Achieve Healthier, More Beautiful Hair with Glypure®
PureTech Glypure®, previously manufactured by Chemours, is a high-purity, proactive form of glycolic acid commonly used in skin care and cosmetic formulations for its exfoliating and skin-renewing properties. Recent studies have shown that Glypure® glycolic acid also provides multifunctional benefits to hair care formulations, making it a key ingredient for promoting stronger hair and a healthier scalp. This article walks you through several studies conducted by TRI Princeton and Chemours, demonstrating the superior performance of glycolic acid when tested on both healthy and chemically treated hair.
Why Use Glypure®?
Glypure® glycolic acid is a sustainable, eco-friendly ingredient derived from natural resources, making it ideal for consumers looking for effective, environmentally responsible options. This powerful, high-quality ingredient consists of a small glycolic acid molecule form of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), hydroxyacetic acid.
It can penetrate deep into the hair shaft to stimulate cellular activity to improve the health and appearance of hair. Chemours conducted a variety of studies to show that glycolic acid provides several benefits to both healthy and chemically damaged hair. These benefits include exfoliation, improved scalp health, significantly increased water and moisture retention, superior strength, and reduced breakage to improve hair growth and overall manageability and transform your hair care routine.
Exfoliation and Improved Scalp Health
The scalp is covered in a layer of dead skin cells, oils, and product buildup that can clog hair follicles and prevent healthy hair growth. Glypure® can help remove buildup from the scalp and hair, promoting cell turnover and leaving it feeling clean and refreshed. This helps improve scalp health and the overall appearance of dull and lifeless hair, making it vibrant and healthy. Glypure® is used in a wide array of hair care products, including shampoos, conditioners, and other acid-based treatments.
Conditioning
One of the key benefits of Glypure® is its ability to penetrate the hair shaft, delivering moisture and nutrients to the hair's innermost layers. This deep conditioning action helps restore moisture and elasticity to dry, damaged hair. In a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiment of the keratin denaturation in hair, researchers at Chemours found that in high temperatures, both healthy and bleached hair treated with 5% Glypure® solution retained moisture better and longer than those treated with alternative treatments, reflecting the moisturizing effect of glycolic acid on hair.
Superior Tensile Strength and Reduced Breakage
The strengthening ability of Glypure® helps improve the hair shaft's tensile strength, reducing breakage and increasing hair thickness. This is crucial for maintaining healthy, strong hair, especially for those with damage from color treatments. Glypure® showed excellent efficacy against a broad range of stress testing on both healthy and chemically treated hair, including Instron® Tensile Strength Testing, Repeated Brushing, and Wet Combing. Researchers at both Chemours and TRI Princeton tested multiple healthy and bleached hair tresses to determine the effects of Glypure® in hair products. Details describing the results reported are shown in the tables below.
Healthy Control
(Avg. of 23 samples)
Std. Dev.
Healthy 5 min
Stearyl Alcohol (control)
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
73.90
21.52
Denier
50.92
-
38.01
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
34.10
13.91
40.86
12.75
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
1.31
0.52
1.46
0.44
Elongation at break (%)
43.12
4.11
38.99
5.55
Toughness (gf/den)
0.35
0.15
0.37
0.13
Bleached Control
(Avg. of 21 samples)
Std. Dev.
Bleached 5 min
Stearyl Alcohol (control)
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
82.50
20.94
Denier
63.44
-
37.96
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
23.70
15.84
42.24
13.32
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
0.82
0.27
1.40
0.51
Elongation at break (%)
96.47
143.19
47.05
4.66
Toughness (gf/den)
0.24
0.09
0.43
0.18
Healthy Control
(Avg. of 21 samples)
Std. Dev.
Healthy 5 min
Glycolic Acid
Treatment
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
73.90
21.52
Denier
50.92
-
40.21
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
34.10
13.91
38.49
7.71
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
1.31
0.52
1.56
0.30
Elongation at break (%)
43.12
4.11
43.79
3.04
Toughness (gf/den)
0.35
0.15
0.40
0.09
Bleached Control
(Avg. of 21 samples)
Std. Dev.
Bleached 5 min
Glycolic Acid Treatment
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
82.50
20.94
Denier
63.44
-
38.45
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
23.70
15.84
45.25
12.70
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
0.82
0.27
1.47
0.54
Elongation at break (%)
96.47
143.19
47.10
6.60
Toughness (gf/den)
0.24
0.09
0.45
0.22
Healthy Control
(Avg. of 23 samples)
Std. Dev.
Healthy 5 min
Bioplex Cetylsil S
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
73.90
21.52
Denier
50.92
-
38.80
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
34.10
13.91
43.10
15.00
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
1.31
0.52
1.54
0.50
Elongation at break (%)
43.12
4.11
40.22
4.21
Toughness (gf/den)
0.35
0.15
0.39
0.14
Bleached Control
(Avg. of 21 samples)
Std. Dev.
Bleached 5 min
Bioplex Cetylsil S
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
82.50
20.94
Denier
63.44
-
40.24
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
23.70
15.84
43.23
17.58
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
0.82
0.27
1.52
0.53
Elongation at break (%)
96.47
143.19
50.64
6.27
Toughness (gf/den)
0.24
0.09
0.48
0.19
Healthy Control
(Avg. of 23 samples)
Std. Dev.
Healthy 5 min
Dow Corning 2-8194 Microemulsion
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
73.90
21.52
Denier
50.92
-
34.94
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
34.10
13.91
45.32
19.08
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
1.31
0.52
1.74
0.71
Elongation at break (%)
43.12
4.11
45.68
3.51
Toughness (gf/den)
0.35
0.15
0.50
0.23
Bleached Control
(Avg. of 21 samples)
Std. Dev.
Bleached 5 min
Dow Corning 2-8194 Microemulsion
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
82.50
20.94
Denier
63.44
-
43.06
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
23.70
15.84
39.48
12.54
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
0.82
0.27
1.34
0.45
Elongation at break (%)
96.47
143.19
54.27
7.92
Toughness (gf/den)
0.24
0.09
0.49
0.22
Healthy Control
(Avg. of 23 samples)
Std. Dev.
Healthy 5 min
Incroquat Behenyl TMS
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
73.90
21.52
Denier
50.92
-
39.67
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
34.10
13.91
44.73
14.56
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
1.31
0.52
1.43
0.56
Elongation at break (%)
43.12
4.11
44.13
7..50
Toughness (gf/den)
0.35
0.15
0.42
0.19
Bleached Control
(Avg. of 21 samples)
Std. Dev.
Bleached 5 min
Incroquat Behenyl TMS
Std. Dev.
Diameter (micrometers)
82.50
20.94
Denier
63.44
-
36.12
-
Initial Modulus (gf/den)
23.70
15.84
44.47
16.84
Tenacity at break (gf/den)
0.82
0.27
1.63
0.58
Elongation at break (%)
96.47
143.19
41.73
2.68
Toughness (gf/den)
0.24
0.09
0.43
0.17
Summary of TRI Princeton's Repeated Brushing Experiment
Level
Number
Mean
Std. Dev.
Std. Err. Mean
Untreated
8
314
93
33
Bargain brand hair conditioner
8
149
53
19
High-quality brand hair conditioner
8
142
48
17
Conditioning treatment based on Glypure®
8
95
33
12
Summary of TRI Princeton's Wet Combing Experiment
Level
Number
Mean
Std. Dev.
Std. Err. Mean
Untreated
8
63.93
4.01
1.42
Conditioner without Glypure®*
8
20.31
4.03
1.43
Conditioner with Glypure®**
8
12.52
2.60
0.92
*Conditioning treatment based on Glypure® starting point formulation but without Glypure® as an ingredient.
**Conditioning treatment based on Glypure® starting point formulation with Glypure® as an ingredient.
It can be seen that Glypure® glycolic acid increases tenacity at break and toughness, making hair stronger and more resistant to breakage than alternative solutions. Glypure® also reduces friction and entanglement during brushing for improved manageability due to its superior lubricity.
Glypure® glycolic acid products from PureTech Scientific, previously manufactured by Chemours, are versatile personal care and cosmetic ingredients that can transform your hair care formulations and provide numerous benefits. Studies conducted by researchers at TRI Princeton and Chemours show that adding glycolic acid to hair care formulations helps improve hair protection and manageability by providing exfoliation, conditioning, strengthening, and more in both healthy and color-treated hair.
Glycolic acid enables hair care formulations to provide superior performance and lubricity to hair, reducing friction, entanglement, and breakage. The data from these experiments clearly demonstrate that both healthy and damaged hair can benefit from this ultrapure form of glycolic acid. Say goodbye to bad hair and hello to beautiful, healthy hair with Glypure®! Contact us to learn more about Glypure®.
