Researchers design the next-gen hair dyes

RALEIGH, US: North Carolina State University researchers have created the largest publicly available chemical database of hair dye substances as a resource for developing a new generation of hair colour products that are safer for consumers, stylists and the environment.

The online hair dye substance database contains detailed information about the structure and properties of 313 substances in current and past commercial hair dyes. Using computer-based classification – what’s known as cheminformatics – researchers grouped the dyes into clusters with similar structures and properties. The results revealed some surprises and promising new avenues for research.

The study appears in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.

“The database can definitely help drive design, not just of hair dyes but of other types of dyes, using the same approach,” said Tova Williams, NC State doctoral student and lead author of a journal article about the research.

Coloring hair is a multibillion-dollar global business that’s growing rapidly. Hair dyes are divided into three basic types, depending on how long they last. Temporary dyes, which coat the hair surface, wash out with one or two shampoos. Semi-permanent dyes last a bit longer – through six to eight washings.

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