5 minute read
Help the scalp recover from stress with ProRenew Complex CLR
Scalp care is an important trend which consumers are embracing. In the past, influencing the scalp was only a focus for antidandruff products or the odd product designed to address hair loss. Yet this is changing. Harald van der Hoeven, director of product design and development at CLR Berlin, discusses how to meet consumers’ evolving scalp care needs in rinse-off formulations.
The scalp contains many hair follicles, and it has a large surface area.
Consequently, it is particularly sensitive to external sources of stress, of which there are many. Daily hygiene rituals lead to the drying out of the scalp, causing it to lose its robustness as a physical barrier. The scalp can be a breeding ground for unwanted microbes and, when people have thinning hair, it is exposed to damaging factors such as UV light and pollution.
Scalp sensitivity and scalp dryness and flakiness are common concerns, and more than ever consumers are inclined to use scalp care products. However, the average consumer is mostly interested in applying convenient methods to solve their scalp’s problems. Depending on hair density, the use of leave-on products on the scalp is seen as a nuisance. Consumers are interested in finding a solution to their problems which is easy to use and does not necessarily have to be applied daily. They expect their shampoo to not only clean their hair and scalp but also to impart caring properties on their hair and scalp when using it every second or third day.
The obvious fact that shampoos are rinse-off products poses an important challenge to the cosmetics industry. The mere addition of hair conditioning ingredients or an active ingredient with proven efficacy in leave-on formulations often does not suffice. Hence, it is a critical task for the cosmetics industry to provide all consumers with shampoos that are effective and, in line with consumer perception, offer beneficial properties for the scalp.
Did you know?
ProRenew Complex CLR has a strong affinity to the skin. This means it can offer the skin important benefits, even in rinse-off products such as shampoos and hair masks.
Give skin a healthy boost
ProRenew Complex CLR (INCI: Lactococcus Ferment Lysate) is an ingredient that has shown important benefits for the skin and its microbiota in general. It improves the biological processes with which the skin ensures its most important property, its physical barrier function. In essence, ProRenew Complex CLR makes the skin healthier and more robust.
It is a well-proven fact that healthy skin has healthy skin microbiota. In elaborate in vivo studies on human volunteers this was shown convincingly. Healthy skin and healthy microbiota recover from stresses as quickly as is possible. Skin and its microbiota are constantly exposed to stress. So, it is of great importance for both to remain healthy and robust. ProRenew Complex CLR is able to support both the skin and its microbiota in recovering from stresses much quicker than would normally be the case.
Interestingly, ProRenew Complex CLR as a postbiotic ingredient is derived from a lysate of probiotic Lactococcus lactis. Bacteria like Lactococcus lactis are natural residents on the human body. It is of great importance that this kind of bacteria can adhere to human cells and find their niche. Without this, the bacteria would not survive. These properties are also crucial for an active ingredient such as ProRenew Complex CLR to be effective in a rinse-off formulation.
Rinse-off study insights
In an in vivo study, a shampoo containing 3% ProRenew Complex CLR was tested against the same shampoo formulation without the active ingredient (i.e. a placebo or vehicle product), on 40 volunteers with a reportedly problematic scalp. A total of 20 volunteers tested the placebo shampoo, while the other 20 volunteers tested the shampoo with ProRenew Complex CLR.
Over a period of four weeks, the volunteers washed their hair on alternate days with the sample shampoos. Protocol saw the volunteers being asked to wash their hair for at least two minutes during each wash cycle before rinsing their hair.
Apart from the efficacy, the study volunteers also perceived clear differences between the two shampoo formulations. After four weeks of using the two different shampoos, 80% of the volunteers who used the product with ProRenew Complex CLR reported that their scalp felt healthier. The percentage was only 60% for the placebo shampoo. Interestingly, 85% of the volunteers who had used the shampoo with ProRenew Complex CLR stated that their scalp felt less oily, whereas this was true for only 50% of the other group (see Figure 1).
A total of 90% of volunteers who used the ProRenew Complex CLR shampoo reported it reduced or eliminated itching, compared to 60% of those who had used the placebo. The shampoo with ProRenew Complex CLR had also noticeably reduced the flakiness of the scalp for 90% of volunteers, compared to 55% of the volunteers who had used the placebo shampoo (see Figure 2).
The study results clearly show the added benefits of ProRenew Complex CLR. These benefits were objectively observed by an expert grader and, even more importantly, perceived by the volunteers who took part in the study.
It is important for cosmetic products to lead to perceivable benefits as fast as possible. Although the results after four weeks were convincing, one significant result was obtained within one week of shampooing with the active ingredient. I.e. three treatments with the ProRenew Complex shampoo resulted in 55% of volunteers witnessing a noticeable improvement in the overall condition of their scalp. Just 10% of the volunteers who had used the placebo shampoo reported the same (see Figure 3).
Conclusion
Providing consumers with effective scalp care is demanding, both from a biological and a formulation point of view. While the scalp is unique and presents unique problems, there is increased interest from consumers in personal care products that are beneficial for their scalp. For example, products that address dryness and oiliness of the scalp as well as scalp sensitivity.
When it comes to the application and use of cosmetic products, the average consumer mostly wants convenience. Therefore, it is highly important to provide consumers with an effective shampoo that not only treats the scalp but also meets their scalp care needs.
It is very interesting to see that ProRenew Complex CLR offers significant skin care benefits when applied in rinse-off formulations. It is possibly even more interesting to see that the benefits of ProRenew Complex CLR are perceivable within just one week of using a shampoo formulated with CLR Berlin’s postbiotic active ingredient.
ProRenew Complex CLR is available locally from IMCD South Africa and it is both potent and safe. As this study shows, it works highly effectively in cleansing formulations and other rise-off products which have a relatively short contact time with the skin. •
Figure 1: Number of volunteers in agreement with the statement (%)
Figure 2: Number of volunteers in agreement with the statement (%)
Figure 3: Overall improvement of the scalp condition after one week (% of volunteers in agreement)
