Naturally Derived and/or Biodegradable Hair Dyes

Challenge

Our client a major chemical company are seeking to collaborate on new to the world hair dye technology that is made from naturally derived raw materials and/or fully biodegradable while delivering performance of current hair dyes. The goal would be both naturally derived and biodegradable, but materials with either attribute or good performance would be of interest. 

Current hair dyes can be broadly broken down into two categories: permanent or oxidative dyes which react under oxidative conditions to colour hair and semi-permeant or direct dyes which are pre-formed coloured dyes which deposit onto the hair cuticle. Virtually all the high performing hair dyes are derived from petroleum-based feedstocks and are not biodegradable. While there are a limited number of hair dyes which are made from natural products such as indigo or henna, these materials have significantly reduced performance compared to synthetic hair dyes (strength of deposition, washing durability, etc.) and are limited in the range of colours, tones, and shades they can provide. 

As consumers and consumer product manufacturers have grown more conscious about environmentally sustainable options, there is growing demand for naturally derived or biodegradable hair dyes, but consumers are generally unwilling to accept the performance limitations of current natural hair dyes.  

Naturally derived would require clear origin in renewable natural resources (plants, fermentation, etc.) but can undergo synthetic steps leading up to the final hair dye. Biodegradable would imply readily or inherently biodegradable performance in an OECD 301 or 302.   

Preference would be for readily biodegradable, but materials which show significant biodegradation in the testing even over longer time frames than standard testing would be of interest.