July 21, 2011

Mandom Succeeds in First Elemental Analysisof Ultrafine Structure of Hair- Permeation/Repair Effect of Hair-Care Components on Damaged Hair -Mandom Corporation (headquarters: Osaka; CEO: Motonobu Nishimura; hereinafter, “Mandom”) has been striving todevelop technology to analyze the ultrafine structure inside the hair in order to create a product that maintains the beauty ofhair.
As part of that effort, Mandom, in cooperation with Toray Research Center, Inc. (headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO,Takuji Sato), has created a technology for elemental analysis of the ultrafine structure of hair using scanning transmission
electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS; together, STEM-EELS) to analyze biologicalsamples, and we succeeded in quantitatively evaluating perm/bleach-related changes in the hair microstructure as well as
the permeation of hair-care ingredients.
Mandom used this technology to confirm that the hair-care ingredient di(phytosteryl/octyldodecyl) lauroyl glutamate(POLG) permeated the cell membrane complex layer and endocuticle.
Mandom applied this novel hair-analysis technology to the Lucid L. hair-styling series that went on sale in 2011.
The results are intended to be announced at the 27th Japan Analytical & Scientific Instruments Show (9/6 to 9/7/2011,Chiba) and the 69th SCCJ Research Symposium (11/30, Tokyo).
1. New effort to develop the structural analysis of a finer microstructure inside the hair
Perming and bleaching have become commonplace, and with the additive effect of daily shampooing and the heat fromhair drying and ironing, the hair becomes damaged. Therefore, many people have hair concerns, such as the hair “notstaying together,” “lacking firmness/resilience,” and “being dry and brittle.” In order to develop a product that maintains
hair beauty in all kinds of people, it is important to understand the changes in the microstructure of the hair that are causedby damage and to clearly evaluate the repair sites and functions of hair-care ingredients.
In conventional studies, microstructural analysis of the hair is performed using ultra-thin slices of stained hair, so it isdifficult to ascertain the original hair microstructure. In addition, there were problems with spatial resolution whenevaluating the permeability of hair-care ingredients into the hair, and there was no technology that quantitatively evaluatedpermeation into the microstructure of the hair.
Therefore, we used STEM-EELS, which has higher spatial resolution and is suited to the goal of precisely and thoroughly
analyzing each submicroscopic point, and developed a technology for performing an atomic-level evaluation of thepermeation of hair-care ingredients into damaged hair structures.

Contact

mandom corp.
Public Relations Div.
mail: press@mandom.co.jp

URL: https://www.mandom.co.jp/en/

Please contact us in Japanese or English.

-1-2. Mandom is the First in the World to Successfully
Perform Elemental Analysis of the Ultrafine
Structure of Hair
To analyze the ultrafine structure of hair, an electron beam
Electron beamof 1 nanometer or less (1 nanometer is 1/1,000,000th of a
(1 nm or less)millimeter) was focused onto the surface of a very thinly
Ultrathin sample
sliced cross section of hair. A high-angle annular dark-field of hair crosssection(HAADF) detector and EELS detector were used to detect
Atoms
electrons passing through the surface of the hair. As a result,a HAADF-STEM image of the ultrafine structure of the hairreflecting the atomic density was able to be obtained with the HAADF detector
HAADF detector, and atomic information about the structureof the hair was able to be obtained with the EELS detector.
This study allowed the relative quantity of atoms in eachstructure of the original hair to be evaluated without using
processing techniques, such as staining. The atomic
EELS Spectrometercomposition of the cuticle layers, specifically, the A layer,
exocuticle (EX-C), endocuticle (EN-C), and cell membranecomplex (CMC) layer, were revealed for the first time
(Figures 1, 2).

Hair structure information
HAADF-STEM image

Hair atomic information
Electron energy-loss
spectrum
EELS detector<Measurement principle of STEM-EELS>

3. Identifying the hair microstructures that change asa result of damage from perming and bleaching Untreatedhair and hair damaged by perming and bleaching were measured by STEM-EELS, and the analyzed results were compared.
When hair is damaged by the compound procedures of perming and bleaching, the relative abundance of atoms in the cell
membrane complex (CMC) layer and the endocuticle (EN-C) was found to decrease. It was believed that the structure of theCMC and EN-C changed and their components, mainly carbon atoms, were believed to have effused out (figure 1,3).

4. Confirmation of the repair effect of POLG on damaged hair
POLG was used on damaged hair, and hair cross sections were measured and analyzed by STEM-EELS. The results
showed that, of the 4 cuticle layer structures, the relative abundance of atoms in the CMC and EN-C increased comparedwith that of damaged hair. This shows that POLG penetrated the hair in a site-specific manner (Figures 1, 3).
Furthermore, untreated hair damaged by perming and bleaching became hard, but damaged hair treated with POLG
tended to have higher flexibility (Figure 4), suggesting that the softness of the hair was restored to a level similar to thatof hair that was not permed or bleached because the POLG permeated the CMC and EN-C.

5. New POLG-formulated product on sale from Fall 2011
Based on the analytical results for this technology, Mandom used POLG to formulate its Lucid L. hair styling series,
which went on sale in 2011.
We will continue to strive to develop technology to create products that maintain the beauty of the hair.

-2-<References>A) Untreated hairC) Damaged hair after using POLG
Damaged hairB) Damaged hair

A layer
Exocuticle (EX-C)
Endocuticle (EN-C)

Support for
microscopic
observations
Increase in electron density
in the CMC layer and theEN-C to the same level asthat of untreated hair

Reduced electron density
in the CMC layer and theEN-C

CMC layer

Figure of the layers of thecuticle

Figure 1. HAADF-STEM image

CMC layer, A layer, EX-C, EN-C

Hardness (GPa)Cuticle composition
Figure 2. A) Atomic composition of the
cuticle structure of A)

Relative abundance of atoms

Atomic composition (%)

Relative abundance of atoms

In both the CMC layer and theEN-C layer the relative
abundance of atoms increased
to the same level as that ofuntreated hair as a result of
POLG treatment

A)

B)

Figure 3. EELS analysis results for
the CMC layer

Hair that was hardened bydamage shows improvement
as a result of POLGtreatmentA)

B)

C)

C)

Figure 5. Improvement effect of POLG on hardness-3-

Carbon atoms
Nitrogen atoms
Oxygen atoms
Sulfur atomsA)

B)

C)

Figure 4. EELS analysis results forthe EN-C