Claims and measurement methods for hair and scalp

Hair care products for women are the most frequently bought and used cosmetic products of all. Shampoos and conditioners are leading the field. For men, hair care is the most important and favoured sector of all cosmetics.²

The well-known global players e.g. Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, Unilever, Kao or Beiersdorf have to hold their ground in the different points of sale for hair care against the private brands of the big drugstore chains which are also quite well established. 

The removal of oily or soil deposits from hair and scalp is of course the common denominator for all hair cleansing products. However, all kinds of other claims go along with hair care products; some are adapted from skin care, e.g. ‘herbal & botanical’, some are more matter of fact e.g. ‘relieves scalp itch’, ‘anti-frizz/frizz control’, ‘antistatic’ or ‘removes oil’ and some are rather dramatic, like ‘rescues hair from dullness’ or ‘fights dandruff’. The fastest growing claim is ‘brightening and illuminating’. Almost half of the newly launched hair care products are advertised with this claim. In 2010 it was only 21% and, in 2014 this had grown to 46% of new products.³