For those with a full head, hair is consumers’ most treasured asset. Its color, texture, length and style serve as much a physical attribute that elevates their looks as it does the main marker of their identity.

Because healthy hair grows from the scalp, there has been growing interest in scalp health in the last year, and it’s a trend that isn’t slowing. In fact, serums and scrubs are the moment’s fastest-growing scalp care products in the US, per Spate‘s Popularity Index.

Scalp Serums

Scalp serums have seen a significant rise in interest, with growth up +56.6% compared to last year across platforms. On Search, the trend has grown by 134.9%, while TikTok has firmly claimed ownership of the category with a 25.6% year-over-year (YoY) increase and 57.5% of its Popularity Share going to the social media platform. The trend currently sees an average of 12,600 monthly searches on Google and 1.0 million weekly views on TikTok.

Top search queries include branded terms like Divi, Ouai, The Ordinary and Nécessaire — brands that were early to market with scalp serums and now dominate consumer awareness. For emerging brands looking to compete, it’s helpful to note that consumers strongly associate scalp serums with concerns like hair growth and dry scalp. Calling those out clearly on packaging and in marketing is one way to stand out. Another key strategy is education. Many consumers are still learning about the benefits of scalp serums, so highlighting their role in scalp health, healthy hair growth, and overall hair density is essential. Since shoppers are actively looking for peer reviews, incentivizing feedback through review platforms or commissioning influencers to create review content can be highly effective. On TikTok specifically, there’s a strong emphasis on hair growth — the hashtag #hairgrowth averages 202.5K weekly views alongside this trend. But there’s also growing attention around #scalphealth and #healthyhair, both averaging 121.9K weekly views. This reflects a broader shift in consumer mindset, where scalp care is increasingly seen as the foundation of total hair health.

Scalp Scrubs

Scalp scrubs have grown by 44.2% compared to last year across platforms. On Search, the trend has increased by 28.2% YoY and now holds a 79.1% Popularity Share. On TikTok, analysts say growth has seen a 173.6% increase compared to last year. The trend currently sees 35.0K average monthly searches on Google and 369.6K average weekly views on TikTok. Consumers are searching for branded scrubs from Nexxus, Ouai, Christophe Robin, Drunk Elephant and Kristin Ess, but there is also a noticeable interest in DIY solutions.

For brands entering the conversation, analysts say there’s an opportunity to educate around why DIY concoctions pale in comparison to store-bought solutions. That could mean highlighting advanced ingredients and thoughtful formulation or promoting the ease of having someone else do the work. Interestingly, dandruff is the main concern that appears alongside this trend across platforms.
While that is a clear entry point – since scalp scrubs often address flakes and buildup – there is also room to connect scrubs to other benefits like shinier hair and better absorption of follow-up products. On TikTok, the top hashtags associated with this trend are #asmrsounds (127.3K average weekly views) and #asmr (121.3K), suggesting that sensory content is performing well.