Building bonds: Croda zeroes in on hair repair solutions as damage hair concerns surge in markets like China

Stephanie Neplaz, global hair care business director of Croda told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that the firm was focused on developing new solutions for the category.

“The bond boom started in 2014 with Olaplex and more recently we had K18 – two brands with their own patented technology. What these brands brought was a whole new dimension of claims like ‘100% stronger hair’ or ‘reset to virgin hair’.”​

Since then, hair damage has become a global issue with an uptick in chemical treatments as well as at-home styling practices.

In APAC, the biggest opportunity is in China, where it has surpassed all markets to become the biggest market for hair dye.

The popularity of hair colouring has been strong among younger consumers who seek to express their individuality in a society where naturally dark black hair is the overwhelming majority.

“They want to break with past generations, break with straight black hair. Now they have made China the biggest country in hair colour – even bigger than the US now,”​ said Neplaz.

The myriad of affordable product innovations from cosmetic companies such as L’Oréal, Kao, and Amorepacific have also made it accessible and easy for consumers to adopt.

The frequent use of such products to maintain or change hair colour has left them more concerned about hair health.

While there are countless brands making protective products on the market, Neplaz said claims for long-lasting repair are “more powerful” ​and in line with what consumers are seeking.

At the same time, there was still a strong need for scalp care products as the skinification of hair trend was still strong.

Neplaz said the company has ambitions to bring its customers and beauty consumers more solutions in the hair repair segment.

“We hope to bring more solutions to the market. This is what we want to address in the next year.”​

One of the biggest development challenges all companies are facing now is delivering high efficacy with high naturality, Neplaz highlighted.

The company has kicked off its mission to develop hair repair solutions with the launch of Crodamol GTS at ingredients trade show in-cosmetics Global 2024, which took place from April 16 to 18.

The ingredient is a 100% natural (according to ISO16128) iteration of one of Croda’s top hair care products, Crodamol STS.

The bio-based alternative to silicone claims to bring smoothness and shine to damaged hair, having been tested on hair types I, II, III, and IV, Croda claims.

This patented innovation showcases an environmentally conscious profile. It is vegan, cruelty-free, and biodegradable (OCED 301B) as well.