Most hair care brands promise to give our hair shine, strength, and smoothness. These products are usually full of silicones that coat the hair shaft with a thin layer, creating a temporary beautiful and shiny result. As a result, the hair looks better, but is left unnourished from the inside, breaking, and internally as lifeless as before.
However, a new technology is being developed in Estonia that focuses on making hair truly healthy, not just beautiful on the outside. At its core is a peptide created by researchers at the University of Tartu in collaboration with the Salon+ hair salon chain. It is not a trendy ingredient, but a molecule whose effects are based on real biochemistry and created on the basis of laboratory experiments.
It all started with cancer treatment research
Researchers at the University of Tartu have been studying peptides – small chains of amino acids that perform various functions in the body – for years. During cancer drug trials, it was discovered that certain types of peptides bind very well to the internal structures of hair. This meant that they could be used to deliver substances into the hair, not just to coat it.
In 2016, the researchers presented their idea to Salon+, who became interested in the new technology. A collaboration began that has lasted to this day and the results of which can already be seen in the S+ Haircare product line.
“Defining the properties of peptides and creating components of hair care products from them is a multifaceted process,” explains Sven Parkel, who has been involved in the development from the beginning. “The knowledge and equipment of the researchers at the University of Tartu have helped us understand peptides at the molecular level. In addition, we have conducted experiments on hair with the Salon+ team that show how these molecules actually work.”
What makes this peptide special?
The peptide, which is being developed in Estonia, does not just stay on the surface of the hair, but moves inside it. There, it binds to the hair structures and helps to introduce other beneficial substances into the hair – such as hydration, UV protection, volumizers or even color pigments. In the future, it will be possible to create hair dyes based on the same technology, for example, making it possible to dye hair without hydrogen.
Less chemistry gives better results
One of the biggest advantages of the new technology is its potential to reduce the use of strong chemicals that are usually found in hair dyes. Conventional dyes chemically open the hair cuticle so that the pigment can penetrate the hair shaft. Peptides can fix color pigments much more effectively and naturally.
“In the future, this could mean up to a hundred times lower concentrations of color molecules in products,” says Sven Parkel. “This is a huge change in terms of both hair health and environmental impact.”
This means that hair coloring becomes gentler, less damaging and at the same time more permanent. The scalp tolerates such products better and less polluting chemicals are released into the environment.
Products that are born in Estonia
The collaboration between salon+ and TÜ Teadlaste reaches consumers in the S+ Haircare hair care line. All products are developed and manufactured in Tallinn, Mustamäe. They combine a scientific approach and environmental friendliness, thanks to which the products do not use harsh chemicals, silicones, parabens or SLS/SLES sulfates.
Salon+ CEO Erkki Lõhmus says that the goal has not been just another hair care brand: “We do not want to bring to the market yet another shampoo or mask that promises miracles but does nothing. Our desire is to create products whose effect is measurable, backed by science and that have a substantive difference compared to what the market offers today.”
S+ Haircare – a step into the future
The peptide that scientists are working on is not just a new ingredient, but could become the basis for a completely new technology in cosmetics. It could help to further develop hair care products, dyes and even skin care, where the attachment of active ingredients is key.
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