The market for hair colouring products is valuable but requires a high investment. SPC investigates who is investing and in which kind of colour technologies
The market for hair colouring products is valuable but requires a high investment. It is a riskier area than most other cosmetics as it involves reactive chemicals, some of which are well known sensitisers often at extremes (for a cosmetic) of pH. Product ranges often contain at least 20 variants for the retail market and perhaps upwards of 100 for professional. Due to a combination of these reasons, and in addition to the inherent conservatism of (many at least) users of hair colouring products, change is generally slow in this product area. However, when change does occur it tends to be unstoppable as the reasons for it have to be good ones.
The purpose of this article is to consider what has happened in the hair colour area in the last few years using the UK market as an example. It is not possible to be exhaustive in a relatively short review but examples are taken to show changes in market positioning, technology and regulation.
Perhaps the most sizeable change in the hair colouring market over the last five years has been the centralising of power into fewer hands. The takeover of both Clairol and Wella by P&G has meant that the major battle is now between them and L’Oréal. P&G has, as expected, reacted slowly but we are beginning ing to see changes as it stamps its style on its hair colouring brands. Walk into any large retail store of hair colouring products and the majority of the brands exhibiting large glossy head shots will have been produced by the big two.
A new enlivened range of products from Schwarzkopf can also be seen although distribution is smaller. The big pharmacy stores (eg Boots and Superdrug) still maintain their own ranges but these companies clearly have less money to spend on glossy head shots. The remaining 10% or so of shelf space devoted to hair colouring will be a large range of products from other marketeers. Some of these are marketed by celebrity hairdressers but a number of these have fallen by the wayside over the last few years. This is particularly true of the oxidative product types which are the most costly to maintain and difficult to manufacture.
Products based on direct dyes, either semi-permanent or temporary, are most popular with these other marketeers as they are easier and cheaper to manufacture. However, it is true that much of the more chancy innovation in the hair colouring area comes initially from the ranks of these minor brands.
Technical aspects
Hair colouring technology is essentially the same as it has ever been, but a quick review of this is useful. From a chemical point of view there are basically two types of hair colouring product: oxidative and direct.
Oxidative systems rely on dye precursors which react in the presence of an oxidising agent (eg hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate or perhaps rarely aerial oxygen) to form coloured dyes. As these precursor molecules (present in the colourant) are small they can penetrate the hair and form large coloured molecules which cannot easily escape. Usefully the reaction is catalysed by the hair (or at least something in the hair) and so the reaction occurs faster inside the hair than on the outside.
Products based on these systems will almost always require mixing of two parts before use, even if one of them is only water. The second part of the product (usually known as the developer) contains the oxidising agent. The mixed products usually have a pH of between 9 and 10 as this initiates the oxidation reaction and also swells the hair to allow easier penetration of the dye precursor molecules.
When hydrogen peroxide and ammonia are present in these products it is possible that the hair is decolourised and coloured at the same time. This makes this oxidative system very versatile and capable of taking the hair to virtually any desired colour, whatever the starting colour or percentage of grey.
Systems which rely on aerial oxygen to create the colour are rare and require particular dye precursors which are expensive and available only to two major companies.
In general, oxidative hair colouring products come in one of two different formats: either with a colourant as a clear thin liquid usually packaged in a bottle or as a thicker opaque emulsion product packaged in a tube. After mixing the colourant and developer together a product with suitable rheological properties for applying to the hair is created. This needs to be thin enough to be applied easily but thick enough not to drip. Systems that are thixotropic and which shear thin (ie like modern emulsion paint) are ideal for this purpose.
Direct dye systems do not usually require mixing before use and rely upon pre-formed dye materials which may or may not penetrate the hair and may be retained through a number of washes. Several different types of direct dye exist for colouring hair and their properties depend upon the molecular size and charge. Smaller non-ionic materials penetrate the hair through diffusion, particularly at higher pH values, and take a number of washes to be removed. Larger molecules may lie on the surface of the hair and be easily removed by washing. If the molecule contains a positive charge the dye may be resistant to washing, particularly if the hair has been damaged (eg by bleaching).
Products based on direct dyes alone are much less versatile than oxidative systems as they are generally only capable of introducing colour onto what already exists. This technique is sometimes known as tone-on-tone and can also be used to describe oxidative products which do not lighten the hair; ie those which do not contain ammonia and have a lower level of oxidising agent.
Finally it is possible to combine the two basic technologies. In order to bleach hair more than a few levels it is necessary to use a mixture of persulphates and hydrogen peroxide at high pH levels. This is achieved with powder bleach which is mixed with water just prior to use. With this technology it is possible to take black hair to white, although this is not recommended as the degree of damage to the hair can be quite extensive. It is possible to include certain direct dyes into the powder bleach and these systems are usually used to give striking coloured affects. Clearly it is necessary to use dyes which are resistant to oxidation under these conditions and these must be selected carefully. It is possible with these systems to achieve permanent effects with quite large direct dyes which are probably a result of the hair being opened up considerably during the (damaging) bleaching process.
Basic market positioning
This technology has been translated into a range of different market positionings. These can be summarised briefly as follows:.
Permanent - An oxidative system in which the colour lasts until it grows out and the new growth becomes visible usually in four to six weeks. These products may or may not be intended to lighten and are called level 3 in the Clairol adopted system.
Demi-permanent - Also an oxidative system but designed not to lighten and may be claimed to wash-out. These products have been called level 2, tone-on-tone, long-lasting semi-permanent, semi-permanent and non-permanent (lasts up to 24 washes). It is easy to see how the average consumer gets quite confused with all this proliferation of descriptions. One important aspect to be considered here is confusion which might arise if a consumer discovers that they are allergic to certain hair dye precursors such as ppd. They need to understand that not all products described as semi-permanent contain this material.
Semi-permanent - A direct system which is designed to wash out after anything from three to eight washes. These products may be designed to cover grey or as more striking fashion colours. Also sometimes known as non-permanent or level 1. Traditional toners for use after bleaching usually fall into this category.
Temporary - Also direct dye systems but designed to wash out of the hair after one wash. These could be delivered from non-rinse product formats in liquid or aerosol forms. There is still some question as to whether these products are hair colourants or not. This becomes important only from a regulatory point of view.
Lightening/Bleaching - Traditionally these products were intended to lighten the whole head or be applied to strips of hair (often pulled through a plastic hood) to give highlighting effects.
New positioning, products & technology
Much has happened in the last few years in the detail of product forms and positioning and a summary of this follows.
Permanent colourants
The Nice ‘n Easy (NNE) brand - It has taken P&G a while since the purchase of Clairol in 2001 but things are starting to happen to Nice ‘n Easy. Recently the Lasting Color/Loving Care products have been incorporated into Nice ‘n Easy with the appearance of these products now somewhat confusingly (or cleverly) a combination of the old LCLC and the new NNE. Interestingly Lasting Color (a demi-permanent product) has been positioned as non-permanent, and lasts up to 24 shampoos with a recommended application time of 15 minutes. It could be that 24 washes is seen as slightly less than non-permanent by the consumer, especially if a shade used is too far away from the user’s natural colour.
Nice ‘n Easy now contains a good sized tube of after colouring conditioner (with ColourSeal) which contains enough for three weeks’ use. It has become almost obligatory to include a significant amount of conditioner in oxidative hair colouring products. A pair of good fitted gloves now also usually comes as standard with these products.
Nice ‘n Easy technology - Unlike its main colour competitor L’Oréal, P&G does not tend to shout about its technological achievements and it is often necessary to scan patent literature and INCI listings. One recent P&G patent describes oxidative hair colouring formulations (with clear colourant formulations) which are capable of producing lamellar phases upon mixing of the colourant and the developer. The advantage of these mixtures is that they are claimed to produce less skin irritation than other more traditionally-based products which rely upon the formation of micellar structures to produce the required thickening upon mixing. A quick review of the INCI listings on some of the NNE variants as well as of the Herbal Essences colouring products seems to indicate that this technology is being employed in these products. Lamellar phase systems are known to have very low (if any) surfactant available as single molecules (ie they have a very low critical micelle concentration (cmc) and it is likely that this factor along with the use of non-ionic and amphoteric surfactants delivers the low irritation potential in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.
This type of technology is usually of little use to the marketeers. Indeed it does not seem to appear in any Nice ‘n Easy copy. Its use might raise the question of the irritation potential of the product sold previously.
L’Oréal Preference - This brand, which is undergoing its own slow metamorphosis from Recital in the UK, is the L’Oréal gel colourant with an emulsion-based developer similar in general technical design to NNE, although containing a largely different set of raw materials, including a few that are only ever found in L’Oréal products. Preference has divided its brand into a series of subsets for different shade ranges such as chromatic reds, ultra violets and les blondissimes. The red and violet shades contain chromatic technology to boost the brightness of the colour. This comes in a separate and tiny tube of colour maximiser which is an aqueous solution of a basic direct dye (eg basic red 51). This is added to the mixed product just prior to application. As the addition of this small tube must add considerably to the cost of goods for this product it is likely that these red dyes may not be stable over long periods in the colourant and thus need to be kept separate until just before use.
Preference also contains a second, patented, L’Oréal innovation in the form of fade-resistant colourants. This technology utilises dyes which are more resistant than usual to colour changes with time, eg with ongoing chemical reactions and degradation by sunlight, but also uses larger dye molecules (eg hydroxypropyl bis-(N-hydroxyethyl-p-phenylenediamine) which are less easily lost, particularly from damaged hair, and which help to ensure grey coverage.
L’Oréal Feria - Feria comes with Color Booster technology to give multi-faceted colour and contains three products to be mixed together. This product is capable of lightening the hair and then imparting a degree of bright colour and is not recommended for hair with greater than 30% grey. The innovation here seems to be to split the usual colourant product up into two parts which are mixed just prior to use. L’Oréal seems to have decided that the consumer likes lots of things to mix up as initially there does not appear to be a technical reason why the colourant has been split in two. It should have been possible to retain the usual two parts in this product, so unless there is an unexpected instability, it appears that this is simply a marketing positioning to include a color booster.
Semi-permanent colourants
Schwarzkopf Live Duo Intense -This product is described as a 2-in-1 toner cream that contains Intense-Color-Pigments and Intense-Protect-Polymers. The colour is claimed to be maintained for up to 15 washes and to have up to 90% of its original intensity after ten washes. The dyes used in this product are conventional direct dyes, if slightly larger than some molecules, so this product does well to last as long as it claims. It also contains two solvents as well as AMP and ammonia which could well aid penetration of these dyes and hence give a longer lasting than expected result. The polymers are also claimed to protect the colour and to give the hair shine. This wash-out time is long for the type of technology employed and could be worth a look to see the extent of the effect given by the product.
Root touch-up products
Nice ‘n Easy Root Touch-up - Nice ‘n Easy has recently added a root touch-up product to the range. This is an oxidative system designed for a single, ten minute application between colourings. This product has a colourant in a tube and a developer in a bottle designed to be mixed in a tray with a small application brush. Interestingly whereas the normal NNE is a gel, shampoo-in formulation the colourant formulation used for this product might be described as a thin opaque emulsion and would seem to be formulated more like a cream (non shampoo-in) product. An interesting addition to the positioning of this product is that it is designed for use with other (L’Oréal) permanent colour products and the pack states which Garnier Belle Color as well as Nutrisse shades are appropriate.
Schwarzkopf Coloriste Root Retoucher - A different approach to touch-up products has been adopted by Schwarzkopf with its Coloriste Root Retoucher. This product comes in some nice innovative packaging in the form of a multi-toothed comb combined with a felt pen designed to apply the product directly from the package to the roots. The product is basically a short-lasting (two to three washes) direct system with ethanol, water and propylene carbonate as the solvent, which is designed not to be rinsed off but dries quite rapidly. The dyes used in this product are usually classified under the category of temporary but it is likely that the formulation encourages some penetration of the dyes, hence the two to three wash claim. The product contains enough for ten applications and comes in a set of standard colours.
Trevor Sorbie Colour + Root Cover-up - This product is packed in a tube and applied with a brush that looks very like a mascara brush. The effect is claimed to be temporary and the colour can be removed by shampooing. From a regulatory view point it is important whether or not this product is considered as a hair colour. However, this is something of a grey area. The manufacturer has clearly decided that the product is not a hair colour as the colourants used in the product have been labelled with CI numbers and as such fall under Annex 4 of the Cosmetics Directive.
Daniel Field Natural Colours - This product appeared and disappeared again some years ago under the name ‘water colours’ and has recently relaunched under this new name. The product does away with the need for an expensive carton, packaged instead in a paper bag. The colourant is a powder which is added to water by the consumer. The oxidant (sodium perborate) is contained within the powder colour and is activated by the addition of water. The performance is that of a demi-permanent colour as it does not lighten hair. This product is similar in format, if not in exact performance, to powder colours which are commonly used in the east.
Colour maintenance products
John Frieda Luminous Colour Glaze - A very recent launch in this area comes from John Frieda (Kao) in the form of Luminous Colour Glaze, which was inspired by professional glazes but is for home use. The product is applied to the hair after shampooing and is left on the hair for three minutes before rinsing. This product formulation is related to a recent patent that describes formulations which can be based on acidic (anionic) or basic (cationic) dyes with a solvent system of water, propylene carbonate and ethanol. There are six variants designed to produce colour results within defined colour spaces to assist in adding colour and shine to already coloured hair which may be starting to fade. The products available in the UK are based on acidic dyes which unfortunately appear to have been mislabelled, not using the correct INCI designation for EU ingredient listings.
L’Oréal Elvive Colour Refresh - This product range, termed a reigniting masque, comes in three basic shades (brown, red and blonde) and is intended to refresh colour in between colourings. The product is a thick conditioner, based on behentrimonium chloride, fatty alcohol and an amidodimethicone. The dyes used (in the red shade) are the L’Oréal favourite set of three basic dyes which can give quite long-lasting effects as direct dyes, probably depending on the condition of the hair. Interestingly this product carries an allergic reaction warning with a recommended patch test procedure. Such a warning is not currently required by legislation within the EU.
Colour & highlighting kits
Garnier Multi-Lights Kit - This product shows you what can be done with a packaging and componentry makeover of the old theme of highlighting kits. A small oblong box with good graphics and print quality houses what is basically a developer and powder bleach (called a multi-lightening powder). A patented applicator brush completes the makeover. Whereas the developer formulation is classic L’Oréal, the lightening powder is worth a second look, with quite a different formulation containing in addition to the usual a newer cross-linked thickening polymer as well as magnesium peroxide.
L’Oréal Couleur Experte - Another innovative product from L’Oréal, this multi-tonal colour system is very well put together with lots of furniture (mixers, gloves and trays) and plenty of excess packaging. The idea is to first colour the hair all over and then to add highlights with what looks like a large mascara brush. The colourant cream looks like a fairly conventional L’Oréal-type formulation. The developer for use with the colourant and the one for the lightener look the same from the INCI list and also appear to be the same as those used in the Garnier kit discussed previously, as indeed is the powder bleach.
Schwarzkopf Live Color Accents - This product is intended to do the same as L’Oréal Couleur Experte but if anything has more elements, including a plastic hood with holes and a fish hook. The colourant formulation is a fairly typical German permanent formulation with a lot of fatty alcohol and an anionic/amphoteric surfactant system. Schwarzkopf utilises the “may contain” option for hair dyes which is useful to inform the cosmetic chemist of their dye palette but conceals what was used in that specific shade. The dye blend is based on paratoluenediamine rather than paraphenylenediamine due to German workplace regulations and concerns about possible liabilities.
Products for men
There is less to say about the male hair colouring market. Just for Men remains a demi-permanent system designed for short application time to act as a progressive colour. Trevor Sorbie has launched a similar range to fit in with his existing men’s range. Perhaps the most significant event to have impacted on men’s hair colouring recently has been the EU banning of lead compounds for use in cosmetics. This has resulted in a reformulation of products such as Grecian 2000 and Restoria which have changed from lead acetate to bismuth citrate. This can only be a short-term measure as bismuth salts are not currently on the supported list of hair dyes in the EU and may become disallowed in the advent of a positive list.
Men are clearly still regarded as lazy by hair colouring companies and products which require no mixing and short treatment times are required. Oxidative dye precursors do exist which can be allowed to react with atmospheric oxygen and thus require only one package and need no mixing before use. These materials - dihydroxyindoline HBr and 5, 6-dihydroxyindole - were developed by Henkel and L’Oréal respectively and they are both costly and difficult to obtain. They are also rather oxygen sensitive and difficult to handle in the factory.
Warnings & regulation
Oxidative hair colouring products usually contain sensitising ingredients (eg p-phenylene diamine and toluene-2, 5-diamine) which require appropriate warnings as described in Annex 3 of the EU Cosmetics Directive. Reaction to these materials can be quite severe and results in badly swollen faces and ears. Consumers with this type of reaction sometimes make the more popular press and this occurred again in 2006 with a few cases. In recent years the clarity of warnings on the product packaging has been improved and the risks highlighted more clearly on the packaging. In most cases this includes a clear reminder on the lid of the carton which is very difficult to miss. Increased visibility of warning labelling has been adopted by major producers but has been taken up less quickly by some of the smaller ones.
In all oxidative colouring products sold in the UK there is now also an instruction to perform a skin sensitivity test before each use of the product and a method for the test is given. This is not a requirement of the Cosmetics Directive (it was removed some years ago) but it has been taken up as a necessary precaution by most suppliers. It is intended to determine whether a consumer might elicit an allergic response after use of the product.
Slow onward progress towards a positive list for hair dyes continues within the EU and the list of dyes which are being supported is now clear. It is likely that any dye not on this list will eventually become banned for use as a hair dye within the EU. A number of consultation documents have now been issued to determine the extent of interest in dyes that are not being supported. The latest of these documents (August 2006) does include a number of materials that are currently in use in the EU and companies will need to consider reformulation in the quite near future. Once the supported list becomes the positive list this will lead to a quite seriously reduced number of options for direct hair colouring products as a number of brighter colours (eg blue and red) will no longer be available. Interestingly the EU Commission has yet to start the process of banning dyes (ie placing on Annex 2) which it intends not to be on the positive list.
Once the EU positive list is in place either in its own right or effectively through Annexes 2 and 3, the dyes available for use in the EU and the US will vary considerably. Europeans might have to travel to the US to get that bright blue semi-permanent.