Growing Demand for Indian Human Hair in Overseas Markets

Company Brief

Mumbai, September 27, 2011

Hair has been synonymous with beauty for the Indian woman, and Indian hair has now caught the attention of many traders globally. Search statistics compiled by Alibaba.com, the world’s leading small business e-commerce company, suggests that 42 percent of global searches for human hair extensions on Alibaba.com in the past year were specific to Indian hair. The study also reflects that in the second quarter of this year, U.S. buyers showed the greatest interest in Indian hair extension products, accounting for 42 percent of all buyer inquiries received by Indian suppliers.

The U.K. and France were two other top buyer markets after the U.S., respectively accounting for 9 percent and 6 percent of all related buyer inquiries during the quarter. Other prominent buyer markets globally for Indian hair extensions are Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Germany and China.

Commenting on the search statistics, Mr. Sandeep Deshpande, Country Manager, Alibaba.com India said, "Indians are known to use natural remedies for keeping hair thick, long and beautiful, which is one of the biggest reasons for the growing demand for Indian hair in overseas markets. With Bollywood performing well in the overseas markets, Indian actress sporting long locks have also become fashion icons. This could be another contributing factor to the surge in interest in Indian human hair extensions. At Alibaba.com we provide a platform for Indian SMEs to export their quality products to reach out to global buyers. The opportunity for Indian SMEs with human hair extensions is just one amongst the many."

Statistics from Alibaba.com suggest that the U.S. and U.K. have displayed a healthy growth of more than 90 percent in buyer inquiries for Indian hair in the last quarter. Interestingly, in Q2, Spain has shown the greatest rise in demand, with the number of related buyer inquiries to India increasing by 219 percent year-on-year. Brazil and Germany were two other markets in which buyer demand for Indian hair extension products has significantly increased, with the rise being 107 percent and 106 percent, respectively.

“Indian hair is extremely versatile and adaptable, making it appealing to a diverse range of users across the world. Indian hair also takes dye particularly well and can be easily styled to match a person’s natural hair so it is a great choice for those looking to add length and volume to their natural locks. This represents a huge business opportunity in the global wig-making industry,” concluded Sandeep Deshpande.

Alibaba.com Gold Supplier Quotes:

Om Sakhti Murugan Enterprises, with an annual turnover of close to a million dollars and almost 180 quality inquiries a month on his account on Alibaba.com, has been an Alibaba.com Gold Supplier member for close to a year now. Mr Venkatesan, Proprietor of Om Sakthi Murugan, says,

“We have witnessed an increase in the number of inquiries received from Alibaba.com for human hair particularly remy, virgin human hair. We source our hair from temples in South India like Tirupati Balaji, Temples of Lord Murgan, Lord Shiva and Lord Perumal and other small temples in Tamil Nadu, which contribute to a rich source of Indian human hair. We believe India is a great destination to source human hair from mainly because of the natural and un-processed nature of Indian hair, which makes the hair easy to dye and use universally for making wigs.”

Waves Hair, a Kochi-based company completely managed by women, offers various hair extension solutions. Mallika Sreekumar - business Owner and CEO of Waves Hair, believes,

“In the last quarter, we have seen a spike in the overall number of inquiries for Indian hair extensions and an increase in interest from newer markets like South American countries. Indian hair is demanded across the globe, primarily because of its quality and texture. Indian hair comes in various styles and can be naturally curly, wavy as well as straight – unlike Chinese hair which have only one major style (thick and straight). Further, the thickness of Indian hair is comparable to that in Western countries.”

For further information, please contact:

Perfect Relations

Jharna Rochlani

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Email: jrochlani@perfectrelations.com