Everyone knows that heat damages hair, yet heated implements remain the sculpting tools of choice for style-conscious women. Go figure.
No sense arguing with the customer, however, so Lever Pond’s has extended its Helene Curtis brand with a new, heat-activated line of hair-care products called ThermaSilk, the very existence of which rests on a marketing-driven technology development.
The positioning is simple: adding heat adds to the product’s ability to nourish and protect your crania folliculum. And keep that Latin dictionary handy, because Lever’s marketers are betting heavily that a hard science spin will differentiate ThermaSilk from the cornucopia of hair-care brands already sitting on retailer’s shelves.
Lever’s consumer research indicates that 85% of women use some kind of heat-inducing implement – a hair dryer, crimper, curler, what have you – to style their hair. Despite downsides like dry frizzies and split ends, the styling methodology hasn’t changed in years, so Lever has responded by turning the negative into a positive.
‘We did extensive research to find out what women mean when they say they want to improve the condition of their hair,’ says Matt Kuznitz, development manager, personal care products for Lever Pond’s. ‘(Results showed that) they defined it as making hair softer, less dry and brittle, and healthier.
The product development was entirely market-research driven, Kuznitz continues. ‘Once we isolated the idea that heat styling was an issue, we went to our r&d people and asked for a product that would meet consumer needs.’
ThermaSilk’s development started five years ago in the u.s. where Cheeseborough u.s. and Helene Curtis (at that time two separate companies) were both working on a formulation that would improve the condition of just-washed hair with the application of direct heat. Once ownership was consolidated under the Unilever banner, the two attempts were brought together to form a single initiative.
As for how the line works, Kuznitz says: ‘All the products contain unique formulations that deposit a technically advanced, thermo-conditioning complex onto the hair. The complex is made up of three components: a protein conditioning complex, a thermal protectant and heat-activated conditioning polymers (the chemical building blocks that make up plastics).’
The protein conditioning complex is a mash of amino acids and proteins which penetrate each hair shaft to replenish the proteins that get lost in all the shampooing, blow drying and brushing that comprises daily styling routines. The thermal protectant and heat-activated polymers coat the hair and when heat is applied, protect it and – if the company’s science is as good as it says – make it softer and more manageable.
Kuznitz goes into a detailed description of the electron microscopy and other technical arcana that was used in the testing and verification process, but suffice it to say that ThermaSilk is the end result of a very sophisticated mix of hard science, consumer research and, less-quantifiable, marketing savvy.
Elmer Olsen, executive vice-president of the Elite Model Management agency in Toronto, told reporters at a launch event on April 6, that the current range of fashionable hairstyles, a mix of retro-’60s and ’70s sculptings, require signficant heat styling like blow drying, flat- or curl-ironing and even sitting under ‘bonnet’ hair dryers (those big, bowl-shaped contraptions that fit over the head). The natural look isn’t in at the moment, and Olsen said ThermaSilk products will have a ready-made constituency in the high-fashion realm, where models’ coif’s are constantly being styled and restyled over a short stretch.
The ThermaSilk line consists of four shampoos and five conditioners formulated for different hair types. It also includes a Leave-In Conditioning Mist, a Shape & Hold Spray (aerosol and non-aerosol), Mousse and Styling Gel. Each product retails for between $3.49 and $4.29 at national grocery, mass merchandise and pharmacy chains like Shopper’s Drug Mart, Loblaws, Safeway, Wal-Mart and Zellers.
Sidebar: Hairstyling highlights according to Helene Curtis
1902: Hair dryer invented
1905: Permanent wave invented
1930: Helene Curtis launches the first ‘cold’ perm product. Helene Curtis launches mild liquid shampoo in a bottle.
1950s: Helene Curtis launches the first aerosol hairspray.
1970s: Helene Curtis launches Finesse conditioner, said to be self-adjusting to the requirements of individual hair chemistry
1988: Vogue Magazine study says women alone spend US$3.3 billion on hair coloring products and services worldwide.
1998: ThermaSilk heat-activated line is launched by Lever Pond’s, owner of the Helene Curtis brand.
