HAIR CARE
Essential natural
hair care ingredients Ethnic hair has unique needs. Natchem, with its large portfolio of natural ingredients from Greentech, offers multiple solutions for Africa’s hair care industry.
W
hen it comes to hair care,
study the efficacy of existing raw materials
it is vital for South African
and new complex oil compositions on Ethnic
consumers to know how
hair. This is because 52 percent of global
certain ingredients perform
hair care product claims use words such as
on their hair. Natchem has realised this need
botanical or natural, and more and more
and the gap for potential growth in South
local consumers are including natural oils
Africa’s hair care market. The company
and butters into their hair care regimes.
teamed up with its principal, Greentech, to
The more common oils are olive, avocado
Figure 1: Greentech’s Murumuru butter visibly repairs damaged hair fibres
Placebo
Thanks to its fatty acid content, Murumuru butter is ideal for use on dry skin and scalp. It prevents water loss from skin’s cutaneous layers, leaving it bettermoisturised and re-balanced. Murumuru butter is obtained from kernels of the Astrocaryum murumuru tree, which is native to South America and widespread in the Amazon Basin. The natural fatty extract is produced by cold-pressing the palm tree kernels.
Murumuru butter is ideal for use on dry skin and scalp The generally recognised composition of
and coconut oil, which are known for their
Murumuru butter includes Lauric, Myristic,
ability to penetrate the hair shaft. While
Oleic, Palmitic, Stearic and Linoleic acids.
these oils are excellent and tried and tested,
Owing to its lipidic nature, Murumuru
there are other more exotic oils and butters,
butter forms a protective layer on the hair
which are highly beneficial for natural hair.
fibre and smoothes the cuticle. Its natural
These include Murumuru and Kpangnan
gloss brings a desirable shine to dry and
butters, and Argan, Baobab and Inca Inchi
damaged hair. It can be formulated into
oils, which are produced by Greentech
shampoos, conditioners and moisturising
and distributed throughout South Africa
skin care products.
by Natchem.
When tested on Ethnic hair in a conditioner formulation containing one
Murumuru butter
Beautiful Brazilian butter
percent Murumuru butter, the ingredient
During the ’40s and ’50s, Murumuru butter
performed well against a placebo
was highly valued in the USA and Europe,
product. Following test protocol, scanning
when it served as an ingredient in vegetable
electron microscopy (SEM) analysis
creams and soaps. Today the ingredient is
showed smoothened hair scales and
widely acclaimed for its benefits in hair and
regulated hair fibres owing to the damage
skin care products.
repair properties of Murumuru butter
Soaps containing Murumuru butter are
(see Figure 1). •
known to leave a protective film on skin, much like the activity of silicone. However, in contrast to silicone, which is synthetic, Murumuru is of natural origin.
Greentech – www.greentech.fr Natchem – www.natchem.co.za
P C Review | AUGUST 2017 |
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