Care 360° Portal

What’s in style? Clean hair styling formulations with proven results

Naturally, consumers want hair styling products with clean, natural ingredients and the same great performance.

What’s better than leaving home with a flawlessly styled head of hair? It’s hard to improve on perfection, but scientists found a way. The latest hair styling trend is all about clean, natural ingredients in tested formulations.

Safe products are a given, but today’s consumers expect more – they also want natural products with proven results. Originating in the food and beverage market, the “clean” trend has expanded to skin, hair and body care, as consumer priorities continue to shift.

According to a Mintel report, 41% of hair care purchasers bought hair products labeled clean, natural or organic in the year 2019. Another study of top styling claims shows that having an herbal or botanical component in the formula helps boost the product’s “natural” story.

We’re here to give that story a happy ending.

Put to the test

As formulators know, it’s tough to give the people what they want when your own choices are limited. That’s why BASF took the liberty of identifying natural styling ingredients with a clean story, effective properties and comparable styling performance to their synthetic counterparts.

Then we formulated and tested everything, because the proof is in the pudding – or, in this case, gel. We made sure each styling product was tested on different hair types and textures.

Testing showed natural polymers provide higher bending stiffness, meaning the film offers strong hold when locks of hair are curled or waved. They also demonstrated low flaking. Curl retention was strong, and the natural polymers showed lower frizz measurements on strands of coily or tightly curled hair.

Most importantly, all of the BASF ingredients used here are silicone alternatives, vegan, readily biodegradable, do not include fragrance, and are not expected to contain alcohol or 1,4-Dioxane.

Make a clean break with these hair styling formulations

Clear gel, clean conscience

When it comes to gel clarity, the winner is clear. The  Clearly Natural Styling Gel is a medium-hold styling gel with excellent curl retention. Made with  Verdessence Xanthan, a rheology modifier and fixative derived from xanthan gum, it has better clarity and higher bending stiffness than the leading market benchmark.
  

Green and clean

Algae is a humble ingredient with secret hair styling superpowers. At least the  Algae Styling Gel makes it seem that way: featuring  Verdessence Alginate, a multifunctional styling fixative and rheology modifier, the gel provides a natural hold and long-lasting curl definition, even in high humidity.
  

Hold the phone

Looking for a little extra muscle? The  Strong & Smooth Styling Gel has the strongest hold of all the gels we tested. With long-lasting properties and a smooth, flowable texture, it features a dream team of  Verdessence Alginate and  Dehyquart® Guar TC for strong hold and extra conditioning benefits for hair.

Don’t cramp my style!

Hair styling formulations with stellar performance, proven results and “clean” claims paint a beautiful picture for consumers. For formulators, addressing all those trends is as easy as getting in touch with a BASF rep to discuss your best options. 
Contact us to request a sample.

Check out the additional resources listed below:

Previous
Bring the hot springs home with soothing skincare
Soothe and moisturize skin with Sacred Patch. Bottle up the benefits of rejuvenating hot springs with a skincare ingredient inspired by Japanese wellness traditions.
Next
Net Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050
The transition toward a climate-friendly society remains a fundamental challenge of the 21st century. As an energy-intensive company, BASF has set itself an ambitious goal of climate neutrality by 2050. In doing so, we want to move forward as quickly as possible.