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ABSTRACT
Whether at home or at the hairdresser, many women or men colour their hair. A wide range of products, with varied colour palettes and easy use, is available to consumers. They have the choice between permanent, semi-permanent or temporary hair colouring. The challenge for formulators is to conciliate beauty with respect for hair by developing harmless and less aggressive products. This article first describes hair and the constituent responsible for its colour, melanin, then to address the different types of hair colouring formulations and their mode of action.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Florian LAUBÉ: ENSCL engineer - Doctor of Science
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Véronique NARDELLO-RATAJ: ESCOM engineer - Doctor of Science, HDR - University Professor, University of Lille - Catalysis and Solid Chemistry Unit UCCS UMR 8181 - Cité Scientifique, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
INTRODUCTION
For a long time, hair coloring was only intended to mask women's white hair. However, cosmetic innovations have made hair coloring so widespread that it is now a common practice, not only for middle-aged women, but also for younger women and, more recently, for men. It no longer simply masks the signs of aging, but now incorporates notions of pleasure, well-being and seduction. Today's natural consumer expectations, coupled with increasingly stringent regulations, are driving the major cosmetics companies to constantly innovate in this field. Indeed, while the discovery of new coloring molecules remains a major research focus, the development of harmless, non-aggressive formulations with other secondary functions (moisturizing, protection, shine, nourishing care, durability) is an ongoing challenge.
To better understand hair color formulations and how they work, we need to describe the structure, composition and properties of hair and melanin, the molecule responsible for color. Hair color specifications to meet consumer and regulatory requirements are detailed. Depending on the length of time the color stays on the hair, there are different types of coloring, whose operating principles are explained. Permanent and semi-permanent colorations are the most popular with consumers, and four examples of particularly innovative formulations are presented.
As far back as the ancient dynasties of Egypt and China, minerals and plants were used to color hair. The Greeks, Hindus and Romans, for example, used walnut or elderberry, but also animal substances. For many centuries, hair dyes were based on natural substances extracted from plants, or on metals, some of which were very dangerous: for example, lead acetate, the agent of lead poisoning, which was highly prized by the Romans; silver nitrate, which oxidizes in air to black silver oxide (Ag 2 O); and metal cyanides, which are more soluble and particularly toxic. To dye their beards, men used henna, a shrub whose leaves contain a red-orange dye, lawsone or 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, also known as hennotannic acid. This molecule reacts chemically with the keratin in skin and hair using the Mickael addition reaction, resulting in a relatively intense, permanent color. To obtain a brown-black color from the red shade produced by henna, an indigo preparation was applied.
The hair color trend took off again in the 19th century, thanks in particular to a number of discoveries. In 1818, Louis Jacques Thénard discovered hydrogen peroxide, which was used in cosmetics from 1860 onwards; in 1950, W.H. Perkin succeeded in isolating a synthetic dye; and a decade later, A.W. Von Hofmann discovered...
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KEYWORDS
cosmetic | oxidation | hair dyeing | melanin
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Bibliography
Websites
...Events
Perfumes and Cosmetics Congress – Regulatory issues, takes place every year in Chartres.
http://www.congres-parfumscosmetiques.com/fr/
Cosmetagora tradeshow, held every year in Paris
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Regulations
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of November 30, 2009 on cosmetic products, OJ L 342, 22.12.2009, p. 59-209.
Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 16, 2008 on classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation...
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KNUEBEL (G.), KONARD (G.), MICHEL (R.). – Process for the production of 5,6-dihydroxyindolines. US5399713A (1995).
HOEFFKES (H.), SCHUMANN (K.), NEUHAUS (W.). – Colorants. US6818023, US6537330 (2003 and 2004).
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Directory
Cosmetic Valley, the world's leading perfumery and cosmetics network
http://www.cosmetic-valley.com/
FEBEA, trade association for the cosmetics industry
Cosmed, an association created on the initiative...
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