TAGS: Hair Care
Today, consumers face a variety of concerns, from dry, dull, and frizzy manes to limp, lackluster hair. In addition to the impact of heating and styling tools, external aggressors such as pollution, cold weather and intense heat, etc. lead to aging, loss of shine and resiliency, sun damage and dryness.
Like the skin care category, hair care is intrinsically complex and varied! Skin-inspired formats such as scalp masks, serums, exfoliators, oils are slowly being adopted to protect hair and lessen pollution damage concerns.
Hair care routines are no longer limited to traditional shampoos and rinse-off conditioners. At a macro level, multi-step beauty regimes, natural protection, anti-pollution hair care, etc. are some of the interesting trends that are impacting what different consumer segments are seeking from their hair care products.
The segment is also driven by the healthy living movement and consumers are, therefore, increasingly prioritizing hair health when purchasing hair care products.
Let’s check out some of the hair care ingredients launched recently to meet the growing needs of consumers...
New Breakthroughs for Gray Hair Reduction
Flax Seeds to Tackle Gray Hair
Ashland has relaunched
Chromafend™ biofunctional to preserve hair’s natural color. This unique extract based on golden flax seeds (linseed) helps to boost key pigmentation markers in the hair follicle (in vitro and ex vivo tests).
Chromafend™ biofunctional can be used in applications to address the first signs of graying hair; boost darkening and vitality in gray hair; space out the need to color gray hair; and boost darkening in beards.
Advanced Hair Pigmentation Recovery Active
Free radicals play a critical role in hair whitening, leading to decreasing melanogenesis in the hair follicles and shrinking of melanocytes pool. Givaudan has developed
Darkenyl™, a combination of taxifolin glucoside (a stabilized antioxidant, acting as a stimulator of stem cells proliferation and maintenance) and N-acetyl-tyrosine (a precursor of melanin) to fight against white hair through the following mechanism:
- Protects hair follicles from oxidation (ROS).
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Stimulates hair follicle stem cells to create new melanocytes.
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Activates the melanogenesis to increase melanin production.
This mode of action is completely independent of gender, hair type or hair color, making Darkenyl™ an ideal solution to universally target hair graying.
Answering Clean Beauty Trends
A Carbon-Neutral Essential Cell Boost Factor
A healthy lifestyle paired with the increasing need for sustainable and responsible consumption of resources is part of the outlook of today’s consumers. Rahn has developed
CellActive®, a climate-neutral and paves the way for a new generation of active ingredients for clean beauty.
CellActive® consists of the microalga C. vulgaris and the white lupin, well-known superfoods. Being suitable for both skin and hair, it promotes the integrity and firmness of the skin, encourages the longevity of hair follicles and improves hair quality parameters (anti-static effect, structure).
(Source: RAHN-Cosmetics) |
Growing “Dry Shampoo” Trend
Dry shampoo is used for a myriad of reasons: to preserve bleached or colored hair; reduce water usage; save time; extend or revive a style; boost one’s roots. Recently, Ashland has amplified the efficacy of dry shampoo sprays and mousses with a brand new, patented solution:
Advantage™ Revive polymer.
Based on a unique PVP chemistry, Advantage™ Revive delivers superior cleaning, improved sebum removal, and less visible residue while leaving hair visibly cleaner, more manageable and lustrous.
Through hyperspectral imaging Ashland demonstrates how its chemistry is effective at removing sebum while leaving the hair looking shinier with enhanced luster.
Modern Day Hair Conditioning Advances
Natural Active Good for Hair and Environment
STEPANQUAT® Helia by Stepan Company is a modern hair conditioning agent suited for hair conditioners. It is a very mild, naturally derived cationic surfactant that provides excellent wet and dry combability on hair in addition to excellent detangling and a soft, conditioned feel.
STEPANQUAT® Helia provides substantive conditioning without build-up.
Non-ionic Surfactant Obtained from Vegetable Oils
Citróleo has developed Green Behenic (BAPDMA or Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine), a high-performance primary conditioning agent in its
CitroTech range.
It has excellent conditioning power with unparalleled final sensory. The product increases the brightness of the hair, partially repairs the damage caused by external agents. In addition, it gives high untangling power, wet and dry combability, soft touch and reduced frizz and volume.
Another great benefit of this product to the environment is that it is a non-ionic meeting the European restrictions on cationic capillary surfactants which are especially toxic for marine ecosystems.
The product, with vegetable origin, is biodegradable and can be formulated in Conditioners Combing Creams Treatment Masks Serums Shampoos.
Amino Lipid Technology for Deep Conditioning
Inolex has developed
AminoSensyl™ HC, a pre-neutralized, natural hair care active system that provides higher performance in hair conditioning & treatment products. The active contains Brassicyl Valinate Esylate, an amino lipid derived from valine amino acid. It has a non-quat cationic charge for hair substantivity and a better aquatic toxicity profile than traditional conditioning or strengthening cationic surfactants. AminoSensyl™ HC delivers significant strengthening, conditioning, smoothness, and definition in hair applications.
AminoSensyl™ HC creates rich textures and provides deep moisturization for soft, weightless conditioning to smooth, define, and strengthen hair.
(Source: INOLEX Beauty) |
Heat Damage Protection Actives
Biodegradable, Vegan Thermal Protection
Chemyunion has introduced a new version of its heat protection active to comply with vegan claims -
ThermoShield Premium.
ThermoShield Premium is a 100% biodegradable ingredient for heat protection that retains water in the hair fiber and forms a protective film. Through a technological mechanism, it protects hair from heat damage without compromising the ability to style it.
- Preserves cuticle integrity, promoting luster, combability, softness, anti-frizz effect
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Maintains straight effect after 24h
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An alternative to silicone heat protectants, with no build-up effect
Liposoluble, Plant Active to Minimize Radiation and Heat Damage
Activoil™ Kerox-Pro™ by Innovacos is a lipophilic active protects against color fading and hair cuticle structural disruption caused by a spectrum of wavelengths encompassing UV, blue light and infrared. It carries two key active components to enable hair to cope with environmental damage through antioxidant and biomimetic re-lipidification pathways.
Furthermore, the lipophilic active protects and repairs from heat damage caused by numerous cycles of straightening irons preventing loss of tensile strength and shine. |
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More Advances in the Hair Care Category
Hair Growth with the Regenerative Medicine Approach
BURGEON-UP by Ichimaru Pharcos is an epoch-making product focusing on R-spondin 1 which has attracted attention in regenerative medicine. BURGEON-UP upregulates R-spondin 1 secretion from dermal papilla and elongates the hair follicle by promoting a transition from Telogen (rest phase) to Anagen (growth phase).
In addition, R-spondin 1 extends each follicle’s period in Anagen by inhibiting the damage of dihydrotestosterone - induced hair loss factor (DKK1).
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Protection from Pollution-Induced Stress
BASF has launched Rambuvital® which protects both the scalp and hair follicles against pollution-induced stress. It increases hair follicle vitality and reduces sebum oxidation triggered by exposure to pollutants and UV.
The seed extract enhances the cornified scalp’s barrier function, contributing to water retention by increasing transglutaminase-1 and loricrin synthesis in keratinocytes. Rambuvital® also acts as a hair deodorant, repelling the smell of pollution. |
Bio-based Polymer for Hair Styling
Nouryon has launched
Amaze SP bio-based polymer for ‘weightless’ hair styling. It is a 100% natural polymer that provides humidity resistant style retention, volume and anti-frizz performance. Its exceptional sensory and look makes it the ideal choice for natural and nude styling products that deliver touchable hold.
Combat the Hair Loss
To combat the hair loss experienced by both male and female consumers, GREENTECH has introduced HAIRILINE®. It is designed to increase hair density during consumers’ daily hair care routines. The ingredient is powered by Lindera strychnifolia, an Asian shrub that contains sesquiterpenes, polyphenols and lignans that are meant to act positively on hair density.
Sculptor and Color Defender
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SymHair® Shape & Color by Symrise is an oil-soluble synergistic combination of wheat bran extract and camellia oil designed to control hair volume and frizz as well as to visibly retain hair color.
It strengthens the hair fiber and is effective in taming volume and frizz, with memory effect that allows the retention of curls even in conditions of high humidity. It also provides greater cohesion of the cuticles preventing the escape of pigments, so that the color is visibly prolonged, remaining radiant even after successive washes.
New Natural Alkaline Neutralizer
Clariant has launched
NEUTROTAIN™ DMG, an alkaline neutralizer based on renewable feedstock. It facilitates mildness and hazard-label free claims to traditionally harsher products such as hair coloring and hair removal. based on 75% sugars, it has an excellent ecotox profile and delivers on high performance for functional claims as well as suitability for novel formulation concepts.
Ammonia can be replaced or reduced and still achieve dark Tonality 4.0 from hair dye formulations that are mild to the scalp.
More Recently Launched Ingredients for Hair Care
This article was originally published on October 22, 2018 and updated on December 10, 2019.