New research from Schwarzkopf  Professional has revealed that the majority of women in the UK (95%) believe shampoo to be the essential hair care product and innovation of the century, that has had the biggest impact on their lives.

Dry shampoo (13.9%), conditioner (13.2%) and hairspray (9.9%) came in second, third and fourth place, behind shampoo, as the products to have impacted on women’s lives the most in the last 120 years – primarily thanks to their ease of use, time-saving qualities, ability to improve the feel and look of the hair and their styling properties.

Commenting on these findings, Stuart Hamid, general manager, Schwarzkopf Professional, said: “We celebrate 120 years of hair  innovations this year, and there is something delightful in the fact that the one product which was overwhelmingly voted for, as the essential haircare product of the century, is shampoo – an innovation that is embedded in the history of Schwarzkopf Professional, as we developed the very first ‘Hair Washing Powder Shampoo’ in 1903.

“At Schwarzkopf Professional innovation is part of our DNA. We have created 12 haircare firsts in our 120 years; and while we can’t take the credit for dry shampoo and conditioner, we did invent hairspray in 1955, enabling women to create looks previously unachievable. Certain iconic styles epitomise eras in history. The beehive of the 1960s was only possible because of hairspray and we are proud to have played a part in its creation”.

The survey also asked what women felt was their greatest hair issue. Nearly one-in-five (17.5%) women said frizzy hair, closely followed by grey hair (15.7%), greasy hair (13.2%) and flat hair (13%).