100 years after Eugène Schueller's invention of modern hair coloring, L'Oréal Professionnel has debuted an ammonia-free professional hair colorant that it believes will revolutionize the hair coloring industry. Innovation No Ammonia (Inoa) is said to lift color up to three shades, cover gray and have true-to-color results without the burning and itchy scalp side affects of ammonia hair color.
Inoa utilizes the company's Oil Delivery System (ODS) technology, an oil-based technology that optimizes the effectiveness of the coloring system while providing twice the protection of the lipids found in the natural protective layer of the hair compared to a traditional permanent hair color. The company reports that the color preserved the hairs lipids after 1-5 applications.
According to the company, water in water-based hair colors does not maximize the hair color system. It finds that oil does this. The company has replaced ammonia with monoethanolamine and added an oil-based gel and a cream developer. The product has no ammonia odor and optimum scalp comfort.
The company has launched 50 shades in Europe, with the United States and Canada following in January. Inoa reportedly will cost 10% more than traditional salon treatments.
