Johnson and Johnson have discovered athleisure’s untapped segment

The athleisure trend is revolutionizing the way we view personal care products, capitalizing upon the recognition that the needs of the skin and the scalp change when exercising and working out. This has resulted in beauty and grooming innovations that are designed for  the work-out occasion, such as hair products that protect against the elements and high-performance, sweat-proof cosmetics.

While the millennial desire to lead healthier, more active lifestyles has been a major catalyst for the boom in the athleisure trend, Johnson & Johnson has noticed a gap in the market in applying this trend to young, active children aged between 3 and 10 years old.

The brand’s new shampoo recognizes that as children grow their hair changes and needs its own special care. During play time, children’s hair is likely to become sweaty, rough, tangled, and exposed to oil and dirt. Accordingly, the brand claims that this ‘active kids’ shampoo is formulated with new technology that helps prevent sweat from turning smelly, and claims to keep the hair smelling fresh for up to 12 hours.

This innovation is also reflective of the wider trend of ‘adultification’, whereby brands are transferring trends already popular among adults to the baby care sectors.

This capitalizes upon the recognition that parents want to replicate experiences that they have with their children with comfort in knowing that these products are specifically tried and tested for kids.

While products that claim to thoroughly clean and detangle children’s hair are already well established on the market, parents see additional value in products which are specifically aligned to meet the needs and concerns that sweating profusely during physical activity can bring. These concerns are amplified when considering the sensitive scalps of young children, and the parental desire for more complete protection for their kids.

This launch paves the way for similar brands to target children, and subsequently their parents, in a number of unexplored ways. Product launches for children containing SPF to protect the hair from UV rays can be expected, as can products infused with mineral oils that resist humidity and water to further protect from the elements.