Lyotropic Liquid Crystals for Damaged Hair and Other Topics: Literature Findings

By: Charlie Fox, Independent Consultant

Posted: July 30, 2009, from the August 2009 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

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Natural plant conditioning shampoos: Faming Zhuanli Shenqing Gongkai Shuomingshu has developed hair and scalp cleansing and conditioning shampoos using natural plants.⁶ An example is shown in Formula 2. To mix the shampoo, researchers heated palm oil, hempseed oil and Gleditsia sinensis powder to 80°C. Then, water was heated to 90°C, and the oil phase was added to the water phase while stirring at 600 rpm. An emulsifier was added to the batch and it was cooled to 40°C while Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Angelica dahurica were added. The batch was stirred for an additional 30 min.

Nonsticky, aqueous hair styler: Kao Corp. has developed nonsticky aqueous hair styling compositions.⁷ The compositions exhibit good spreadability and strong styling power while imparting a fluffy appearance to hair. They contain: 1–20% solid or pasty oily ingredients; 1–5% liquid oils selected from silicone oils, hydrocarbon oils and ester oils; 0.01–5% anionic surfactants except higher fatty acid salts; 3–10% higher molecular weight fatty alcohols; 0.01–0.5% high molecular-weight polyethylene glycol; and (optionally): 5–30% polyhydric alcohols; 1–10% higher fatty acids or their salts; and 3–10% nonionic surfactants. Thus, a hair styling wax was formulated containing microcrystalline wax^a; petrolatum; dipentaerythritol esters of hydroxystearic acid, stearic acid and rosin acid; diisostearyl malate; methylpolysiloxane; octyldodecyl myristate; polyoxyethylene lauryl ether sodium phosphate; cetanol; polyethylene glycol (MW = 2,500,000); glycerin; sorbitol solution; stearic acid; polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate; glyceryl stearate; and isostearyl glyceryl ether.

Melatonin/agomelatine hair treatment: Henkel AG & Co. has disclosed a hair treatment agent with conditioner(s) and melatonin/agomelatine⁸ to protect hair against external aggressors. The treatment contains at least 0.1–10% of a cationic conditioner; 0.001–5% of one or more fatty components; 0.001–5% melatonin and/or a salt thereof and/or agomelatine and/or a salt thereof; and at least one conditioning enhancer from the group of: L-carnitine and/or a salt thereof; pantolactone, taurine and/or a salt thereof; vitamins, specifically niacinamide; biotin, pantothenic acid and tocopherol and/or derivatives thereof; ubiquinone; ectoin; allantoin; plant extracts such as echinacea or moringa; plants; xanthines such as caffeine; theophylline and theobromine; and flavonoids such as flavonols, bisabolol and creatine. An example of a hair conditioning cream is shown in Formula 3.

Chitosan for hair volume or hold: Henkel AG & Co. also disclosed cosmetic compositions with chitosan and silicone elastomers.⁹ The hair treatments comprise 0.05–5% w/w of at least one chitosan and/or chitosan derivative and 0.05–5% w/w of at least one elastomeric silane or siloxane with quaternary ammonium groups to improve fullness, volume and long-term hold in hair. An example is shown in Formula 4.

Sulfonic acid hair compositions: Kao Corp. introduced hair cosmetics containing sulfonic acids with excellent spreadability and a smooth and flexible finish.¹⁰ The rinses, treatments, conditioners, creams, gels and foams, contain C_6-18 hydrocarbyl-containing sulfonic acids or their salts, quaternary ammonium salts, C8-30 alcohols and liquid crystal-forming agents. An example is shown in Formula 5. Rinsing the hair with this preparation resulted in good coatability and a smooth, soft and nonsticky finish.