a polymer that has been explored for various applications in personal care products, including hair conditioners. Its unique structure, with multiple amine groups along the polymer chain, gives it the ability to interact with hair keratin, potentially improving the conditioning effect.
Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a polymer that has been explored for various applications in personal care products, including hair conditioners. Its unique structure, with multiple amine groups along the polymer chain, gives it the ability to interact with hair keratin, potentially improving the conditioning effect.
Here are some potential benefits of using polyethyleneimine in hair conditioning products:
1. Hair Care Applications
- Adsorption on Hair: PEI-Care™ provides high adsorption on hair, remaining effective even after washing. It alters the zeta potential of hair from -19.5mV (untreated) to +16.5mV (treated), showing strong cationic bonding and protection after washing.
- Cuticle Protection: Adsorbed onto damaged hair, PEI-Care™ helps repair cuticle peeling. This contributes to stronger hair protection post-washing.
- Improved Dyeing: Pre-treatment with PEI-Care™ enhances dye retention, improving dyeing properties. It increases dye effectiveness, as seen by a color difference (⊿E) of up to 3.64 with pre-treatment compared to untreated hair. Additionally, blending PEI-Care™ with commercial dyes reduces color fading, especially for acid dyes, where ⊿E values show significant improvements (from 7.63 to 4.29 after washing).
- Prevention of Discoloration: PEI-Care™ reduces dye leakage during washing. Tests showed a lower fading rate for both oxidative dyes (⊿E from 7.19 to 6.67) and basic dyes (⊿E from 10.97 to 8.76 after two washes).
2. Deodorizing Properties
- Odor Reduction: PEI-Care™ neutralizes aldehyde compounds and acid gases, providing deodorizing benefits in hair treatments and reducing body odor-related compounds. Evaluation results show improved odor reduction scores, especially for isovaleric acid (from 5 to 2 with PEI-Care™).
- Reduction of Treatment Odors: PEI-Care™ reduces strong odors associated with hair treatments like straightening and perming. It decreased odor intensity of common reductants such as cysteamine, thioglycolic acid, and cysteine from a score of 5 (strong odor) to 3 (moderate).
3. Compatibility with Surfactants and Acids
- Surfactant Compatibility: PEI-Care™ is compatible with nonionic and amphoteric surfactants, making it suitable for formulations with clear shampoos. It forms coacervates in shampoos, providing a conditioning effect and protecting hair cuticles.
- Acid Compatibility: While PEI-Care™ is generally compatible with organic acids like lactic and succinic acids, it is incompatible with citric acid.
4. Antibacterial Effects
- PEI-Care™ shows antibacterial efficacy, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 16 ppm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC = 31 ppm), making it a potent antibacterial agent compared to standard phenoxyethanol, which has an MIC of 5,000 ppm for these bacteria.
Usage: For any form of hair care product.
Mixing method: mix in water phase
Usage rate: 0.05-0.5%
Product characteristics: Viscous light yellow liquid
Solubility: Can be dissolved in water
Storage: Can be stored at room temperature. But close the bottle cap tightly. Then completely protected from sunlight or heat. The product has a minimum shelf life of 2 years.
INCI Name : PEI-1500
