Scalp health & dandruffs

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  • December 21, 2021
  • 5 minutes of read time

Scalp health & dandruffs

Dandruff is a common scalp concern affecting approximately 50% of the general adult population worldwide(1). Even though all populations and all countries have to deal with it, consumer concerns are stronger in Asia. Indeed, in China, dandruff is the concern number 1 when it comes to hair, where over half of consumers express their worries about it(2). In comparison, only 15% of British consumers express their concerns about dandruff, far behind (9th position) many other hair problems(2). The analysis of new product launches in the 5 last years also clearly underlines the Asian territory as the driving market for this claim. 45% of all new hair care products addressing dandruff worldwide were launched in Asia where a 2016-2020 CAGR* of 3,82% was observed. In Japan, new launches addressing dandruffs represent 11% of total new hair care launches. In China, they represent 15%, and in India, even up to 23%(3).  It is interesting to note that even if other regions like Latin America and Middle East Africa have a lower volume of products, they still registered a CAGR of 5% and 16% respectively.

Dandruffs are light, white to yellow and dispersed flakes on the scalp and hair, and can be associated with itching. Different dandruff conditions (dry or oily) can be observed and the frontier with other scalp disorders like seborrheic dermatitis, dryness, psoriasis etc is sometimes difficult to identify. Nevertheless, they are often associated with an abnormal important presence of the yeast “Malassezia furfur”, and in the case of oily dandruff, with the sebum production and/or composition, even though the role of sebum is not totally clear(1). Dandruffs impact scalp comfort and people's self-esteem and this is why performance is the must-have to address this scalp condition.

Furthermore, each country has its own expectation and regulation to address this problem. In Japan, per example, anti-dandruff products fall into the quasi-drug (QD) category and must contain QD registered ingredients, active as well as additives, to be claimed as such. In China, the trust of consumers for performance goes to pure molecules with proven efficacy and mechanism of action. In India, the influence of the prescription routes made the market extremely demanding regarding the performance and competitiveness of the anti-dandruff ingredient. Latin America and Middle East Africa seek performant, but also mild solutions respecting scalp balance. And indeed, scalp balance and scalp health are growing concerns. Even though consumers seek performance, they also want to have a healthy scalp and, in particular, avoid harsh products.

LIPACIDE™ C8G, the ideal solution for Chinese and Japanese markets

Designed with Seppic AMINOVECTOR™ technologyLIPACIDE™ C8G is a pure active molecule based on glycine, a prominent amino acid found in the NMF**, grafted on a vegetable-based octanoic chain known for its antimicrobial properties(4). Brought onto the market by Seppic, this molecule became the dermo-purifying star active ingredient of the portfolio. It is also China and QD additive approved, thus being well suited for these markets. Thanks to its structure, LIPACIDE™ C8G combats the germ proliferation of Malassezia furfur. During a study involving volunteers with capillary seborrheic dermatitis, desquamation, skin irritation and sebum secretion were assessed after two months treatment with at least one rinse-off application every three days. After 5 shampoos, LIPACIDE™ C8G already demonstrates a strong activity by roughly dividing by 3 the number of squamae and by 2 the irritation score. Sebum secretion is reduced by 40%. The study shows that the longer the shampoo is used, the better efficacy it shows. After 15 shampoos, no squamae and no irritation are observed anymore in volunteers. Scalp was assessed as normal and not oily anymore.

SEPICIDE™ G, the ideal solution for the Asian market

SEPICIDE™ G is a natural Cosmos approved preservative with strong antimicrobial activity. It is therefore a performant dermopurifyer as well, able to target dandruffs. First, an in-vitro study showed an antimicrobial action versus Malassezia furfur similar to zinc pyrithione and higher than piroctone olamine. During an in-vivo study done on 31 volunteers (men and women) with dandruffs, the dandruff score was measured after one month of treatment with 3 to 4 rinse-off applications per week. Each application comprised a scalp massage of one minute until foam & a one minute leaving time before rinsing & drying with a towel. Scoring of dandruffs was conducted by a dermatologist. SEPICIDE™ G was tested versus piroctone olamine at comparable use levels. After 28 days, it shows a significant reduction of dandruff of 66,5% for SEPICIDE™ G versus a significant reduction of 49,4% for piroctone olamine, thus confirming in-vivo the higher performance of SEPICIDE™ G

FLUIDIPURE™ 8G, the ideal solution for Latin American South East Asian markets

Based on the same active molecule as LIPACIDE™ C8G, but mixed with a moisturizing sugar and under liquid form, FLUIDIPURE™ 8G has a similar performance but is easier to handle. Tested on 46 volunteers with oily, irritated scalp with dandruff, scalp irritation and number of dandruffs were measured after one month treatment with one rinse-off application every three days. FLUIDIPURE™ 8G was tested versus placebo. The placebo didn’t show any significant effects on both parameters, whereas, after 5 shampoos, FLUIDIPURE™ 8G demonstrated a significant reduction of scalp irritation and dandruffs of 19% and 15% respectively. After 10 shampoos, it respectively achieved a reduction of 38% and 47%.

With the global evolution of the market to greener and milder anti-dandruff active ingredients, LIPACIDE™ C8GSEPICIDE™ G and FLUIDIPURE™ 8G represent performant solutions for dandruff-prone scalps. As an already well-established pure powder derived from the AMINOVECTOR™ technologyLIPACIDE™ C8G is a biobased star ingredient, China and QD additive approved, able to interest and convince Chinese and Japanese markets. SEPICIDE™ G, a performant, green and Cosmos approved solution, compared to piroctone olamine and zinc pyrithione, shows a solid defense to convince and suit the Indian market. Finally, the biobased FLUIDIPURE™ 8G is the cost-effective, easy-to-use and mildest active ingredient of this selection, well suited for Latin American & Middle East African markets.

Discover more on wesourcebeauty.com

* CAGR: cumulative average growth rate

** Natural Moisturizing Factor

(1) Borda LJ, Wikramanayake TC. Seborrheic Dermatitis and Dandruff: A Comprehensive Review. J Clin Investig Dermatol. 2015 Dec;3(2):10.13188/2373-1044.1000019. doi: 10.13188/2373-1044.1000019. Epub 2015 Dec 15. PMID: 27148560; PMCID: PMC4852869.

(2) Mintel, How brands are catering for different hair textures

(3) Mintel data base

(4) Huang CB, Alimova Y, Myers TM, Ebersole JL. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids exhibit antimicrobial activity for oral microorganisms. Arch Oral Biol. 2011;56(7):650-654. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2011.01.011

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4852869/pdf/nihms754376.pdf