Henkel reports strong H1 2026 performance led by 4.2% growth in hair care
Hair sales increased 4.2% organically during the six-month period and rose 3.3% in the second quarter.
GERMANY – Henkel’s Consumer Brands business has recorded organic sales growth of 1.7% during the first half of 2026, with its Hair business providing the strongest contribution to the division’s performance.
Growth was reported across both the Consumer and Professional businesses, with the Professional business delivering particularly strong momentum. Within the Consumer business, all hair categories contributed positively, while Hair Colourants and Hair Styling generated the most significant gains.
Consumer Brands reported sales of €4.733 billion (USD 5.18 billion)for the first half, down 3.5% in nominal terms from the same period a year earlier.
The decline reflected foreign-exchange movements, portfolio changes and the disposal of Henkel’s retailer brands business in North America in April 2025.
The division achieved 1.7% organic growth. In the second quarter, sales reached €2.448 billion (USD 2.68 billion), an increase of 1.1% nominally, while organic sales advanced 1.6%.
The Hair business generated sales of €1.683 billion (USD 1.84 billion) in the first half and grew 4.2% organically, making it Consumer Brands’ fastest-growing major business area.
Laundry & Home Care posted sales of €2.768 billion (USD 3.03 billion) and organic growth of 0.7%, while Other Consumer Businesses generated €282 million (USD 308 million) in sales but declined 2.1% organically.
In the second quarter, Laundry & Home Care grew 1.3% organically, Hair advanced 3.3% and Other Consumer Businesses declined 4.6%.
Laundry Care returned to positive growth during the first half, supported by a significant increase in Fabric Care and positive development in Fabric Finisher, although Fabric Cleaning declined slightly.
Home Care also delivered good organic growth, led by a double-digit increase in Hand Dishwashing.
However, Body Care, which is included in Other Consumer Businesses, weakened in Europe, contributing to the area’s overall decline. North America recorded good organic growth in Other Consumer Businesses.
The division’s adjusted operating profit reached €724 million (USD793 million), slightly below the prior-year level. Henkel attributed the reduction mainly to the divestment of North American retailer brands and unfavourable currency effects.
Adjusted return on sales remained stable at 15.3%, showing that the division maintained its profitability ratio despite the pressures affecting reported earnings.
Henkel’s stronger Hair performance coincided with the completion of its acquisition of OLAPLEX, a premium hair-care brand specialising in science-based, high-performance products.
OLAPLEX generates approximately €370 million (USD 505 million) in annual sales and strengthens Henkel’s presence in the premium hair-care market.
Henkel plans to use its global scale to expand OLAPLEX through cross-selling, broader distribution and further development in speciality retail and salon channels.
OLAPLEX was one of five acquisitions agreed by Henkel during the first half of 2026. The transactions had a combined value of approximately €5 billion.
Meanwhile, four acquisitions had been completed when Henkel released its results: OLAPLEX and Not Your Mother’s in Consumer Brands, and Wetherby Laroc and ATP Adhesive Systems in Adhesive Technologies.
The planned acquisition of the Stahl Group was expected to close during the second half of the year.
Henkel’s regional performance was mixed during the first half. At Group level, North America recorded 2.4% organic growth, while the IMEA region increased 14.9% and Asia-Pacific grew 10.3%.
Europe declined 1.5%, and Latin America fell 1.3%. In the second quarter, North America grew 3.9%, IMEA rose 17.4%, Asia-Pacific increased 10.3%, Europe recorded 0.4% growth and Latin America expanded 0.5%.
At Group level, Henkel reported first-half sales of €10.348 billion, representing a nominal decline of 0.5%.
Organic sales growth reached 3.2%, while second-quarter sales rose 4.6% nominally to €5.396 billion and organic growth accelerated to 4.7%. Foreign-exchange effects reduced first-half sales by 3.9%, while acquisitions and divestments had a positive impact of 0.2%.
During the second quarter, currency effects reduced sales by 2.6%, while acquisitions and divestments contributed 2.5%.
Following the strong first-half performance, Henkel upgraded its full-year Group organic sales growth forecast to between 1.5% and 3.5%, from the previous range of 1.0% to 3.0%.
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