TM CTFA/INCI Name: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Algae Extract Camellia Oleifera (Japanese Green Tea) Leaf Extract Glycerin CAS Numbers: 85507-69-3, 94349-62-9, 92128-82-0, 94333-93-4, 56-81-5 EINECS/ELINCS Number: 287-390-8, 305-181-2, 295-780-4, 305-073-5, 200-289-5 WHAT IS ACTISEA H2O for hair? Hair is relatively simple compared to skin, and requires two activities: non-oily hydration, and protection from UV and oxidative stress. Actisea H2O for hair combines these activities into a completely natural, preservative-free extract, designed to protect and rebuild hair. Actisea H2O for hair is a combination of concentrated Japanese Green Tea polyphenols, Aloe Vera, and Sea Kelp. It is adjusted to a low ph, 3.9, to optimize cuticle organization on the hair. WHAT DOES IT DO? HOW IS IT DIFFERENT? The active ingredients in Actisea H2O for hair penetrate into the keratin interior, significantly improving water holding characteristics, and providing a normalizing effect to processed or damaged hair. HOW DO I USE IT? The recommended usage levels for Actisea H2O for hair are 2% - 5% in shampoos and conditioners. It should be added to the final stage of production at 45 C or less. Actisea H2O for hair helps to alleviate daily stresses on the hair by helping the cuticle maintain its water regulating activities, without adding buildup. Studies have also shown that Actisea H2O for hair not only repairs the harmful effects of blow-drying and of other applications involving heat, but increases style retention. WHAT IS IT FOR? Actisea H2O for hair should be used in shampoo and conditioning products, to effectively restore the moisture balance, to protect against UV damage and daily stresses, and to increase manageability and overall condition. 1 - Actisea H2O for hair
INTRODUCTION A ctisea H 2 O for hair is an all natural sea kelp extract with low molecular humectants and hydrating peptides. It also contains polyphenols, as protective agents. It has been specifically designed to provide intense hydration, yet be lightweight, not build up on the hair, and be cost effective for use in shampoo and conditioning products. We have tested this product alone, and in combination, on virgin and processed hair; and have established an important role for these ingredients in protecting and repairing hair, providing moisturization, and in improving aesthetic attributes. While hair, at least the part we see, and that which contributes to our overall perception or impression of its quality, is considered a dead tissue, all cellular reproduction, and development and differentiation occur well beneath the skin surface in the follicle. Once the formed keratin structure is visible at the surface, most metabolic activities have ceased. It is fully exposed to the external world and fighting a downhill battle to remain physically intact. There are few if any endogenous repair processes going on within the shaft, or at the surface. This is in contrast to what is happening within the stratum corneum, which we once considered a dead tissue. Because of an important functional role in survival, and feedback to the living layers of the skin, the stratum corneum does in fact have a rich metabolic activity. This is not true for the hair. Hair does not have an evolutionary role critical for survival; thus, it is more or less on its own when it emerges from the scalp. It does provide protection against UV, and in many species, hair (or fur in fact) provides a role in thermal insulation. In humans, it historically, and perhaps today as well, plays a role in sexual attraction. While styles change, mid to longer length hair always seems to be desired by some segment of society. Thus, since hair is unable to protect itself very well, and certainly not repair itself, there is a major need for daily use products to provide these functions. Hair undergoes extensive damage from the environment, mostly UV exposure, and low humidity damage from daily washing and blow drying, and damage from a variety of beautifying and anti-ageing applications such as bleaching, coloring, permanent waving, straightening etc. 2 - Actisea H 2 O for hair
TM RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS HAIR BREAK STRENGTH Virgin & Double-Processed Hair Hair break strength was evaluated with a custom-made tensile strength device developed by Bill Hargens, formally of the Franklin Institute. The device applies increasing traction forces along the length of a single hair fibre (or small bundles), and the extension of the hair or force at break point is recorded on a PC-based data processing system. In this study, hair was tested at a relative humidity of 45%. As seen in Table 1, the initial break force for virgin hair (typical diameter 40-80um) was 35.5 grams; this was well within the published norms. When hair was repeatedly shampooed via our aggressive test conditions (as described in the methods), the break force decreased about 8%. This was likely due to the removal of key water holding elements, which lessened the hair s ability to hold water. This would result in less extensibility at low to moderate humidity, and a lower break force. When the test was repeated with the addition of 3% Actisea H 2 O for hair only, or 3% Actisea H 2 O for hair and 3% Actiberry, the loss of tensile strength was eliminated, and in fact, a small increase in break strength (7% and 9% compared to controls) was observed. While positive effects were observed after only five applications, greater benefits were observed after twenty-five applications. These results are consistent with our hypothesis, that a buildup within the hair shaft, of the low molecular weight moisturizing ingredients, occurs over time. When this study was repeated with processed (bleached and permed) hair, similar results were observed. The combination of Actisea H 2 O for hair and Actiberry increased hair strength between 12% and 19% compared to the control. TABLE 1: VIRGIN HAIR PROCESSED HAIR 39 39 BREAK STRENGTH (gms) 38 37 36 [35.5] 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 8% 7% 9% 12% 15% BREAK STRENGTH (gms) 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30.4 30 29 28 27 26 25 4% 11% 16% 14% 19% Control Shampoo Only 3% Actisea 3% Actisea & 3% Actiberry Control Shampoo Only 3% Actisea 3% Actisea & 3% Actiberry 3 - Actisea H 2 O for hair
WATER HOLDING CHARACTERISTICS At Low and High Relative Humidity When hair is in a healthy condition, it has a water content which increases moderately with respect to increases in relative humidity. This is not the case for damaged hair. Damaged hair contains much less water at very low humidity, and a much higher content at very high humidity. At the low humidity (less than 5%), we observed virgin hair had about a 12.5% water content. Processed hair however, only had 3.6% water, having a reduced affinity for water and likely to be classified as dry or brittle. At high humidity (>95%), virgin hair had about 30% water, while processed hair had almost 50%. This data is consistent with published observations and explains bad hair days. At low humidity, damaged hair holds very little water, has no body, can become brittle, develop split ends, and appear fly away, etc. At high humidity, hair becomes limp and uncontrollable. As Table 2 shows, the repeated application of Actisea H 2 O for hair, at 3%, significantly improved the water holding characteristics of processed (i.e., damaged) hair. After five repeated applications, the ability to hold water at low humidity was increased by about 60% with Actisea H 2 O for hair, and about 85% with the combination. This improvement increased to about 100% (approaching normal hair water holding values) after twenty-five applications. The five applications represent a week of real life use, while the twenty-five applications represent one month use. Similar results were observed at high humidity. Damaged hair held almost 50% water at very high humidity. After five applications, this decreased to about 38%; and further decreased about 30% after twenty-five applications approaching the values seen in virgin (healthy) hair. While Actisea H 2 O for hair increases the moisture holding ability of hair at low relative humidity, it actually decreases the amount of water at high humidity, and provides a normalizing effect or moisture correction to hair. TABLE 2: VIRGIN HAIR PROCESSED BLEACHED HAIR % WATER HOLDING CAPACITY 12 12.5% 11 10 10.8% 9 8 7 6 5 5.6% 4 3.6% 3 2 1 (Low Relative Humidity <5%) % WATER HOLDING CAPACITY (High Relative Humidity >95%) 50 45 48.7% 40 42.5% 35 30 27.5% 25 20 15 10 5 36.9% 25X 0 Control No Treatment No AS 3% AS 5X 3% AS 25X 0 Control No Treatment No AS 3% AS 5X 3% AS 25X 4 - Actisea H 2 O for hair
TM UV DAMAGE Break Strength and Elasticity As seen in Table 3, repeated exposure to natural sunlight reduced the break strength of damaged (bleached and permed) hair by about 13%. After an application, of 3% Actisea H 2 O for hair alone, which is predominantly a moisturizer, but does contain antioxidant polyphenols, the damage was cut almost in half, to about a 7% decrease in break strength. When both 3% Actisea H 2 O for hair and 3% Actiberry were applied before UV exposure, more than a 90% decrease of the UV effects in tensile strength was observed, providing almost complete protection against the UV damage. These results were repeated with a defined exposure of UV A and B, from a Solar Simulator with similar results (data on file). TABLE 3: (Break Strength & Elasticity BLEACHED HAIR 37 36 BREAK STRENGTH (gms) 35 34 33 32 31 [30.5] 30 29 7% 1% 28 27 13% 26 Control No UV UV Only UV & UV & 3% 3% Actisea Actisea & 3% Actiberry 5 - Actisea H 2 O for hair
SALON RESULTS About forty subjects, with single- or double-processed hair, participated in a two-week, double-blind in-use study. All subjects noted that their hair was dry, brittle and unmanageable, and needed help at the start of the study. Twenty subjects were given a simple shampoo and a simple basic conditioner, and twenty were given the same shampoo and conditioner supplemented with 3% Actisea H 2 O for hair and 3% Actiberry. Subjects were instructed to shampoo and condition daily, and return to the lab after ten days. They filled out a survey evaluating the various aesthetic aspects as indicated below. While the control shampoo and conditioner appeared to have neither a positive nor a negative effect (data not shown) on hair properties, the same products with the addition of 3% Actisea H 2 O for hair and 3% Actiberry showed marked improvements in observed hair condition (Table 4). Most noted improvements were for hair body (improved 63%), dryness (reduced 37.5%), manageability (increased more than 100%) and overall condition (75% improvement). TABLE 4: BEFORE APPLICATION AFTER APPLICATION 9 8-37% 7 6 5 4 +63% +87% +33% +6% +130% +76% 3 2 1 0 Body Moisture Luster Dryness Strength Manageability Overall Content Condition All parameters were evaluated on a 0 to 10 scale, with 10 indicating the best possible condition. 6 - Actisea H 2 O for hair
TM CONCLUSION While not considered a living tissue, the exposed portion of hair must maintain integrity and tensile strength throughout its typical lifespan which can be as little as a month for short hair styles, and well over a year for longer styles. An active lifestyle, including UV exposure, exposure to harsh styling aids, daily shampooing, and environmental conditions, can all lead to the deterioration of the hair shaft, which has no repair ability on its own. Most of this damage is exhibited as a loss of moisture holding capabilities, and an oxidation of internal keratin bonds, leading to a weakening of the hair shaft. The two products in this study, Actisea H 2 O for hair and Actiberry, address both these problems. Actisea H 2 O for hair is a mixture of low molecular weight moisturizing ingredients, designed to penetrate the hair fibre and build up over time. Since these components are of low molecular weight, they will accumulate without weighing down the hair, or having a negative impact of surface characteristics. Our results established that this was exactly what we observed. Over time, normal break strength and water holding capability was restored to severely damaged hair. Actiberry is rich with antioxidants, and while not an intensive moisturizer, will prevent damage from UV exposure as we demonstrated. Repeated application virtually eliminated the decrease in tensile strength that was observed with repeated UV exposure. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS HAIR SAMPLES The hair swatches used in these experiments were obtained from commercial sources. We obtained swatches, a minimum of six inches from the following hair types: Virgin brown, Bleached (single-processed), Permed (single-processed), and Bleached and Permed (doubleprocessed). HAIR TENSILE STRENGTH Break strength and the viscoelastic properties of hair were measured using a Mini- Instron type device developed by Bill Hargens formally of the Franklin Institute. A linear variable force/distance transducer was used to record the elongation of hair at increasing forces. Hair was extended until breakage. Break strength was generally less than 100 grams of traction. The rate of elongation in these studies was quite low, with traction forces increasing at the rate of about 3 gm per second. Young s Elastic Modulus could be calculated from these measurements. All break force values were normalized with respect to a standardized hair diameter of 70μm. Individual hair diameters were measured with standard microscopic methods HAIR WATER CONTENT & WATER LOSS Gravimetric analysis with a balance, sensitive to 0.01 mg, was used to assess hair water content at different humidity and under different conditions. Hair swatches (5 cm long, total sample approximately 1-5 gms), equilibrated in sealed chambers which had been adjusted to defined relative humidity, ranging from less than 5% to more than 95% moisture content, reported as gm water/gm hair, were assessed at final equilibration. 7 - Actisea H 2 O for hair
HAIR DAMAGE Hair swatches were exposed to magnified environmental damage by the following washing regimen, representing one week (five applications), or one month (twenty-five applications) of damaging applications. Hair samples were repeatedly washed in base, at 120 C, for 30 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of blow drying. In some cases, where indicated, hair samples were also soaked in 50% ethanol/50% water for 30 minutes, followed by blow drying. This process was repeated as described above. For UV damage, hair was exposed to natural UV irradiation, 6 8 hours, unfiltered southern exposure, Dallas TX, midsummer; this was continued for one month or as indicated above. In some cases a combined UV A, UV B exposure from a Solar Simulator was used. The information presented applies to cosmetic product use and is intended for information only. It is the responsibility of the user of this ingredient to test finished product for safety and claim substantiation purposes. Active Organics, Inc. 1097 Yates Street, Lewisville, Texas 75057 USA Tel: 972-221-7500 Fax: 972-221-3324 Email: info@activeorganics.com Website: activeorganics.com Actisea H 2 O for hair is a trademark of Active Organics, Inc. 8 - Actisea H 2 O for hair 08-03-2010, 2010 by Active Organics, Inc. 8 - Actisea H 2 O for hair