulating hair growth in 94.1 percent of the people who took part in six months of clinical tests, company officials said.

The product, which will retail for about 6,500 yen excluding consumption tax, is to hit store shelves in March, with Shiseido projecting annual sales of 6.5 billion yen.

After peaking at 74 billion yen in 1999, the market for hair growth products began fading, according to research company Fuji Keizai Co.

This was partly due to the meteoric rise and subsequent fall in sales of Taisho's Riup hair tonic, which gave the market an estimated 15-billion-yen boost in 1999. By 2003, the market had sagged to about 57 billion yen. But the research firm predicts the market rose by 1 billion yen year on year in 2004 to 58 billion yen.(IHT/Asahi: December 17,2004)

The Asahi Shimbun