HERBAL Essences customers are in a lather after the haircare firm shrunk its conditioners by almost a THIRD.
Its Dazzling Shine, Hello Hydration, Daily Detox and Ignite My Colour hair moisturisers have gone from 400ml to 275ml in recent months, but remain at around £2.
The product is now sold in tubes rather than bottles after the 31% reduction, leaving customers confused and angry about the change.
One, Brian Brennan, fumed on the review site Trustpilot this week: “My wife has always used the shampoo and conditioner, the prices were very good.
“The shampoo and conditioner were in 400ml bottles. Now they put the conditioner in a 275ml tube container and charge the same price for 125ml less.”
Another added on X: “Why are you no longer selling 400ml bottles of conditioner? Now I can only find 275ml tubes, which means I’ll need to replace them more often – and they’re not that much cheaper!”
A third added: “Just been comparing the old and new Herbal Essences conditioner bottles, and the old one has 400ml, almost half a litre, whereas the new squeezy bottle only has 275ml.
“That’s more than a quarter of your conditioner being stolen from right under your nose!”
Its equivalent shampoo range continues to be sold in 400ml bottles.
Shrinkflation is when products shrink in size but remain at the same price, meaning shoppers pay the same for less.
It’s a tactic often used by companies to avoid hiking prices, as a change if size is less noticeable.
Susannah Streeter, of investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said Herbal Essences’ owner Procter and Gamble (P&G) had been increasing prices month on month, which has put off price-conscious shoppers.
She added: “Attempts to limit the effect of price hikes through promotions and discounts have not been enough to win back loyalty.
“P&G has also been affected by weaker spending in China, even for essential items and it’s also been hit by boycotts of Western brands in the Middle East.
“So, the company is looking at other ways to keep costs lower and keep its profits ticking up.
“It appears shrinking sizes on some products, rather than hiking prices, is part of the strategy.”
Procter and Gamble did not comment.
Yesterday The Sun revealed how Cadbury’s family treat bags of chocolates have shrunk down in size.
New packs appearing in recent months have seen the Crunchie axed from the selection, as well as the size reduced from 216g to 207g.
It is the latest chocolatey snack made by the manufacturer to shrink in size.
Cadbury‘s Brunch bar multipacks have also reportedly been reduced in size by a major 12.5%.
Traditionally shoppers were able to bag up a pack of five bars which in total weighed over 160g – or 32g per lunchtime treat.
But now the entire box weighs a whole 20g less with the bars now sitting at 28g each, an investigation by The Grocer has revealed.
The size reduction applies to all the flavours including their raisin, peanut, choc chip and Bournville choc chip choices.
Elsewhere, shoppers have been feeling the crunch after it was revealed that two of Kellog’s four different cereal pack sizes have gone down in weight by 50g.
A box of 720g Kellogg’s Corn Flakes boxes is now 670g and 500g boxes are down to 450g.
But the smaller 670g boxes are being sold at £3.20 in Tesco – the same price as for the larger box when it was sold in May.
Meanwhile, its 450g boxes are £2.19, while the previous 500g boxes were only pennies more at £2.25.
A Kellogg’s spokesman previously told The Sun: “Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are available in four different box sizes to suit different shopper preferences and needs.
“As the cost of ingredients and production processes increase, it costs us more to make our products than it used to.
“This can impact the recommended retail price. It’s the grocer’s absolute discretion and decision what price to charge shoppers.”
THE latest example of shrinkflation sweeping across the UK has seen family favourite pasta sauce brand Dolmio adjust their packaging.
Their 750g jars are now 675g while 500g jars have been trimmed to 450g.
But despite the ten per cent decrease, the price has stayed put at £3 and £2.50 in supermarkets.
It has left customers unhappy at maker Mars, which advertises it on TV with the slogan, “When’sa your Dolmio day?”.
One fan told The Sun: “It’s a family jar but now it’s smaller, so I’ve had to reduce the portions on every plate at the table.
“It’s really disappointing that companies try to hide this from their customers by making sneaky packaging changes instead of just being honest.
“In two months the price will go up again and it’s even worse of a deal.”
A Mars spokeswoman confirmed the changes, telling The Sun: “Like everyone, we’ve experienced significant cost increases across our raw materials and operations, something that we are continuing to see.
“We have been absorbing these rising costs for some time, but the growing pressures we are facing means we needed to take further action.
“While it has been a difficult decision to decrease the weight of our jars, our priority is continuing to provide our great products, without compromising on quality or taste.”
