Green repairing protein for beautiful textured hair

For the sake of health, wellness and authenticity, ethnic consumers are embracing their natural hair. Increasingly, they understand that hair health is the foundation of beautiful hair and are becoming well practiced in avoiding certain ingredients to prevent damage. Ethnic consumers also expect specific product performance attributes to help them achieve their hair goals. In line with these consumer insights, Symrise offers a portfolio of innovative scalp and hair fibre solutions.

In terms of consumer attitudes and behaviours, a “clean” product is both literal and figurative in terms of its receptivity among ethnic consumers. This is especially true with the growing focus on clean hair and scalp care. While consumers want effective products to maintain their hair and scalp, they would prefer products made with natural or plant-based ingredients.

Keratin is an example of a well-known protein for hair repair and force improvement, yet because it is derived from an animal source, more and more consumers are choosing to avoid it in their hair care regime.

Plant-based keratin alternative

A few years ago, Symrise introduced SymHair Restore® as a plant-based alternative to animal-derived keratin. This natural smart protein has been proven effective in repairing damaged hair, reducing hair breakage and split ends and in improving hair gloss, force and elasticity.

SymHair Restore is based on an extraction of Gliadin, which is a unique wheat protein with superior natural substantivity and film forming properties. The smart protein is both whole and untransformed. Because both conventional hydrolysed protein and damaged areas on hair have negative charges, this leads to the decrease in substantivity. SymHair Restore does not have a negative charge, so it binds better to hair’s damaged areas and can repair split ends.

Objective and methodology

To determine the effect of the plant-based keratin on the mechanical properties of hair, Symrise conducted a study comparing SymHair Restore to hydrolysed keratin. The team used a tensile assessment for the evaluation.

Study 1 methodology – ex vivo: Two test groups were included in the comparison. A shampoo formulated with 1.0% SymHair Restore and conditioner with 1.0% SymHair Restore was used for the active group, while the keratin group used hydrolysed keratin at 2% in shampoo and 2% in conditioner. Three bleached Caucasian hair tresses were selected per treatment. Five applications of test products were performed. After application, 45 fibres were collected from each tress and analysed using the tensile test.

Study 2 methodology – fluorescence microscopy: SymHair Restore was marked with fluoresce dye (Rhodamine) and applied in damaged hair. The hair was damaged by combing it 200 times and bleaching it. Thereafter the intensity of fluorescence was analysed.

Conclusion and applications

The study results show that SymHair Restore binds better to the hair in damaged areas. The tip region is more damaged than the root region, as the fluorescence is more intense (see Figure 1).

This adsorption or desorption proves the binding effect.

SymHair Restore has a similar amino acid composition as hair keratin and it performs similar to hydrolysed keratin even with half of the dosage.

Although this test was conducted on Caucasian hair tresses, SymHair Restore is highly suited to products for textured hair. Check out Table 1 for formulation inspiration using SymHair Restore in nourishing hair mayonnaise that improves hair’s resistance and helps rebuild lipids for shiny, healthier-looking textured hair. •

Fluorescence microscopy images showing the adsorption result of SymHair Restore