It can be easy to forget that the beauty and cosmetics industry encompasses more than just makeup, lipstick, and the like. Shampoos and conditioners are a major cornerstone of many top-ranking beauty brands and so in this article, we’d like to discuss the basics of what makes a good shampoo product based on our experience—both on the chemical end and in the marketing sense as well.

Why Your Startup Beauty Brand Should Offer Shampoo

Now, if you have a passion for makeup, nail polish, or lipstick, then far be it from us to suggest you stray from that path. However, if you are in the market research phase of kickstarting your beauty company or are thinking about adding a new line of products, it may be time to think about putting a shampoo product out.

When it comes to beauty, grooming, and self-care, there is perhaps no product that sells as well and as frequently as shampoo. Not everyone uses makeup and other similar cosmetics. If they do, there is significant variance in what they purchase and the frequency of those purchases.

However, with shampoo, just about everyone needs a good shampoo. Even men or women who wear a buzz cut will use a shampoo from time to time. With as many people in the market for purchasing shampoo, there are an incredibly diverse amount of factors that determine whether a person will choose a particular shampoo or not.

Gearing Your Shampoo Product Towards Your Audience

What makes one shampoo good for someone is also what makes it bad for another person. This is both the gift and the curse of the beauty industry. We’ve tackled before how small brands can compete with large conglomerates through specialization and highly personal branding, the case still stands for marketing your shampoo product.

People are very sensitive about their hair and scalp. Dandruff, oily hair, dry hair, hair breakage, thin or thinning hair, what can your shampoo product do to help them? That is where Phoenix Chemical comes in! We have decades of experience using unique formulations to create products both standard for the industry as well as uniquely catered to specialized brands.

For example, anyone can create a shampoo that does its job. Can they do it by also omitting as many unpopular or downright unhealthy ingredients? How about creating a product that not only cleans hair but also provides a sensory experience through tweaking the lathering of the shampoo or the smell of the product? This opens up a whole world of possibilities for your product line, and having the right cosmetic raw material manufacturing company to assist you in those efforts is paramount to creating your ideal product.

What is a Shampoo with Conditioner Made Of?

One of the most versatile and popular shampoo options is the all in one shampoo and conditioner. It also perfectly encapsulates what a shampoo needs at its core

• Water
• Detergents
• Foam boosters
• Thickeners
• Conditioning agents
• Preserving agents
• Superficial additives (such as fragrances)

Creating a product is both simple and complicated. How companies choose to approach these categories of ingredients is dependent on what the product will cost and what it aims to achieve. For example, many cheap shampoos do the trick but they can often have harsher detergents that make up the majority of the product. This can leave hair feeling dry or brittle after washing which self-conscious consumers are sure to notice. Some may not care, but the majority of consumers are looking for some combination of effectiveness and sensory pleasure when using the product. If the product leaves their hair feeling excessively dry or it lacks lubricity, they will consciously or subconsciously be steered away from purchasing or recommending the product.

These detergent ingredients are known as surfactants. Surfactants are what allow oil and water to play nice together in any given product that combines them. Surfactants are surface-active ingredients that will allow—in this case, the shampoo to interact with oil and dirt in the hair, capture them and allow them to be rinsed off. As you might imagine, we have our own line of alkoxylated alcohols called Phoenoxol which features many different emulsifiers that can achieve the effects you desire in your products which require surfactants.

Our most popular products are those which can counteract the harsh effects of detergents. No matter how elegant of a detergent is used, it is still a detergent—which is intended to strip the applied surface of debris which inevitably takes moisture with it. Therefore, a conditioner is always necessary to balance out the effect as well as provide a quality sensory experience.

For example, our two highly popular product lines Pecosil and Catemol both feature conditioning agents that can be used in many different beauty products to help the user retain moisture. Pecosil SPP-50 provides hydration, conditioning, and improves the wet/dry comb characteristics of products it is placed into. This is especially crucial for shampoo and conditioner products in which being able to run your hands or a comb through the hair to apply the product evenly must be a smooth process. Catemol S-180 can assist in bringing viscosity and conditioning to products.

Cosmetic Raw Materials Manufacturer

Phoenix Chemical has been assisting businesses to formulate the products they envision for many years. Our staff combines years of market experience in the beauty industry with cutting edge chemistry to create product experiences that are tailor-made to your brand.

To get started on formulating new cosmetic products, contact us today!