Formulation science of hair care products: Innovation in an industrial research lab (A. Gray)

Hair care is an area of formulation science where a broad range of consumers seek products that cater to specific benefits for their own hair. Consumers in different regions around the world have a variety of hair types and wash and care regimes, so the benefits they seek, and the ways a product can address them, are extremely diverse. This presents an interesting formulation challenge for us as industrial scientists, where we continually seek to create products that deliver to the specific consumer hair needs, whilst also ensuring that product proposition meet the values and specifications required by the company and the consumer. 

As researchers, it is important to understand how formulation changes in products such as hair conditioners influences properties on a microstructural level, and for us to interpret how this ultimately causes changes to in-use product performance for the consumer. This enables us to approach research in a hypothesis-driven fashion, focusing on what the consumer needs and desires.

This talk will present a background to the formulation science of hair conditioners in an industrial research setting. We will explore fundamentals behind why ingredients and processing can dramatically affect the final properties of the product, both in the bottle and in-use. We will also cover ancillary areas of industrial research, such as effective experimental design and automation, which enables Unilever to create successful innovations, enjoyed by people in all corners of the world.