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The beauty industry, decoded through data
Europe

The top haircare brands on social media: independent science in the US versus salon heritage in Europe

April 2, 2026

CreatorIQ’s consolidated Earned Media Value scoring for the last twelve months provides a clear view of the haircare brands generating the most organic exposure on social media.

In the United States, modern, tech-driven hair care brands lead. Olaplex commands the American index at 97, closely followed by Redken at 90, amika at 82, and K18 at 69.

In Europe, established professional and mass brands have an edge. Kérastase achieves the overall top score, followed by L’Oréal Paris at 78 and L’Oréal Professionel at 73, while the American frontrunner Olaplex fails to reach the top ten entirely overseas.

Olaplex and K18 create virality in the American market through highly visual, transformative before-and-after content paired with accessible chemistry education. In Europe, Kérastase favors a different architecture, digitizing its offline exclusivity by leveraging professional salon stylists as authoritative creators, a strategy that secures regional dominance while still maintaining a strong index of 79 in the US.

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