Takara Belmont discovers changes at the core of hair structure
Resulting “Hair Medulla Care” technology will change the future of haircare
Osaka, Japan, November 2, 2020 – Takara Belmont Corporation (hereinafter Takara Belmont) has
developed a new technology for analysing hair, leading to the discovery of structural changes in themedulla, the central part of hair previously largely not visible to researchers. As a result, it has developed
a new hair care system, designated “Hair Medulla Care”, which beautifies hair by reconstructing themedulla. Looking ahead, Takara Belmont will build on these findings to deepen scientific knowledge of themedulla, with a view to applying the research in new hair care products.
The research findings were selected for a prestigious oral presentation at the 31st IFSCC Congress 2020
Yokohama, the academic conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists,
held online from October 21 to October 30, 2020.
Hair structure is generally divided into three regions: the cuticle on the outside, the cortex, and then themedulla core. Hair is a field of cosmetic research in which much remains to be discovered, but in particularvery little is known about the detailed structure and function of the medulla. To unlock its secrets, theTakara Belmont Cosmetics Laboratory has developed a new hair sectioning technology for directly
observing the internal structure, in order to analyze the medulla in detail. The key feature of this technology
is Takara Belmont’s original method of cutting individual hairs lengthwise to observe it, a first for theindustry.
Using this hair sectioning technology, it was discovered that two types of medulla exist: the “black medulla”
in which light is scattered and the interior appears black and unclear, and the “white medulla”, which
scatters less light, resulting in a white and clear appearance. In the white medulla, the central fibrous
structure is thicker and has fewer than half the pores of the black medulla. Based on this knowledge,
Takara Belmont succeeded in developing Hair Medulla Care, a method for filling a porous black medulla,changing it into white medulla-like condition and then maintaining that state. For example, the whitest andmost apparent grey hair samples taken from Japanese people were characterized by a large number ofblack medulla. When we applied the Hair Medulla Care treatment to these grey hairs, we were able toconfirm that their transparency improved, and they took on a more beautiful appearance, a significant
finding which we predict will excite the beauty industry.
Hidetaka Yoshikawa, Chairman and CEO of Takara Belmont, states: “I feel extremely pleased that ourresearch institute has been able to report this kind of world-first result. I consider this to be an extremely
important discovery for accelerating hair research. Going forward, I aim to contribute to the beauty industryand wider society in the form of cosmetics development, so that many people from all walks of life canenjoy beautiful hair.”Takara Belmont will pursue further research into Hair Medulla Care and investigate a variety of hairconditions in addition to greying in order to accelerate medulla research and its application to products.
Going forward, Takara Belmont will create new technologies and new value, apply them to merchandiseand services, and spread the hope of beauty by responding to the hair-related concerns of people
worldwide, aiming for the realization of the ideal hair of each person, and maximizing the potential of thisresearch.

Research outline(i) Discovery that two types of medulla exist: black medulla and white medullaFirstly, we made longitudinal hair sections of the black hair of a Japanese woman using our original
sectioning technology and observed the structures of their medulla with a transmission optical microscope
and a scanning electron microscope. We found two different types of hair medulla: the black medulla
scattering transparent light and appearing black and obscure, and the white medulla resembling thesurrounding cortex and appearing white - a new discovery of this study. Furthermore, we found that whitemedulla had a thicker fibrous structure with fewer pores than black medulla and this different porosity
affects hair appearance. (see Figure 1). This is a world-first discovery that will advance hair research, and
it is expected that application of this new technology will stimulate the hair cosmetics market.
Figure 1: Two types of medulla: black medulla and white medulla[Transmission
optical microscope][Scanningelectronmicroscope]
Porosity: 28%

Porosity: 13%(ⅱ) A novel concept of hair care, Hair Medulla Care
Investigation of changes at hair medulla
To examine the relationship between the white medulla and the black medulla, we directly applied a varietyof chemical treatments to the medulla and observed any changes. In this examination, many types ofdamaging treatments caused change from white medulla to black medulla. Furthermore, when the damage
progressed further, the pores in the black medulla increased, turning the medulla hollow, sparse or absent(see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Summary of medullary change process

Investigation of treatment the method for filling pores in the medulla
Then, we investigated treatment methods for improving the porous condition of the medulla and found a
way of filling the pores in the black medulla, changed them into a white medulla-like condition consistently.
We achieved this by combining a certain type of polypeptide with a specific penetrating agent, giving thecombination further reductiveness. In other words, we succeeded in developing a new technology thatdrastically and sustainably improved the porous condition of the medulla. We named this innovation as“Hair Medulla Care”.
When we examined the condition of the medulla in Japanese hair, we found a large number of grey hairs
with black medulla, especially in conspicuous, whitish grey hairs. When we applied Hair Medulla Care tohair bundles of whitish and conspicuous grey hairs containing only black medulla, their transparency
improved, giving a more beautiful appearance (see Figure 3a). We then mixed these grey hairs with black
hair in a ratio of 5%. The hair bundle of mixed Hair Medulla Care-treated grey hairs had increasedtransparency and reduced whiteness; hence, their appearance assimilated to that of the surrounding black
hairs and became almost inconspicuous (see Figure 3b).
Figure 3: Effect of Hair Medulla Care on grey hair appearance

Hair Medulla Care is proven to be a successful new hair care technology that fills porous black medulla
and beautifies the appearance of hair by improving its structure and transparency . We are proud to beable to present this technology for the first time in the field of hair science.
About the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists
The international academic congress held by the International Federation of Societies of CosmeticChemists (IFSCC) is the most prestigious academic conference in the cosmetics industry. It is attended
by cosmetic chemists from around the world, who present cutting-edge cosmetics technologies. The 31stcongress was held in Yokohama in 2020 as an online event. The submitted academic papers are strictlyreviewed by the IFSCC and authors are given the opportunity to present the chosen papers at theconference. The opportunity to give an oral presentation is only given to some of these papers. At IFSCC
2020, there were 69 oral and 372 poster presentations. On this occasion Takara Belmont gave its
presentation with the title, A Novel Concept, Hair Medulla Care - Unveiling hair medulla structure canchange grey hair appearance.
About Takara Belmont
Takara Belmont was founded in Osaka, Japan in 1921. In Japan, we have developed a full range of salon

equipment and hair cosmetics for use by hairdressing and beauty industry professionals, as well as dental
and medical apparatus and equipment for the healthcare industry. Globally, we have local subsidiaries in
12 countries, and we are manufacturing and selling a range of brands, including Takara Belmont (salonequipment), LebeL and ESTESSiMO (professional cosmetics for use by salons), and Belmont (dental units
and medical equipment), to beauticians, estheticians, manicurists, dentists, and doctors throughout theworld.
We entered the business of professional cosmetics for salons in 1964 and established our own brand,
LebeL with our R&D department, in 1977. The following year we began operating our cosmetics factory,
and we are continuing environmentally-friendly product development and manufacturing that offers thequality of Made in Japan. We began exporting in 1996 and currently we are expanding our business inRussia and Asian countries.
Office LocationsnJAPAN HEADQUARTERSOSAKA: 2-1-1, HIGASHISHINSAIBASHI, CHUO-KU, OSAKA, 542-0083 JAPANTOKYO: 7-1-19, AKASAKA, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, 107-0052 JAPANhttps://www.takarabelmont.co.jp/global/nUSA
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Corporate Information
Company Name: Takara Belmont Corp.
Representative: Hidetaka Yoshikawa, Chairman and CEO
Locations:
Osaka Headquarters: 2-1-1, Higashishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tokyo Headquarters: 7-1-19, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Founded: October 5, 1921
Capital: 300 million yen
No. of employees: 1,544 (as of March 31, 2020)
Line of business: Hairdressing-related appliances and equipment, cosmetics, dentistry- andmedical- related apparatus and equipment
Official website: https://www.takarabelmont.co.jp/global/
Contact:
Miki Hiraoka(Ms.), Naomi Kubo(Ms.)
Takara Belmont Corporation
Email: kouhou@takara-net.com*For inquiries, please contact us by email only.