Hair diversity (style, shape, growth pattern or color) is one of the most important features to define us physically.

Therefore, it is no surprise that the market of hair care products with a value of 93.5 billion US $¹ (Statistica, September 2020) is one of the most important sectors in the complete area of cosmetic products.

Hair care products are developed with a vast amount of imaginable claims. A variety of easy-to-use analysis instruments will assist you in supporting all kind of hair claims.

Testing hair and scalp in vivo

For the hairless skin, objective testing methods have been known for decades. Some of these “classical methods” have also been used on hair and scalp for some time.

When sebum is produced in a high quantity, it leads to greasy hair and scalp problems that cause increased microbial activity and oily dandruff. Fine pollution particles cling to the oil, making the hair look dull and degrading the hair quality. To remove the oil and pollutants, frequent washing is required which will most notably dry out longer hair. Also, this might just trigger the production of more oil to compensate for the frequent removal – leading to a vicious circle. Therefore, the aim would be to balance the oil production to a moderate level or develop products with lipid-restoring properties. The Sebumeter^® is not only the worldwide most used instrument to determine the sebum content of the skin but already in the 1980ies and the early 90ies, work has been presented about the usefulness of this device on hair and scalp.^2,3

To reach the hairy scalp, a special adapter can be used together with the Sebumeter^® foil and evaluate it photometrically.

Hydration on hair is more difficult to measure than on skin. A promising approach has been tested using capacitance imaging⁴. The MoistureMap device using this method could become an interesting tool for such tests.

Hair colour and gloss are “evergreens” among the claims around hair care. Easy and quick to use Colorimeter and Glossymeter are suitable to support the booming claims like brightening, luminosity, shine, colour intensity/lasting for hair.

The pH-Meter on hair and scalp plays an important role to support claims like “pH-neutral” or “sensitive”.

The barrier function of the scalp is the key parameter in the safety of products applied on the head. It can be assessed by measuring the transepidermal waterloss (TEWL), the amount of water evaporating through the skin into the environment. The Tewameter^® Nano (only 2 mm Ø), based on the worldwide most popular open “chamber method” has especially been developed for TEWL measurements on small and difficult to reach surfaces. TEWL measurements are also used as indirect measurements of the water content on the scalp.

Measuring the firmness of the scalp with the Indentometer is an interesting parameter in the research of hair loss.

Imaging methods:

The evaluation of the hair length and thickness in mm with the Visioscan^® can be used for different claims in care, shaving and food (-supplements). In hair care and food/food supplements tests, hair length assessment can substantiate hair growth claims. Also, for assessing the quality of shaving, this measurement will be useful.

The DandruffMeter classifies dandruff in number and size.

The Visiopor^® is a handy and efficient camera emitting special polarized UV-light to monitor occurring fluorescence (activity of acne bacteria). The amount, area and intensity of these fluorescent spots is automatically calculated and can be compared over the treatment time.

Is skin care the new hair care? Claims known in skin care for quite some time such as anti-aging, pollution defense, exfoliating scrub, vitamin-infused, collagen boosting become increasingly common in the hair care market as it continues to diversify beyond the standard shampoo, conditioner and styling aids categories.⁵

Or is hair care the new skin care?⁶ Our hair is as individual as we are. The skin of the scalp is more permeable than the skin of our face. Personalized trends already known for a long time in skin care, are also gaining ground in hair care.

The same measurement methods used in the development and efficacy testing of hair care can be used in simplified forms at the various points of sale to lead the consumer through the jungle of products and find the individual suitable hair care range.

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Bibliography :

1. https://de.statista.com/themen/2061/haarpflege/
2. Beauty Tomorrow, March 2015: The chemical properties of hair: https://beautytmr.medium.com/the-chemical-properties-of-hair-955985908d05
3. I. Maibach, E. Patrick: Session VI: Hair, sebaceous glands and nails. 7th International Symposium of Bioengineering and the Skin,1988.
4. Piérard-Franchimont , G.E. Piérard: Hair Weathering and Hair Capacitance Mapping: a Pilot Study, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 11:179-182, 2012
5. Global Cosmetic Industry Magazine online, May 2020 – Is Skin Care the New Hair Care?
6. Marina Jagemann The Online Magazin for Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine: https://www.marinajagemann.com/mehr-haare-bitte/