Revealing microscopic haircare for the first time and also announcing experts of Pantene Hair Science Institute
SHANGHAI, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 19, 2024, Pantene held its 2nd hair science summit at the historical Aurora Museum in Shanghai, following its inauguration in 2023. This year's summit was another milestone for Pantene in exploring the science of haircare and seeking breakthroughs. At this year's summit, Pantene shared the latest research results of how to repair the damaged hairs and also demonstrated a high-definition microscopic bio-imaging technology, which was a breakthrough in the industry and able to get high-definition images of a hair's internal structure. For the first time, this has confirmed that the Pro-vitamin B5 (Pro-V B5) and lipidol ingredients in Pantene products can enter the very core of damaged hair to repair them. Pantene also announced the experts of Pantene Hair Science Institute at the event. The institute is committed to bringing together researchers around the world for a new era of haircare.
A new era of science-based haircare
Pantene is the world's most popular haircare brand and the first brand to have discovered the role of Pro-V B5 in protecting and repairing hairs. It's also the only haircare brand certified by the Swiss Vitamin Institute (SVI). Pantene has been working on haircare for 82 years. With a DNA in research, Pantene has been striving to apply the latest research results in its products. The brand is discovering issues from the perspectives of consumers and using scientific tools to solve them. This is how it is responding to the trust of consumers. Luan Lan, General Manager of the Pantene Brand in China, said: "We believe that every scientific breakthrough of us represents the fulfilment of our commitment to healthy and beautiful hairs for consumers. At Pantene, we will be always with consumers, leveraging the power of science to help make their hairs beautiful."
Last year, Dr. Jennifer Marsh, Global Chief Research Scientist at Pantene, shared her studies of the mechanism and effect of small molecules in protecting and repairing hair core at the 2023 meeting of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC). This year, her research team further uncovered the mechanism of synergistic hair damage at the core. Dr. Lai Wei, a dermatologist and hair expert from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, also provided an in-depth interpretation of this discovery at the summit. He emphasized: "Hair damage is visible to the naked eye, but the root cause is the damage at the core, which is difficult to see, but very important. The in-depth study of hair damage at the core by Pantene scientists can help us design better haircare solutions that combine both external and internal haircare. We should choose small-molecule ingredients that can really enter the very core of hairs to repair them."
Hair repair at the core enabled by science
Probing deeper into the core of hair damage and how to repair damaged hair core has been a new research area for P&G Haircare in recent years. At the summit, Wang Yu, a senior analytical scientist at Pantene, shared the application of bio-imaging in haircare and Pantene's latest research results of using the technology to detect ingredients. Using this technology, her team, for the first time, discovered that Pro-V B5 could enter the core of hairs and rebuild its structure to repair the damaged hairs. The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore has collaborated with P&G Haircare for ten years. As a microscopy expert, Dr. Ma Xiaoxiao, Senior Scientist and Manager at A*STAR Microscopy Platform, shared the joint research results of the two parties. She said: "The high-resolution bio-imaging technology allows us to detect and screen the ingredients for hair core repair more efficiently and more intuitively. By collaborating with the research team at Pantene, we found that the haircare formulations of Pantene could replenish the lipids lost from the hair core. With this technology, we are able to see the effect of those haircare ingredients at the core. In the future, we will explore the possibility of discovering more haircare ingredients together, aiming to provide consumers with more targeted and diverse haircare solutions."
Pro-V B5 and lipidol are two main ingredients for Pantene's haircare products. Using Pantene Intensive Shot Hair Mask as an example, Pantene Chief Scientist Zhang Chao shared how the brand's research team has been working on a number of fronts including formulation, experiment, and detection to develop effective haircare products. Over the past five years since its launch, the Pantene Intensive Shot Hair Mask has undergone three iterations. The effectiveness of this product for haircare has been confirmed on multiple dimensions through continuous consumer research and practical testing. The latest generation contains Pro-V B5 and lipidol beads, which are able to penetrate into the core of hairs quickly and help reestablish the broken links, so as to repair the damaged hairs at the very core, and to keep them bouncy, resilient, and shiny.
The experts of Pantene Hair Science Institute announced
Topping the agenda of this year's summit, the experts of Pantene Hair Science Institute were announced. These experts come from many different fields including basic medicine, haircare, bio-imaging, and vitamin research. Pantene hopes to work with leading scientists while listening to industry experts, to continue to study haircare using cutting-edge technologies. This helps to integrate research resources and push the boundaries in haircare. Representatives of the institute's experts made an appearance at the summit. With their rigorous attitude toward research and strong insights into haircare, they will start a new chapter for haircare research together with Pantene.
This year's summit demonstrated the determination of Pantene to drive haircare through scientific research. The remarkable research results shared at the summit came from the brand's unremitting pursuit of healthy and beautiful hairs. They also attested to the brand's commitment to consumers. Going forward, they will help to light up the road ahead for each and every consumer in pursuing haircare, to keep their hairs beautiful, and to make them more confident.
