Maizecare Clarity Polymer (Hydrolyzed Corn Starch): Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Styling Polymers.

Hair care consumers today are increasingly focused on selecting products which contain natural ingredients without sacrificing performance. The current incumbent product is a synthetic, petroleum-based polymer styling aid of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), with a few niches natural products for customers valuing sustainability over performance. PVP provides excellent hair gel transparency and hair stiffness but lacks curl retention performance. Hair styled with PVP collapses when exposed to high humidity. Of greater concern, PVP is under scrutiny as a suspected carcinogen and reproductive toxicant under ECHA Annex III, which is of particular concern for a personal care product and one that “goes down the drain”. MaizeCare™ Clarity Polymer is the first product to provide the sustainability profile of natural products and exceed the performance of synthetics, setting a new standard. It comes from a sustainable feedstock and has a CO2 footprint 78% lower than that of PVP.

Fundamental properties such as water solubility/dispersibility, film formation, and modulus determine the performance of a hair fixatives. Structure-property-performance studies were complete to identify the best natural material candidates. Optimum molecular weight of MaizeCareâ„¢ Clarity Polymer was identified to provide the optimal hair stiffness to gel clarity balance. If the molecular weight is too low, the hair gel will not provide good stiffness. If the molecular weight is too high, the hair gel will not be clear. In addition, the polymer does not leave a white residue or flaking on the hair after combing. MaizeCareâ„¢ Clarity Polymer provided greater than 90% curl retention due to the non-hygroscopic nature of the polymer, which is far superior compared to polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). MaizeCareâ„¢ Clarity Polymer can be easily formulated for all hair types into various product formats & providing the creative textures consumers demand with a customized consumer experience.