Black Delight Soft Paste Shampoo

Jar of cosmetic clay / Source: Shutterstock

BeautyBlack Delight Soft Paste ShampooFlexible

WHAT WE SAY:

With four billion people already affected globally by water scarcity, any material that reduces the reliance on this precious resource is very welcome. Better yet, beauty products with a lower water content don’t require waterproof packaging, allowing alternative, plastic-free options to be explored.

Safic Alcan’s Black Delight Soft Paste Shampoo is attempting to provide a double whammy substitute for both water-based formulas and aerosol dry shampoos. The question is, does this product offer a widespread solution for rethinking liquid formulations, or a niche that was never really necessary?

Black Delight

WHAT IS BLACK DELIGHT SOFT PASTE SHAMPOO?

A prototype formula from Safic Alcan, this mouldable paste shampoo is an alternative to liquid and solid formulas currently on the market. Developed as a leave-in dry shampoo, the paste is intended to reinforce the hair fibre and lower hair loss.
The formulation of Black Delight Soft Paste Shampoo is a combination of natural and synthetic surfactants, colours, preservatives, additives, active ingredients and emollients.
As the paste is applied directly to the hair without needing water to activate or rinse, less water is required than with conventional shampoos. Additionally, the paste consistency allows for a move away from plastic packaging.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Flexible

INDUSTRY:

Beauty

AVAILABILITY:

Development Stage

DIVE DEEPER:

Water scarcity is already affecting a high proportion of the population, with nearly two-thirds of the earth’s inhabitants experiencing scarcity for at least one month of any given year. As this is only set to increase, the wisdom in filling cosmetic and personal care products with water is questionable.
Waterless and water-reduced products are becoming increasingly popular. Removing water not only reduces the weight and size of a product for packaging and shipping – reducing carbon emissions while fossil fuel-powered vehicles are still the norm – it also reduces the need for preservatives to prevent contamination.
Safic Alcan’s Black Delight Soft Paste Shampoo has a significantly reduced water component – only present in the active ingredients SantEnergy and AstraForce – and also does not require water for use.
Similar to other paste-based products, Black Delight Soft Paste Shampoo does not require water-tight packaging so can be housed in containers other than plastic, such as Aluminium tins or Glass jars.
Potential examples of dry shampoo paste applications include Redken Dry Shampoo and R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste. In these examples, the shampoo paste is also used as a texturising styling formula.

KEY FACTS:

99%

of fresh water on the planet is accounted for by ground water

4bn

people are affected globally by water scarcity

Key Questions to Ask:

Premium vs mass market?

As this product is currently shown as a prototype formula, market adoption cannot be analysed. Similar products in the dry shampoo paste market have focused on the premium and/or salon markets. Consider if this is the appropriate placement for your product, or if you could be the first to introduce paste-based hair care to the mainstream.

Is the product suitable for a range of hair types?

Varying hair profiles require different products. Traditionally, dry shampoo has been unsuitable for dry hair and that which is close curled. Be sure to explore whether the product is suitable for the intended user.

How will the product be supplied?

Literature from Safic Alcan suggests the formula can be rolled into balls. This would enable a brand to offer pre-portioned products, rather than just a ‘pot’ of paste. Pre-portioned products are becoming more popular for time-pressed consumers and those not wanting to use more product than is needed. If supplying pre-portioned balls, could you implement a refill service and reusable packaging such as an aluminium tin?

Is it better than alternatives already on the market?

While the product does reduce some of the water component, it is not completely free of water. Other products currently available are completely waterless (e.g. Hairy Jayne Dry Shampoo and Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo). Establish if the use of this product offers something which cannot be achieved by a powdered formulation.

Consider plastic-based ingredients

While this material is touted for its reduced water content, its active iteration uses dipropylene glycol – a plasticiser. Microplastics in cosmetics are infiltrating our waterways, oceans and food chain, killing off marine life and impacting our health in the long run. Avoiding microplastic ingredients is imperative, and brands can work with Beat the Microbead to obtain ZERO certification.