Key takeaways on Estée Lauder Companies’ vision for next-gen hair care
- Inclusivity, sustainability and scalp health are key drivers of hair care innovation.
- Biotechnology and fermentation are enabling new molecules and benefits for hair and scalp.
- Personalisation and green chemistry present opportunities and challenges for brands.
- Scalp ageing prevention will become a major focus by 2030.
CosmeticsDesign-Europe recently aired a special broadcast on ‘Future Hair Care Innovation’ to explore the latest technology and ingredients shaping the category, as well as the trends and consumer needs driving innovation.
For this, we spoke to Christine Hall, VP of Hair Care for R&D at Estée Lauder Companies, who leads research and innovation for both Aveda and Bumble & Bumble; Claire Wilson, who is Commercial Education Director for the EMEA Region at Kao Corp’s Salon Division; and Connor Spicer, who is Beauty & Consumer Health Care Consultant at Euromonitor International. To access the interviews for free, sign up here.
Read the full interview with Christine Hall below...
Cosmetics Design-Europe (CDE): Hi Christine, what consumer needs are currently shaping the future of the hair care category?
Christine Hall (CH): I think there’s been a shift in the last 10 years for the hair care category in general to be more inclusive. That means everything from creating products that are suitable for every hair type and texture to developing test methods that allow us to test more textured hair, and the push to include textured hair in beauty school curriculums. All of that has been happening, and I think it’s going to accelerate.
Another big driver for the hair care category is the environmental changes we’re seeing and the focus on sustainability. And then, of course, we have a large population of consumers who are getting older and experiencing changes in their hair, so they’re looking for solutions. All these things are happening simultaneously.
Also, coming out of the post-Covid years, we’re seeing a renewed focus on styling and self-expression. As you can imagine, when we were all sitting at home for a while, no one really cared what their hair looked like. We might have still been thinking about colouring, washing and conditioning, but creating amazing styles wasn’t a priority. Now people are exploring this more and looking for different ways to style their hair. So, all of that is happening at the same time. Lots of work to do, lots of opportunity.
CDE: So that’s the consumer-driven trends, but what’s happening on the science side? What are the most exciting scientific breakthroughs currently influencing hair care R&D?
CH: As I mentioned, there are a lot of new test methods being developed, such as testing textured hair or understanding what dye molecules are in your hair as you colour it and as the colour fades. There’s also lots of work in biotechnology, which is allowing us to create new things. Peptides are another area of focus, not only how they affect your skin, but also how they impact your hair and scalp. So, it’s booming right now in terms of our ability to test things and create new molecules.
CDE: You just mentioned biotechnology. Can you tell us a bit more about how biotech is being used to improve hair health or product performance?
CH: Biotechnology incorporates a lot of things, but let’s take fermentation as an example. This can be used to create an existing molecule in a more efficient and sustainable way. A simple example is that the industry used to use butylene glycol (a petroleum derivative), but now it can be created via fermentation. So, that makes it more sustainable, and then there are more interesting, exciting benefits.
Fermentation can also be used to create molecules that are great for your scalp or hair, or sometimes both. For example, in Botanical Triple Bond, which Aveda sells in China, we use Aspergillus ferment, which can build bonds within your hair and make it stronger and healthier. Or Lactobacillus ferment, which is in our Scalp Solutions line, and is good for your moisture barrier and soothing. So, it’s amazing what you can do in the fermentation space.
CDE: How are changing regulations for cosmetics currently impacting your NPD for Aveda and Bumble & Bumble?
CH: From a regulatory standpoint, it’s about looking ahead to see what’s coming because we want to be proactive rather than reactive. We have a great regulatory team mapping out what could happen in the future.
It’s always interesting to see how regulations overlap. There are some similarities between the US – particularly California – and Europe, but then California likes some things that Europe doesn’t, and vice versa. China adds another layer with very specific regulations around raw materials and cruelty-free requirements, so we’re often trying to balance all of those simultaneously.
CDE: Another trend in the hair care category is personalisation. How is the industry evolving towards more personalised hair care regimes? Do you think this is happening now, or will it happen in the future?
CH: I think you’re starting to see examples in the market. Right now, it’s about creating more versions of products. For example, in our Botanical Repair line, there’s Light and Rich, and Light and Deep. So, it’s about offering more options so consumers can combine products to create their best regimen.
In the future, I believe we’ll get to something that’s made specifically for you. There are manufacturing challenges associated with that—such as just-in-time production and distribution, but I think it’s coming.
CDE: Could this be an option for big brands or only for companies producing smaller batches?
CH: I think it could be for a big brand. If anyone could do it, it would be a bigger brand like Estée Lauder, L’Oréal or P&G, which have the engineering capabilities to get to the right combination of things.
It’s a very exciting time, and it’s moving quickly. We already do some of this in our professional salon services, but there we rely on the stylist for personalisation rather than something made in a plant. For example, all of Aveda’s hair colour is designed to be mixed together at the moment of use, which is as complex as trying to do it all in the plant and then ship it out.
CDE: You’ve mentioned sustainability. What are the biggest challenges now in terms of creating sustainable hair care products?
CH: In the last decade or so there’s been a big shift towards green chemistry and sustainability. Aveda was originally at the forefront of using PCR in packaging, but now everyone’s doing it.
The challenge with packaging is that we’re already at 100% PCR for bottles, tubes and caps, so we’re asking: what’s next? From a formulation standpoint, achieving one aspect of sustainability isn’t too hard, but combining multiple aspects – organic, naturally derived, low-energy manufacturing – is the real challenge.
One thing I like to tell people is that natural ingredients like to interact with each other, and sometimes that’s good and sometimes it’s not. There’s a lot of expertise needed to manage those interactions.
CDE: And our last question: what do you think hair care will look like in 2030?
CH: I think people in the West will start thinking about their scalp and hair ageing before they have a problem. Consumers don’t usually think about grey hair until it’s grey, or hair loss until the texture changes or becomes finer. In the East, they’re already doing a lot of this.
We’ve been researching with the University of Bradford for over 10 years on how the scalp ages, and we know there are distinct differences that start showing up around age 40. I’d love it if consumers started thinking about their scalp in a preventative way, taking care of it like they take care of their face.
Let’s not wait until there’s an issue to fix; let’s protect the scalp the way we protect the face. Your scalp goes through the same, if not worse, oxidative stress as your face, so antioxidant protection is important. One thing I’ve learned from my scientists is to always wear a hat in sunny weather because of oxidative stress on the scalp. Look for antioxidants in your hair care routine, just as you would in skin care. There are lots of things happening with the scalp that will eventually affect how much hair you have.
