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Revive & Reset Your Scalp Microbiome

Many U.S. adults have scalp issues, but personal care products can help by targeting the microbiome

Published On: 04/20/20

The Scalp, the Microbiome and You

Your scalp is alive, and it’s telling you to use better products.

Like many other parts of the human body, your scalp has its own ecosystem of microbes that directly impacts the health of your scalp. That’s usually a good thing!

It might be the reason for your flaky or itchy noggin. Scientists have figured out how the scalp’s microbial ecosystem, or microbiome, is compromised by different elements of day-to-day life.

Here’s the good news: we know how to create hair care products that rebalance the microbiome to improve the state of your scalp.

24%

24% of U.S. adults have an itchy scalp. It affects men and women to a similar degree (Mintel).

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Scalp and the city: A global issue

Studies show that several aspects of a typical urban lifestyle can affect the scalp’s health and overall condition.

City life comes with stress, pollution and lots and lots of personal care products. Not all of these products are good for the hair. Some leave deposits on the scalp, while others strip your hair’s natural oils to the point that it begins to feel oily.

29%

29% of men and 15% of women in the U.S. have dandruff (Mintel).

Along with dust and environmental pollution, those deposits make it really difficult for your scalp to breathe. Your microbiome suffers the consequences, leading to hair and scalp problems such as oiliness, build-up and itching.

The solution? Your scalp needs a good, old-fashioned detox to get the microbiome back in balance.

The Scalp Detox

Hit the reset button on your microbiome

The microbiome is a collection of teeny, tiny lifeforms — or a complex community of interdependent microbes, if you want to get technical.

The external factors we talked about asphyxiate the scalp (yikes!) and throw it off balance, creating an environment where problematic strains of microbes start to outnumber the beneficial ones. That’s where a detox comes in.

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Detoxing isn’t all lemon water and charcoal — it works for your scalp and hair, too. The general idea is to balance out troublemaker microbes and promote a healthier, more harmonious scalp ecosystem.

With consumers everywhere stressing over their scalp and hair issues, BASF came up with an ingredient to help detox or “reset” the scalp’s microbiome. It’s called Scalposine™.

Beautiful Biomimetics

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Mimicking nature for a balanced microbiome

A naturally occurring amino acid with health and wellness benefits, Scalposine imitates components that are naturally found in your body. It’s based on a particular amino acid known for giving the skin a fresh and revived appearance.

That doesn’t mean your shampoo will make you smarter or happier, but maybe you’ll smile at yourself in the mirror while checking out that beautiful mane.

Slide to see the difference

After:
Shake it, baby!

In a more general sense, Scalposine protects your scalp from the effects of stress, pollution and buildup from cosmetic products. The result is reduced oil in your hair, reduced flaking and a scalp that feels soothed.

Before:
What a Flake

How exactly does Scalposine work? By mimicking a key amino acid, Scalposine effectively helps protect the scalp from oil buildup and balances the scalp’s natural oils.

Claims and Applications

Formulating scalp microbiome products that work

Now that we’re all in agreement that our scalps need attention — pronto! — what should we look for in our products? Do we want shampoos, masks or serums, and what claims should we look for on the label?

Studies by BASF shed some light on the top applications and claims that customers want to see in their scalp and microbiome products. Take the quizzes below to see if you can guess what customers want most.

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Quiz
Rank it

What are the top applications?

Drag and drop to rank the top applications for scalp microbiome products (highest to lowest).

04 Conditioner 03 Masks 01 Cleansing (Shampoo, Scrubs) 02 Treatments & Serums
Quiz
Rank it

What are the top claims?

What are the top claims among microbiome-focused products? Drag and drop to guess the order from highest to lowest.

06 Soothing 04 Strenghtening 05 Balancing 02 Moisturizing 01 Nourishing 03 Healthy

Ready, Set, Formulate

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Get the secret sauce for your scalp formulations

Ready to formulate show-stopping scalp microbiome products? The team at BASF Care Creations regularly partners with formulators to give them the latest and greatest in personal care trends, insights and ingredients.

Check out our other products or speak with our reps to get more details.

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