Current trends in modern hair care

The type of products we use are often dictated by which cuts are in fashion, product being used to emphasise certain features of the hair and maintain its shape or applied prior to styling to protect from the high temperatures often involved. Hair trends for the end of 2012 and the start of 2013 include the ponytail, with the ponytail positioned centrally and mid-height for a preppy look or sectioned for more a more sophisticated and glamorous look. The hair is swept off the face allowing the complexion to be seen so the trend for naturally beautiful skin with an even, radiant appearance fits perfectly with this look. Centre partings will be super straight although long locks can also be tamed by putting them in a side-parted ‘up-do’, particularly during the day with the hair being let down in the evening. Straight hair may be cut into a super sleek bob style, or, if kept long, the side parting will be back in fashion and has already been seen on the runways of the catwalks. Up-dos will be made more exciting with the addition of delicate and fancy accessories and clips will be used to make small buns in the hair. Styles have been understated recently but with the Christmas party season fast approaching there will be a return to glamour, volume can be boosted in straight hair by adding waves but most important of all the hair should have a silk-like finish and be super sleek, shouting to all onlookers how naturally healthy it is and by inference how healthy the owner is.2 In the following article I will dip my toe into the ocean that is the global hair care market giving an overview of some of the more recent launches, trends and scientific literature and providing an insight into what the future may look like for this important member of the personal care family.

Shampoos and conditioners

Unsurprisingly shampoo remains the largest sector in hair care and with the trend for sleek and shiny hair looming large this will not change in the foreseeable future. From humble beginnings, shampoos now come with a wealth of claims and added extras. In times past the shampoo also contained conditioning agents (who can remember when we had to take two bottles into the shower?) to make them two-in-one products with a large number of three-in-one products now on the market (shampoo, conditioner and body wash). These can be particularly suitable for the kids market where mildness will also be key alongside the important ‘no tears’ claim. The products will be formulated with mild, sulphate-free surfactant systems such as BASF’s Plantapon R PSC (INCI = Coco- Glucoside (and) Disdium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate (and) Glycerin). Although cleansing is obviously a primary function of a shampoo product, recently it has been noted that some of the claims on shampoos and conditioners mimic those found in the skin care market, hydration and damage repair being very popular. Also, similar to skin care, where the mantra was once “cleanse, tone and moisturise”, we can see the emergence of ‘regime’ type products particularly when looking at repair, for example Tresemme’s recent Split Remedy concept composed of professional quality split mend shampoo, separate conditioner and a mend and protect leavein treatment, resulting in an 80% reduction in split ends after three uses. In the more premium sector of the market, Phylia de M boasts a range consisting of three products, Clean, Condition and Connect which promise to give thicker and healthier hair, again designed to be used as a regime. As wet weather and the resultant high air humidity seems to be a perpetual problem in many countries the launch of the Umberto Giannini Frizzi range, specifically designed to tame unruly hair, will be welcomed by many. Frizz has long been the enemy of neat, styled and particularly long hair and the highlights of this range include Frizz Off blow dry cream (moisturising and repairing), Transformation Fluid Silicone Serum and ‘Make My Day’ smoothing conditioner. Again mirroring the skin care market, hair products have been developed specifically for the mature market. As we age our hair characteristically becomes drier, more brittle and thinner and this is observed in both males and females. Ranges such as Dove Pro-age and L’Oréal Elvive Age Defying contain products which can counter these effects and have been available on the market for a while. More recently, Procter and Gamble have launched the Pantene Expert Collection which will combat the signs of hair ageing and repair badly damaged and over processed hair.3 P&G conducted one of the largest longitudinal hair studies ever undertaken, involving over 500 volunteers with an age range spanning 2 to 88 years and following them for 8 years to assess how their hair changed.4 The study concluded that significant levels of grey hair occur after the age of 45, the rate of greying increases most dramatically after age 50+, hair gets rougher with age, the diameter of hair changes significantly with age, over a third of women over the age of 30 reported a decrease in hair volume and thickness over the eight-year study and finally the tensile strength of hair decreases above the age of 50 (related to the decrease in hair diameter). A further study by Robbins et al also concluded that hair shaft diameter and the density of hair decreases with age, becoming more noticeable in the mid-40s.5 L’Oréal have being looking into grey hair and its prevalence in global populations to test the 50/50/50 rule (at age 50 years at least 50% of the population has at least 50% grey hair) using a panel of over four thousand volunteers. Their research noted that between the ages of 45 and 65 years 74% of the population are affected by grey hair, with men having significantly more grey hair then women. The study concluded that at the age of 50 the percentage of people showing 50% coverage of grey hair was in the region of 6%-23% so well below what had been previously reported.6 Recent research by Saki et al has identified three markers in the cortex of the hair shaft which become reduced as we age, leading to the conclusion that these molecules could be targets for cosmetic products to treat, and so anti-ageing shampoos may become more prevalent in the market place in the future, preventing ageing rather than treating it.7