Christine Esposito, Associate Editor11.26.12
P&G’s Pantene Expert brand ups the ante with a new line designed to combat aging tresses. Happi caught up with Dr. Jeni Thomas, Pantene principle scientist, to find out more about what makes the new AgeDefy formulation perform.
Aging hair beware! Mass market stalwart Pantene, is hot on your trail. Addressing the needs of both aging hair and extreme hair damage, the Expert Collection has been expanded with AgeDefy, a new line of SKUs that P&G says feature the brand’s most advanced technologies to date.
AgeDefy is designed for women in the 40s—an age that, for many women, hair appears thinner through loss of density, diameter and damage that leads to breakage. The line, featuring a shampoo, conditioner, masque and thickening treatment, has product options to counteract seven signs of hair’s aging: 1. Breakage; 2. Split ends; 3. Frizz; 4. Unruly greys; 5. Lackluster color; 6. Thin look; 7. Dryness, ultimately, building thickness, bounce and shine into every strand.
Happi interviewed Dr. Jeni Thomas, Pantene principle scientist, about the new collection of products designed to battle the sign of age.
HAPPI: The Pantene Expert line is new—what makes the shampoo and conditioner unique in the category?
Thomas: The Expert Collection is a premium offering of products to help meet the needs of women whose hair has seen it all, done it all and tried it all. These new lines represent the very best technology, ingredients and innovation that have been cultivated over a 10-year period by top scientists and researchers in their fields.Women with these tough hair issues are going to see an immediate difference in their hair.
HAPPI: What are the ingredients that have you most impressed and why?
Thomas: The conditioning technology blends used in the shampoo and conditioner have come from Pantene’s polymer research program, which is constantly searching for novel ingredients to transform hair through health.
The shampoo and conditioner contain a unique anti-aging tri-polymer blend, which is a new blend of three polymers—Triquat 76, hydrolyzed guar and silicone. Similar to hair’s naturally protective and ultrathin outermost lipid layer, this technology works by creating a lightweight, adaptive and continuous protective layer on the surface of the hair fiber, to increase hair’s resilience to stress as well as helping to repair microtears.The shampoo and conditioner fight seven signs of hair aging.The Rejuvenating Hydration Masque contains a highly concentrated dose of this tri-polymer blend for intense nourishment.
HAPPI: Tell us more about the treatment.
Thomas: The Advanced Thickening Treatment stemmed from a discovery found after screening more than 600 ingredients over a 3-year period and helps restore youthful thickness to individual, existing fibers, adding thickness to thinning hair by increasing its diameter. The formula, which contains a precise blend of caffeine, niacinamide and panthenol, addresses aging hair’s decreasing diameter and increasing damage.
HAPPI: Are the products made to work synergistically? If yes, how so?
Thomas: Yes, the AgeDefy products were made to work synergistically to combat the seven signs of hair aging.Women who use the Advanced Thickening Treatment only, as directed, should notice hair thickening benefits however, for women concerned with hair thinning and other signs of hair aging, we recommend they use the Advanced Thickening Treatment as part of an AgeDefy regimen.
The AgeDefy launch will be aided by appearances from a well-recognized celebrity who is in her late 40s but is hardly showing it. Beginning in February 2013, actress Courtney Cox will appear in elements of the brand’s holistic marketing campaign, including TV and print advertising, in-store displays, digital, public relations and iMedia.