by Shark Beauty, the viral hair tool line launched in 2021 by home appliance manufacturer SharkNinja, is launching a new duo of health-minded scalp hair dryers.
Called the SpeedStyle Pro and the SpeedStyle Pro Flex – the difference is that the latter folds up for easy travel, and comes with an additional diffuser attachment for curly hair – the tools mark the fifth family of Shark Beauty hair tools .
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Retailing at $199 for the Pro and $229 for the Pro Flex, the offerings are priced similarly to many of their counterparts in the hot air dryer and styler categories at Drybar, BondiBoost and T3, which also sells at Sephora and Ulta Beauty.
They’re much more affordable, though, than those by Ghd — which last month unveiled a $399 two-in-one hair dryer brush — and fellow hair tool-turned-appliance giant Dyson, whose $599 Airwrap Il -Styler credited to him. by many people who left TikTok’s obsession with beauty dupes, after its viral era of the 2021 holiday season (which lasted for most of 2022).
With the launch of its SpeedStyle Pro franchise, Shark Beauty aims to expand its mission to minimize hair damage caused during heat styling with the introduction of its Scalp Shield Technology.
“Everything we do starts with a consumer problem—that’s Shark Beauty’s true competitive advantage—and we know consumers are thinking more about the health of their skin,” said Danielle Lessing, senior vice president of global product development at SharkNinja. “When we looked at our portfolio we thought, ‘Let’s push it further – we’ll continue to dry hair quickly and without heat damage, but we’ll add the added benefit of promoting healthy hair growth and reducing scalp damage and irritation. minimize.’”
Developed in partnership with dermatologists, the protection feature is enabled by holding a button and is intended to adjust the styler’s temperature to 50 degrees Celsius instantly for root drying, returning to the user’s preferred temperature when released – without stretch dry. time.
Both tools come with a range of signature Shark Beauty attachments, including the Turbo Concentrator, which promotes sleekness; the QuickSmooth Brush to create volume, and the Frizz Fighter Finishing Tool.
“There’s this increased emphasis on being unapologetic about your hair, so we’re always developing accessories that allow the consumer to do that and embrace and enhance their natural hair, as well as those that allow for you to transform her for more. manufactured [look],” Lessing said.
While Shark Beauty declined to comment on sales expectations for the launch, industry sources think the SpeedStyle Pro and SpeedStyle Pro Flex could reach up to $50 million in global sales during their first year on the market. The brand is available in 27 countries, and this fall will be in 500 Sephora doors and 1,300 Ulta Beauty doors.
During the first quarter of 2024, SharkNinja made $1.1 billion in net sales, an increase of 24.7 percent compared to the previous year.
Cleaning appliances are the company’s largest category, logging $414.9 million in net sales in the first quarter of 2024. In second and third place are the company’s cooking and beverage appliances, and its food preparation appliances.
The company’s “other” category, which includes Shark Beauty, air purifiers and fans, is the smallest part of SharkNinja’s business, having logged $109.6 million in net sales in the first quarter. Growing 66.4 percent, however, it is the company’s second-fastest growing category, only outpacing the 74 percent growth in its food preparation appliances.
More broadly, data from Circana shows that the hot air styler category is up 10 percent year-on-year, reaching $276 million in the first half of 2024. The sector’s growth is greater than flat irons. and hair straighteners, which grew 4 percent to $156 million.
Data from Trendalytics, meanwhile, shows that Shark Beauty’s Instagram engagement increased by 224 percent over the past year, while Dyson’s rate fell by 17 percent during the period. That said, one of Dyson’s biggest strengths on social is user-generated content, with engagement on posts mentioning the brand increasing by 636 percent over the past year, where there had been a decline 29 percent of the engagement with those who mention Shark Beauty despite the growth of. its owned channels.
While the company’s focus has been on hair tools so far, Shark Beauty, now approaching its third anniversary, is eyeing a potential expansion beyond its core category.
“Up until now the world has seen a lot of hair care products from us, but we were strategic not to name ourselves Shark Hair,” said Lessing. “Over the next 12 months, we will be exciting customers with what we can expect from the Shark Beauty brand.”
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