TONY O’LENICK, DAVID ZHANG
Siltech LLC, Lawrenceville, USA

Abstract

Hair care is one of the most important market segments for the personal care business. Despite the fact that there have been many marketing twists on the benefits offered by hair care products, the basic needs for products is that they clean and condition. Additional market demands are ever changing, and new benefits are always being proposed to the consumer, including inclusion of proteins and amino acids, pro-vitamins and a plethora of other additives.  The formulator is challenged to provide products that are efficient in cleansing and in conditioning often with additives that may adversely affect the formulation.

Mort Westman (1), an industry leader, states “In the past 30 years, only two innovations in shampoo technology have been of sufficient importance to have a major impact on formulation practices, ingredient supply, and consumer usage. These innovations are the incorporation of a cationic polymer into an anionic surfactant system in the early 1970s and the functional incorporation of silicone in the late 1980s.  In each case, the improvement served as a technological shock wave, causing a flurry of competitive patent activity and product emulation”.

This article will evaluate products that resulted from these major raw material developments

FORMULATION TIP

The formulation of hair care products is a difficult undertaking when new ingredients are added. They must not affect the desirable properties that are required in the formulation. Shampoos not only need to foam they must give a particular type of foam depending upon the type of formulation. They must cleanse, but not strip. They must spread but still have body. Getting all these requi ...