Could your innovation lead to the next generation of hair conditioners?

Croda has launched a challenge on KTN’s Innovation Exchange to find innovative solutions that could lead to the next generation in hair conditioners.

Croda, a global speciality chemical manufacturer who provides high-performance ingredients and technologies to some of the world’s largest brands, is using KTN’s Innovation Exchange to find solutions to make its hair conditioners more environmentally sustainable.

The company has commitments to be climate, land and people positive by 2030 and aims to be a sustainable supplier of innovative ingredients.  It has set a challenge to find ways to make its hair care products less hazardous to the environment, or different mechanisms to achieve the same anchoring effect to hair fibres whilst preventing the environmental issues. Crucially solutions must be without any negative health impacts and ingredients used in the raw materials should be from natural origins and sustainable sources.

Whilst not limiting the technologies from solution providers, it is expected that solutions may utilise the current method of application and friction reduction mechanism however solutions may offer alternative methods of application or novel friction reduction mechanisms. Solutions may be a chemical or a platform of chemicals for use in different products or offering a range of similar or related effects.

Given their sustainability commitments Croda are looking for new technologies that are biodegradable, non-aquatoxic, are naturally derived and provide comparable hair conditioning performance to the current technology. Current technologies are generally hydrophobic materials which reduced the amount of hair friction, act as surfactants and resist rinsing.

Successful solution providers (industry or academia) to this challenge will be given a commercial opportunity to deliver their solution and receive support from Croda, KTN and the wider Innovate UK network.