Calling Brazilian women living in the UK: it's haircare time

I was contacted by a research agency – Criteria Fieldwork – this week asking me if I could help them find Brazilian women living in the UK to take part in some market research about hair care. I was intrigued… why hair care? Why Brazilian women living in the UK?

Well, the research is being conducted for a global care and personal hygiene brand, which is looking to pilot a new product (keep reading to find out how you could get involved in Criteria Fieldwork’s research). Understandably, Criteria Fieldwork couldn’t give more details on the project and its client, so I did my own research into the Brazilian hair care market and realized just what a big business it is.

According to a blog post by Rob Walker, Senior FMCG Analyst for Euromonitor International, emerging markets like Brazil have been “propping up” the global hair care industry. Global retail sales of hair care products increased by 5% in 2011 to US$73.7 billion, but “lacklustre growth” rates in the US, Japan and most of Western Europe were offset by emerging markets, notably China, India, Brazil, Russia and Mexico. Rob goes on to say that in 2011, for the third year in succession, Brazil was the strongest growth market in the world for hair care, based on incremental retail value.  Between 2008 and 2011, Brazilian expenditure on hair care products rose by US$2.3 billion, the equivalent to more than a quarter of the industry's global incremental growth.

Rob attributes this growth to a “strong away-from-home beauty culture” and the 1.5 million beauty salons in the country. Apparently, Brazilian women typically get their hair done once a week. Things have changed since I lived there… But what hasn’t changed is what Rob calls Brazil’s “democratization” of beauty culture. “Women from all socioeconomic backgrounds tend to spend a big chunk of their discretionary income on looking good. And you are as likely to come across a beauty salon in a low-income neighbourhood as in a middle-class neighbourhood,” he says. True. And I wrote about this a couple of years ago.

Now, back to the market research… Criteria Fieldwork is looking for Brazilian or US females living in the UK to take part in some market research about hair care. The purpose of the research is to provide views and opinions about different hair care products.  The research is taking place on the 5^th or 9^th November and eligible participants would receive a monetary thank you for their time.  If you are interested in participating and would like some more information about the research please contact Danielle Pipe on 020 7431 4366 or email Danielle.Pipe@criteria.co.uk. I’ve been assured by Danielle that the company is simply interested in your views and not in selling you services or products.