Key Takeaways:
- Hair longevity innovation is picking up fast, predicted to match skin longevity within 10 years.
- Ingredients like peptides, polyphenols, botanical extracts, and microspicules are touted as promising at this year’s Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna.
- More scientific research and consumer education is needed to back future growth.
Globally, the longevity economy is booming, with an estimated $8.49 billion raised by longevity-focused companies in 2024, according to a report by data and trend platform Longevity.Technology. Consumers want to live longer, healthier, and happier lives; enter products, tools, and rituals to help them do so. And a whole host of categories are invested and investing: food, beverages, nutraceuticals, hospitality, tourism, and beauty. For the beauty industry, the longevity concept has gained significant ground in skincare. Now, haircare is working to grab a slice of the pie.
But are hair longevity products all they claim to be? And can we really extend and improve the life of our hair? BeautyMatter hit the show floor at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna in Italy last month to delve deeper.
Longevity Needs a “360-Degree Approach”
“Hair longevity can be divided into two parts,” said Lidiya Stoycheva-Krasteva, pharmacist, safety assessor, and CEO of Bulgarian manufacturer BioPharma Laboratories. Hair longevity is about follicle health as well as hair health, and can only be addressed by taking a “360-degree approach,” Stoycheva-Krasteva told BeautyMatter.
On the follicle side, she said the goal is to prevent follicle miniaturization—where hair follicles at the scalp reduce in size as a person ages—to ensure melanin transfer to the hair, and...
