11 Most Sold Shampoo Brands in the World

Washing our hair is something all of us do, so taking a look at the 11 most sold shampoo brands in the world should help us have a clearer image in mind about what other people prefer and whether they match our own likes and dislikes. In this regard, you can also check our article on Most sold board games ever, to see what are the most favorite games in the world.

As a small history lesson, shampoo was being used in India since ancient times, or, more specifically, a variety of herbs and extracts from these herbs were used for hair washing. Then, when the Europeans came back from India in the colonial era, they also brought back new habits, including the shampoo. The word itself dates back to the 1700s and is derived from the Hindi word chāmpo.

Liquid shampoo as we know today was eventually invented by Hans Schwarzkopf in Berlin in 1927, also creating a well-known brand in the process, albeit it’s mostly sold in Europe, covering a number of hair care products, including hair dye, styling products and more.

In the beginning, soap and shampoo were pretty much similar, and it took another few years before modern shampoo was invented, using synthetic surfactants rather than soap.

Nowadays, it’s something we all use in our daily routines. Whether we choose generic brands or more specialized, dermo-cosmetics for washing our hair, we all have such products in our bathrooms. There are dozens upon dozens of brands, some more efficient than others in what they promise to do – keep off dandruff, make your hair shinier, help keep the grease at bay – so in order to figure out which are the most sold shampoos we took a look at quite a few sources before crisscrossing the brands there.

Brands that made an appearance on Statista’s list were granted 5 points for each entry and another 5 points for the entries on the Kantar top beauty brands, the latter including more than just shampoo brands.

So, take a look at the 11 most sold shampoo brands in the world and let us know if your favorite is on the list.

11. TRESemmé

Points – 7

American hair care product brand TRESemmé landed on 11^th spot in this ranking. While the products from this particular brand were initially marketed to salons only, it wasn’t long before they ended up on store shelves.

Nowadays, TRESemmé is no longer manufactured by Godefroy Manufacturing Company. Back in 1968 it was bought by Alberto and then, in 2010 by Unilever, joining the giant company in an effort to continue growing.

TRESemmé offers multiple types of products in the shampoo department, including some dedicated to the color protection, moisturizing, strengthening the hairs or protecting the natural curls and waves.

10. Redken

Points – 8

Another American shampoo brand follows up next and it’s Redken, also known as “Redken 5^th Avenue NYC”. The company was created back in 1960 by Jheri Redding, a hairdresser and chemist, and Paula Kent, actress and model, and the brand name is a play on both their names.

Back in the 90s, the brand sold to Cosmair Inc., which later became L’Oréal Group. The brand can be found in many countries across the globe, although they’re a little bit more high end than what you normally find on shop shelves.

The shampoos in its arsenal offer protection for a varied list of issues, including dryness, lack of volume, extreme sensitivity and so on.

9. Umberto

Points – 11

Created by famous stylist of the celebrities Umberto Savone, his haircare products can be found mostly in salons, but also in Target stores. The Beverly Hills stylist has been doing his job for several decades, and he’s been doing it well considering his fame. The products he created are just as famous and specially designed not only to style hair but also to keep it beautiful.

His line of products includes shampoos that will deal with the volume, hair damage, and more.

8. Dove

Points – 15

As far as toiletries go, Dove is one of the biggest names out there, with plenty of advertising hitting TVs everywhere and the Internet as well, especially thanks to a series of videos that went viral a few months back.

Dove shampoos are also among those that are the most sold in the entire world. This particular brand offers versions that repair your damaged hair, protect your colored tresses or nourishes your scalp, to name a few. To these, you can add hair masks, conditioners and more.

As a brand, Dove was introduced back in the 50s and it is owned by one of the biggest consumer goods multinational – Unilever.

7. Neutrogena

Points – 15

While you may associate the Neutrogena brand more to skin care products, like moisturizers, acne treatments and anti-wrinkle creams, there are also a few shampoos under this name, some that are quite well received across the world.

For instance, its shampoos help fortify or moisturize the hair when needed. There are also conditioners and hair treatments for those who need them.

As a brand, Neutrogena was born in the US back in 1930 as Natone, changing the name to what you know today in 1967. Nowadays, the products reach some 70 countries with the number growing. Nowadays, it is part of another multibrand giant – Johnson & Johnson, which bought Neutrogena in 1994.

6. Sunsilk

Points – 22

Launched back in the 50s, Sunsilk is a British brand that took the world by storm. The brand is part of Unilever nowadays and reaches most parts of the world, with Asia, Latin America and the Middle East being the markets where it is most successful.

There’s a pretty wide range of products under this brand, dedicated to helping people gain perfectly straight hair, shiny tresses or to help them with hair fall issues.

5. Suave

Points – 25

Perhaps one of the cheapest brands on our list, Suave was first introduced back in the 1930s in the US. It is now owned by Unilever and sold in discount stores across North America and several countries in South America. The brand covers shampoos, but also hair conditioners, lotions, soaps and so on.

Thanks to the low prices and the wide fragrance range it offers, Suave is one of the most popular brands in the world. This is quite a feat considering how it only sells in so few countries.

4. Head & Shoulders

Points – 25

When it comes to fighting dandruff, Head & Shoulders is one of the best-known brands out there. It’s also what makes this particular brand so well-sold across the globe. After all, if you’re not going to go to the dermatologist and get some extra expensive shampoo that’s made just for you, this one is the choice to make.

The brand belongs to Procter & Gamble who introduced it back in the 60s as a way to combat and treat dandruff after spending about a decade cooking up the perfect formula to make the battle a reality.

The product line includes shampoos that not only help you become clear of dandruff, but also treat your hair, helping you achieve a “smooth and silky” mane, or maybe it will help you protect your hair color, especially since the dandruff-fighting components of this shampoo are notorious for also damaging that brand new color you dyed your hair in. There are also conditioners available, as well as specialized treatments.

3. Herbal Essences

Points – 30

Best known for those ads that got every prude’s hair up in a twist (orgasmic sounds while washing your hair, if you’ll remember), Herbal Essences is actually one of the 11 most sold shampoo brands in the world. They’re also super nice to smell, so we get the ad.

Herbal Essences is a brand that first appeared back in 1972, belonging to Clairol, which nowadays is a subdivision of Procter & Gamble. It offers a wide range of shampoos, as well as other hair care products, including conditioners and treatments.

The shampoos offer various benefits, including curl defining, moisturizing, helping out to keep the perfect waves in your hair or straightening it out as best your hair can do, to name a few.

2. Pantene

Points – 34

The Pantene brand was introduced in the 1940s and it was later purchased by Procter & Gamble, under whose umbrella it still is. There are many products under this brand, including conditioner, hair treatments and styling options, on top of the famous shampoos.

With a medium priced offering, Pantene is one of the best-known brands out there when it comes to hair care and one that is best sold across the globe. The product range covers many types of formulas, including shampoo that will offer your hair a smooth look, will fortify your strands or hydrate your curls, to name a few of the wide number of options.

1. Garnier

Points – 37

Born in France as Laboratoires Garnier in 1904, the Garnier brand was acquired by L’Oréal some seven decades later. It now offers not only hair care products but also various skin creams to help out those who need it.

When it comes to taking care of your hair, Garnier also offers various dyes and the needed treatments to keep your mane healthy. The shampoo range comes with quite a few options. For instance, you can fix hair damage, gain more volume, or simply clean your strands better.

The fact that the Garnier products aren’t extremely expensive has surely helped make this brand one of the 11 most sold shampoo brands in the world.