Even in a recession, sales of most men’s hair care products are expected to remain steady, according to data from Nielsen’s Homescan Consumer Facts report.  As male vanity continues to be all the rage, some sectors have shown solid growth: hair coloring grew 5.7 percent in 2008 over 2007, and in that year, growth was a miniscule 1.7 percent after two successive years of declining sales.   New products such as brush-in gel and liquid colorings drove last year’s growth.
Dollar sales of hair preparations such as gels, pomade and waxes slowed …

Despite higher prices for candy and costume accessories this year, U.S. consumers are expected to purchase more than $1.9 billion in candy for Halloween, Nielsen reported Tuesday.
Costume hair coloring products showed the largest price increase — up 126% to an average of $4.42 this year.  On average, candy prices are up 2.9% this year, with chocolate candy prices up an average of 4.2%.
Despite that price hike, chocolate candy is expected to account for $1.2 billion of Halloween candy sales, while non-chocolate candy will account for nearly $672 million, according to Nielsen.