Smell and lather among complaints about sulfate-free hair care products

Sulfate-free hair care products remain popular among consumers, but users do have some complaints.

LLS Beauty closely tracks online consumer reviews about beauty and personal care products in order to gain insights into emerging trends. Reviews are measured by sentiment, which is the percentage of positivity displayed in each sentence of a review. Here are some of the most recent findings:

• Overall, products mentioning sulfate free have a positive sentiment rating of 85%, which is higher than the hair care industry at 82%. However, sentiment about sulfate-free hair care products dropped from 91% in January to 81% in September.
• Among consumers’ most common complaints were:

1. Smell – At 86% sentiment, it was still positive overall, but had decreased by 3% over the last six months.
2. Lather – Consumers often cite insufficient lather as a problem with sulfate free products. Sentiment has decreased by 6% over the past six months.
3. Hydration – At 79% sentiment, this has decreased by 4% over the past six months.
4. Oily/greasy – Consumers complain shampoos leave hair feeling heavy or greasy.