Standard methods for evaluating the efficacy of hair care products

When it comes to treatment, hair must obviously be washed, but can also be transformed (e.g. coloured, straightened), protected and repaired when necessary. In most countries, the way hair is arranged has social implications or constitutes a marker of the personality. The hair on our heads is a major contributor to the attractiveness of an individual. These explain why the market of hair care products is so important and why it continues to expand. As a consequence of this growth, consumers have an increasing number of product ranges to choose from. Whereas it is now established that the emotions felt by one person when examining one product on a shelf play a major role in the purchasing decisions, the presentation of convincing and reliable proofs of the efficacy of the product is also essential. Associated with the need for cosmetic companies to respect national and international regulations, in particular with respect to the availability of supporting scientific data, substantiation of the claims put forward by manufacturers and marketers is required. Although standard hair testing protocols are relatively rare in the cosmetic industry, a few methods have been widely used and this paper will review some standard methods commonly used by cosmetic laboratories for evaluating the efficacy of hair care products. Since research and innovation have always guided Spincontrol company since its creation 25 years ago, our latest developments in the domain of hair care treatments substantiation will be introduced as well.