Press release
Personal Care
February 3, 2011

New study shows a massive reduction of hair breakage

Conditioning ingredient ABIL® T Quat 60

Improving anti-hair breakage functionality in shampoos and conditioners is quite an important issue for manufacturers of care products. The presence of broken fibers can be a major detractor in the quest for beautiful hair. This is largely because broken fibers fray and lead to the formation of unsightly split ends. Such fibers no longer align as readily – often reducing the perception of hair smoothness, inducing a degree of frizz, lowering shine, and hindering a fluid, flowing motion. Therefore, consumers worry greatly about breakage and look to product manufacturers for help. Evonik always substantiates its hair product solutions through many hair performance tests. A new joint publication by Evonik and TRI/Princeton verifies the efficacy of ABIL® T Quat 60 in shampoos and conditioners. With the addition of ABIL® T Quat 60 in shampoo and conditioner, the products show a significant reduction of hair breakage by 60 % in shampoo treatment and 88% in conditioner treatment.

The study examined the breakage possibility of hair which was treated with a shampoo and a conditioner containing ABIL® T Quat 60. Specifically the treated hair undergoes some defined experiments which are frequently employed to make anti-breakage and even strengthening claims. The methodology utilizes a custom-built automated grooming device. All testing is performed on damaged hair with eight tresses being evaluated per treatment to ensure statistical relevance. A common method for making such assessments involves repeated combing, followed by counting the number of broken fibers.

In fact the results of the experiment show that the shampoo and conditioner formulations containing the new conditioning ingredient ABIL® T Quat 60 provide a dramatic anti-breakage benefit by 60% for shampoo and 88% for conditioner.

So what are the exact benefits of the ABIL® T Quat 60? It is a premium silicone conditioning agent with excellent substantivity to hair keratin, outstanding conditioning and impressive heat protection properties. It also improves color wash fastness and, as shown in the recent study, effectively protects hair against breakage. Moreover, ABIL® T Quat 60 leads to a nice and silky skin feel. Therefore, it is highly suitable for use in conditioning shampoos (even clear ones), hair rinses, leave-in formulations, and even body washes.

For more information please contact:
Geraldine Strutz
Associated Marketing Manager, Personal Care
Evonik Goldschmidt GmbH
Phone: +49(0)201 173 2525, Geraldine.Strutz@evonik.com
or visit our website www.evonik.com/personal-care .

About Evonik

Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany. In our core business of specialty chemicals, we are a global leader. In addition, Evonik is an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our company’s performance is shaped by creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability.
Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2009 about 39,000 employees generated sales of about €13.1 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.0 billion.

About TRI/Princeton

TRI/Princeton is a full-service, independent laboratory providing a wide range of services to industry, government and academia. Their services include material and product evaluation and process development. TRI/Princeton’s areas of expertise are characterization of fibers, polymers, fibrous and porous materials, and efficacy testing for hair care products.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.