3 Hair Care Ingredient Trends

Natural & Sustainable Ingredients

Andrew Miller, marketing manager—hair, body and oral care, North America, BASF, says, “There has been a growing demand for hair care products formulated with natural and sustainable ingredients. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of synthetic chemicals on their hair and the environment. Ingredients such as plant extracts, essential oils, and botanicals have gained popularity due to their perceived gentler and eco-friendly nature. Biopolymers for styling and rheology have also been quite popular. APG’s continue to serve as a mild and gentle yet effective plant-based surfactant. Proteins are also providing a natural sourcing story and strengthening benefits to hair formulations.”

Miller continues, “Euperlan NL Pearl is composed of the naturally derived ingredients such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, cocamidopropyl betaine and glycerol oleate. Approved by COSMOS, Euperlan NL Pearl offers a high-performance alternative to non-COSMOS-approved ingredients and allows you to address consumers’ demand for opacifying and pearlizing effects without using pigments. It shows outstanding attributes in hair care applications, especially on wet and dry combing tests, anti-hair breakage measurements and suppleness tests. It is biodegradable and suitable for EO and sulfate surfactant-alternative solutions. It is easy to formulate and cold processable. Formulations for shampoos, body wash, and shower gel developed with Euperlan NL Pearl allow a natural-origin content of up to 99% according to ISO 16128, depending on other ingredients.”

Katie Emerson, MS, RD, LDN, manager of scientific affairs at Nutrition21 LLC, says, “We are noticing an intense interest in natural hair care ingredients that work. The shift we are seeing is that consumers are testing products and promoting results (or lack thereof) real-time in places like TikTok and Instagram, with users sharing before-and-after experiences with products. Natural plant extracts rosemary, mint, saw palmetto are popular herbals for hair, and some have even been tested in clinical trials. While the data are still emerging, the initial results show exciting promise for herbals in helping support hair growth.”

For the full article, check out Global Cosmetic Industry's September 2023 digital magazine