Dry Shampoo Mists Take Over: K18 Sells One AirWash Every 17 Seconds

K18 claims it sells one unit of its AirWash dry shampoo mist every 17 seconds globally — the sharpest signal yet that the dry shampoo category is shifting from powders and aerosols toward water-based mists. The numbers back the momentum: Spate values the global dry shampoo market at $5.1bn in 2026, with a forecast of $11.7bn by 2033.

Behind that growth sits a technical change worth your attention. Mists replace the starch-and-powder absorption model with liquid-based delivery: lightweight oil-absorbing and cleansing ingredients suspended in a fine spray. For stylists, that changes what you can recommend and how it behaves across textures.

What does a mist actually do differently?

Laura Fenton, CMO of cruelty-free brand Living Proof, keeps the definition tight: "A dry shampoo mist is a non-aerosol, liquid-based format designed to refresh hair between washes. Unlike traditional dry shampoos, which typically rely on powders or aerosolised starches to absorb oil, a dry shampoo mist delivers lightweight oil-absorbing and cleansing ingredients in a fine liquid spray."

No aerosol can, no loose powder, no white cast. The mechanism is still oil absorption — but the carrier is different, and so is the finish.

Dr. Catherine Leray, Account Head of R&D at THG Labs, frames the driver as performance, not novelty. "Consumers want to extend wash intervals without white cast, a chalky feel or excessive buildup," she says. "Mists or foam formats give more targeted application and can suit curls, braids and extensions better than loose powder. Water-based formats make it easier to add ingredients linked to hydration or scalp comfort."

That texture point matters for chair-side advice. Clients with curls, braids or extensions have long been poorly served by powder formulas that lodge in the hair and dull the surface. A targeted liquid spray reaches the scalp without coating the length.

Which brands are leading the format?

K18 fired the starting gun with AirWash in 2024. The water-based mist runs on the brand's patented odorBIND biotechnology, which targets odour-causing molecules directly rather than masking them with heavy fragrance. Porous silica handles excess oil on the scalp and hair. The result, per the brand, is a dry-shampoo experience without visible residue — and that one-unit-every-17-seconds sales claim shows the appetite is real.

Schwarzkopf has followed at mass level with the Got2B Get Fresh Dry Shampoo Hair Mist. The water-based formula refreshes hair between washes and absorbs excess oil, with a liquid spray the brand positions as a less powdery application and finish than traditional powder-based dry shampoos.

Two price tiers, one direction: both launches bet that clients want between-wash refreshment that feels like hair, not product.

Why the format shift sticks

The old dry shampoo playbook — aerosol starch, heavy fragrance, a haze of white residue — solved oil but created buildup, and buildup shortens the life of a style rather than extending it. Mists attack that weakness directly. Water-based carriers also open formulation room that powders can't: hydration actives and scalp-comfort ingredients dissolve where starches can't carry them.

For salon professionals, the practical read is this: clients extending wash intervals are no longer trading clean-feeling hair for oil control. When a client with braids or extensions asks what to use between appointments, the mist format — not the powder — is now the defensible recommendation.

With Spate forecasting the category to more than double by 2033, expect more water-based launches across price points as brands race to make the powder can look like the dated option.