Formulating Dry Shampoo Ingredient Options for Optimal Performance Since Victorian times, various powders have been sprinkled on the hair to absorb oil and refresh a style. Historically, arrowroot, corn starch and oatmeal have all been used to clean and refresh hair. Dry shampoos began to make a commercial appearance in the 1960s and ‘70s with brands such as “Psssst” being promoted as a way to provide clean, fresh hair without the need for “wet” shampoo. These products were inexpensive with simplistic formulations and were considered a last resort for people who couldn’t wash their hair for whatever reason. Today’s consumer has rediscovered dry shampoos and sales have recently surged. Modern, busy women swear by dry shampoos, and top-rated stylists around the world consider them to be an essential element of their portfolios. Although still somewhat of a beauty secret, these powders are quickly becoming an essential tool for consumers and stylists alike. Featuring benefits such as refreshing and reviving hair, adding body and texture to limp tresses, and even boosting volume, these skip-a-day style savers are rapidly finding their way onto store shelves. Market Dynamics Chicago based research firm Mintel reports that dry shampoo sales have surged in popularity in recent years. Representing only 1% of launches in the shampoo category in 2008, they accounted for 3% of launches by 2012—a year on year sales increase of 140% since 2008. Mintel now estimates that 23% of women and 13% of men currently own a can of dry shampoo. Although still a niche market, dry shampoo sales are now estimated to be in excess of $120 million annually, on a retail level, and represent a rapidly growing and evolving segment of the personal care 18 SPRAY November 2014 marketplace. With a large number of new market entrants and a wide range of benefits claimed, dry shampoo promises to remain a source of dynamic and exciting product development. Convenience tops the list of claims associated with dry shampoos (for products sold in North America and the UK). Many formulations are also being marketed as “easy to use” or suitable for use “on the go.” Dry shampoo claims often relate to the addition of herbal or botanical ingredients in the formulations, long lasting results and the ability to neutralize odor (which relates to the freshening effects promised by many dry shampoos). Behind the Trend Consumers are flocking to buy dry shampoos for a myriad of reasons. Time-strapped consumers find these products provide a quick fix when there is just no time for a shampoo-dry-style regimen. Eco-aware consumers also find appeal in products that function without water—preserving an increasingly rare resource. Intense heat from styling equipment used for straightening and curling, and stress caused by additional coloring, can weaken the hair, making it more receptive to breakage. Dry shampoo offers a convenient, easy and economical way to keep hair looking fresh in between washings and avoid the unnecessary damage that can be caused by repeated heat styling. Stylists have long been relying on these products to add body to thin or fine hair as well as providing texture and helping to enable the creation of dramatic styles. Consumers have picked up on this secret and use a touch of dry shampoo to create the illusion of freshly styled hair, full of body and volume. Preserving an expensive and time-consuming salon hair coloring is a key motivator in the use of dry shampoos. Along with milder systems, like sulfate-free
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