Black, beautiful and natural

African and black consumers around the globe are embracing the natural texture of their hair. What tailored hair product solutions exist to suit their texture preferences and to address their specific hair issues and styling choices?

Black consumers have different attitudes, standards and motivations behind their desired style and the products they choose2. This consumer group is seeking products that speaks to their hair texture, maintains or improves the health of their scalp and hair, and allows them to achieve their desired style without using chemical treatments. Quite interestingly, the modern hair care consumer, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, is influencing the beauty market by their desire for formulas to fit their own personal routines, their own sensitivities, their own values, their own truths.

How to develop formulas for different African hair textures

So, what factors need to be considered when developing products for the varying textures of African hair? First is the hair itself. This hair type is quite fragile. The curl pattern of African hair can range from wavy to kinky-coily and can be properly classified into specific hair types using de La Mettrie’s model. This model eliminates the ethnic origin of consumers and focus on the hair shape such as curve diameter, curl index, and number of waves3. Based on this model, marketers have a tool to better formulate the right product mix for consumers. The curl pattern of African hair and its elliptical structure influence the behaviour of the hair, and its resistance to mechanical stress4. The curlier the hair, the smaller the curve diameter and in turn the higher likelihood it will break since very curly hair does not stretch easily5. The SEM images in fig. 1 display the different curvature of tightly coiled versus less tightly coiled African hair. In addition, the coiling of the hair prevents the distribution of natural oils along the length of the fibre, resulting in drier hair. As it is difficult to over-condition the hair, consumers seek out products that can bring improved conditioning benefits. 

For those women embracing their natural hair, they will use a variety of styles to enhance their hair such as twists, braids, or Bantu knots. As a result, they will spend more time and money on a regimen to condition and moisturise their hair to maintain hair health, prevent breakage, and nourish their curls. For example, black women in the US will use about five products to care for and style their hair6. For those that chemically treat their hair, they, too, will seek formulas that help restore hair health. Lastly, across the spectrum, consumers also desire formulas that help protect against environmental stressors that may cause damage.

Key technologies to protect, strengthen and style hair

Our team of hair care solvers has leveraged its expertise in hair to deliver a prescriptive plan for the African consumer to help protect, strengthen, and style their hair based on key technologies.

Consumers monitor damage in all aspects of their hair routine, and it still influences what they buy. 67% of Gen Z consumers around the world state that how a product impacts their health/wellbeing strongly impacts their product choice7. 

In South Africa, 86% of consumers are concerned/very concerned of the impact of pollution on health and appearance8. 

Long-lasting conditioning benefits

The conditioning polymer N-DurHance AA2000 conditioning polymer is a suitable solution to prime the hair with long-lasting conditioning benefits without build-up, restore hair health, deliver urban-proof protection, and provide long-lasting hair cuticle damage repair. This technology is activated via its In Situ Controlled Flocculation (ISCF) mechanism (fig. 2), where it helps restore hair to its natural hydrophobic state. Hair is shampooed (with or without silicones) and the anionic surfactants (SLES) form flocculates on hair surface (in-situ) with the cationic polymer. 

During flocculate formation, hydrophobic lauryl groups from SLES coat the hair surface, creating a hydrophobic layer on the hair surface (no need necessarily for silicones). If silicones or other oils are present in the shampoo, they are attracted to the hair surface during the flocculate formation, thereby boosting the silicone deposition.

By pre-applying a system with N-DurHance AA2000, such as a cleansing conditioner or pre-shampoo mask, and then activating via a shampoo formula, wet combability will be improved for easier detangling and will also improve deposition of silicones and oils for perceivable dry hair benefits such as smoothness, reduced frizz and softer feel.

In addition, N-DurHance AA2000 conditioning polymer shields and repels against dust deposits and pollutants’ penetration. 

So why not start your hair care routine while you sleep? The formulation Sweet Dreams Overnight Mask is designed to pre-treat hair. This formula is powered by two complementary ingredients: N-DurHance AA2000 conditioning polymer and Procataline G2 biofunctional, that help deliver a protective barrier and shield the hair and scalp from damaging effects of pollution. Procataline G2 is a scalp and hair solution for city dwellers as it helps shelter the scalp against oxidative stresses, increase antioxidant defences at the hair root, and reduce hair damage at the surface.

The next time the hair is washed after using the overnight mask, N-DurHance AA2000 is activated to add lubricity to curly hair, improve combability, and boost overall manageability. In addition, by improving the hydrophobic barrier of the hair, studies have shown that you can deliver anti-frizz benefits for curly hair and reduce the appearance of frizz in high humidity conditions.

Protection from sun-induced damages

Another environmental aggressor that can impact the health of African hair is the sun. UV-B radiation cleaves the disulfide bonds and decomposes tryptophan in hair, which in turn leads to altered cuticle cells, increased porosity and roughening of the hair surface. As a result, combing forces are increased, mechanical strength decreases, ultimately leading to hair breakage. To help protect hair from UV induced damage, the hair protectant Escalol HP can be added to both rinse-off and leave-on systems. Its pseudo-cationic nature makes it substantive to hair. Studies have shown that it can protect against tryptophan degradation, across both European and African hair types. In addition, it significantly reduces disulfide bond cleavage, even from a rinse-off conditioner (as compared to a control conditioner base without this ingredient). Furthermore, due to its substantive nature, it delivers less hair breakage and provides on-hair benefits such as improved hair combability and smoothness.

Popularity of hair treatments against hair damage

Since 2017, hair treatments targeting damaged hair have been surpassing conditioner launches in South Africa and Nigeria, reflecting the broader trend for consumers seeking in-depth hair repair/damage control9. To help reinforce African hair and protect its fragile nature, consumers would benefit from rinse-off and leave-on treatments featuring FiberHance BM solution. Evolving from glucose-based chemistry, it has a multifaceted mode of action which penetrates deep into the cortex to create new hydrogen and ionic bonds thus supporting the damaged internal keratin structure, strengthening the hair and returning manageability to the hair. Designed to optimise multi-bond interactions within the hair keratin cortex, FiberHance BM builds new bonds within and across the structure (dual mechanisms). Testing has shown that it provides up to three times the strength of untreated hair across various degrees of damage and three times the strength of untreated hair across various hair types (see fig. 3).  

A sustainable approach to controlling curls

Globally, 42% of consumers pay high/very high attention to the ingredients used in the beauty or grooming products they buy10. In South Africa, 64% of consumers seek out beauty and grooming products that contain some and/or only natural ingredients11. While consumers are willing to pay a premium for environmentally-friendly formats, they are not willing to sacrifice performance. For consumers looking for a nature-derived solution to better define curls and create long-lasting style, styling formulas with the polymer Styleze™ ES-1 can meet consumer expectations. This Cosmos-validated, biodegradable solution delivers bouncy, defined waves and curls, weather-resistant, durable styles, and 48-hour style retention even in humid conditions. This ingredient is suitable for styling products, e.g. treatments, curl creams, aerosol and non-aerosol mousses. The polymer can help define and control curls and provide 24-hour to 48-hour frizz control. 

Adding to the efficacy of hair care formulas

As African and Black consumers embrace the natural texture of their hair, they are adopting maintenance and styling habits to achieve hair health and a desired look. They prefer, and expect, hair products tailor-made for their texture, specific hair issues, and styling choices. As an expert in root to tip solutions, our company has a wide portfolio of styling and conditioning polymers that can deliver consumer-expected benefits. In addition, the global network of our hair care solvers provides local expertise and know-how to deliver effective formulas that help protect, strengthen and style the hair of today’s hair care consumer. 

Credits: Linda C. Foltis¹, Anne Clay², T’prene Clemons¹, Eric-Jan De De Feij³, Michael Franzke PhD³, Manuel Gamez-Garcia PhD¹, Catherine Gondran PhD², Bert Kroon², Lidia Kulcsar¹, Roger McMullen PhD¹, Tuttu Nuutinen³, Germain Puccetti PhD¹, Xin Qu PhD⁴, Regina Raponi⁵, Tyler Schiess¹, David Streuli¹ Ashland, ¹Bridgewater, NJ, USA; ²Sophia Antipolis, France; ³Zwijndrecht NL, ⁴Shanghai, China; ⁵São Paulo, Brazil

The references and the INCI names of the products are available on the Internet