In October 2024, Mark Samuel takes another look at the fine hair market, focusing on developments in synthetic materials, the availability of natural hairs and the changes affecting the production of cosmetic and professional brushes.

Author: Mark Samuel (Mark Samuel Trading Co. Ltd.) – October 2024
Photo from Brushwork

The changing fine hair market

The market for materials used in brush manufacturing continues to evolve. Growing demand for cruelty-free and vegan products is gradually changing market preferences, encouraging the use of synthetic materials as alternatives to traditional natural hairs.

At the same time, advances in synthetic filament production have made it possible to achieve increasingly high-quality materials capable of delivering competitive performance compared with natural alternatives in many applications.

The development of bio-based filaments

Another interesting development is the emergence of new bio-based filaments, produced partly from plant-derived raw materials.

These materials may incorporate polyester components to improve their performance and represent an attempt by the industry to develop solutions with a lower environmental impact.

Their cost generally remains higher than that of conventional synthetic materials and, at present, their performance does not always match that of fully synthetic filaments.

The natural hair market

Despite the increasing use of synthetic materials, a specialised market continues to exist for brushes made with natural hairs.

Increasingly strict regulations governing the trade in products of animal origin, particularly in China, have affected the availability of certain raw materials, including sable and squirrel hair.

Following the sharp increases recorded in previous years, prices for several natural fine hairs showed greater stability, although they remained high for the finest qualities.

Another factor contributing to the cost of premium qualities is the difficulty of finding the skilled labour required to select and process these materials.

Lower demand, but still present

Although the overall use of natural hairs has declined, steady demand remains for certain specialised applications in which particular characteristics of natural materials continue to be valued.

This helps maintain a market for certain high-end qualities, despite the increasing use of synthetic alternatives.

Supply chain challenges

Geopolitical tensions and trade regulations also continue to affect the availability of raw materials.

Difficulties in sourcing certain materials directly from Russia have had consequences particularly for the European squirrel hair market.

Some Russian material is being directed towards China, changing traditional supply flows and affecting availability and prices in different markets.

Price trends

Prices for lower-cost natural hair qualities are relatively stable, while the market for higher grades shows greater variability.

Limited availability of certain types and demand for specific qualities, such as sable, may continue to put pressure on prices.

A sector increasingly moving towards synthetic materials

The fine hair market in 2024 therefore confirms a transformation that was already evident in previous years: the use of synthetic materials continues to grow, supported both by technological developments in filaments and by increasing demand for cruelty-free products and alternative materials.

Natural hairs nevertheless continue to play a role in certain specialised applications and high-end production, where specific characteristics of the material remain in demand.