in March, according to a McKinsey report released in May. One business confident in the future of at-home beauty services is eSalon, an LA-based home hair colour brand that launched in Australia and New Zealand last week.  Founded by five friends a decade ago, the hair care brand offers customised hair colouring kits delivered to the client’s home, personalised packaging and instructions, with access to a personal colourist should the client have any questions or concerns.  Over the last 10 years, the business has expanded throughout North America and into Europe, opening a UK office and production facility in 2019.  “Historically, there have only been two options for consumers: time-consuming and expensive trips to the salon or one-size-fits-all boxed hair dye,” eSalon CEO Graham Jones told Inside Retail.  “To date, we’ve developed over 247,000 unique colour combinations and shipped over 9.4 million orders throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.” Thanks to the boom in home colouring during lockdowns, the business hired almost 100 new employees, including colourists and stylists whose salons had closed for the shutdown. “Many consumers have had to learn how to replicate their normal salon-visit beauty routines at home who might not otherwise have opted for at-home DIY beauty. We personally saw a sharp 10x increase in demand for first-time orders across all markets when Safe at Home was implemented,” Jones said. eSalon customised colour kit. Image: Supplied. Customisation  Customisation is at the heart of eSalon’s formula. Customers fill out a questionnaire online to provide information about their hair colour history, grey percentage, hair texture and length. There is also an option for customers to upload a photo if they wish. Once a colourist has reviewed the answers and gathered further details, they can formulate the custom colour.  The personalisation of each product is highlighted by the printing of the client’s name on product packaging and on the hair care instructions.  Beyond the custom colour product, eSalon was also the first to launch at-home balayage highlights, and now offers a selection of hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners and styling products. Future of home beauty Jones is confident that at-home hair care services are not a fad and expects that many of the new customers acquired this year will stick around based on convenience and affordability of the service.  “Even before the pandemic, eSalon was a solution for many by removing several roadblocks, such as money and time, making salon-quality hair colour, made just for them, more accessible,” he said.  “Many clients who might not have tried eSalon before the pandemic have found they prefer colouring their hair at home and will stay with eSalon.” McKinsey expects pre-COVID-19 trends will continue to accelerate, with direct-to-consumer e-commerce, such as websites, shoppable social media platforms and marketplaces, becoming more important.  “Across the globe, consumers indicate they are likely to increase their online engagement and spending. Beauty-industry players will need to prioritise digital channels to capture and convert the attention of existing and new customers,” the report reads.  According to Jones, the best beauty brands in the US have been evolving to help their customers maintain their beauty routine at home through educational videos and social media interaction.   “We host live application tutorials and ‘Ask a Colourist’ chats on Instagram and Facebook where viewers can ask an expert any hair colour and hair care questions.  “There’s also been a big increase in D2C brands as well as non-D2C brands testing the waters in order to connect with consumers better and easier. And, as brands compete for the attention of consumers, we are seeing more online offers.”