Development of Technology to Realize Hair's Original Supple and Beautiful Movement - Elucidating Factors Impairing Hair Movement with New Analysis Technology / 'Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)' Contributes to Movement Improvement!
Kracie has developed a new technology to analyze hair movement, elucidating that heat damage from hair irons impairs hair suppleness. They found that 'Dilauroyl Glutamate' acts as a pseudo-CMC to restore this movement, with plans to apply it to products in Fall 2026.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 01:10
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 16:35
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 20:38 (148h 3m after Collected)
Kracie Corporation (Home Products Company) has focused on the "beautiful back appearance of people" and has developed methods to evaluate how hair flutters and an appearance diagnosis system using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) technology. Recently, we have developed a new technology to analyze the "supple movement of back hair when shaking the head." Furthermore, by analyzing hair movement using this technology, we have elucidated the physical factors by which heat damage from hair irons and curling irons impairs hair movement. We have successfully developed a technology that realizes the hair's original supple, beautiful movement, using "Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)" as a key ingredient.
1. Background and Purpose
In recent years, instead of permanent waves (hereinafter "perms") that require chemical processing, heat treatment using hair irons and curling irons, which can be easily done by oneself, is being used for hair styling. Around the 2000s, this was primarily used by some women to create firm curls, but today, its usage rate is high across all ages and genders as a simple method for anyone to fix morning bedhead or bend only the tips of the hair. Because heat treatment does not involve chemical processing with oxidation-reduction agents like perms, the damage to the hair is less obvious. However, there are increasing voices saying that repeated daily use makes the hair hard, dry, and lose its "suppleness." Yet, the word "supple" physically encompasses dual elements such as "elastic and soft," and its true nature was not fully understood as it could not be seen in static photos alone (Figure 1).
Therefore, our company focused on the appearance of hair, especially its supple movement, and studied the true nature of the "supple" movement of beautiful hair and the impact of iron damage on it in detail.
(Figure 1) Supple hair movement
2. Development of Movement Analysis Technology
When people feel that someone else's hair is beautiful, they always make that judgment while it is in motion over time. Therefore, in this research, we developed a proprietary technology that films the way hair sways with a high-speed camera and quantifies its movement along a time axis (Figure 2).
(Figure 2) Observing hair vibration (=movement) with a high-speed camera
As a result of the analysis, we found that healthy, supple hair moves quickly as the swaying subsides and then comes to a complete stop (an increase in the damping ratio), whereas hair damaged by an iron continues to sway unsteadily for a long time and has poor settling behavior (the damping ratio does not increase).
Furthermore, upon analyzing the vibration in more detail to investigate the cause, it became clear that in iron-damaged hair, the "viscous components responsible for completely stopping the vibration at the end of the swaying" are reduced (Figure 3).
(Figure 3) Vibration analysis results of healthy hair and iron-damaged hair
3. Discovery of "Viscous Components" to Stop Vibration
The components that "stop the vibration at the end of swaying" have the property of increasing viscosity as the amplitude (strain) becomes smaller. The key to this behavior is the "CMC (Cell Membrane Complex)," which acts as an adhesive holding the hair cells together (Figure 4).
(Figure 4) Hair structure and physical properties
Therefore, our company focused on "Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)," which has a structure similar to "CMC." When we treated iron-damaged hair with this, we confirmed that the viscosity in the micro-vibration region was restored, and the swaying came to a "complete stop" just like healthy hair (Figure 5). This is thought to be because this ingredient penetrated inside the hair and functioned as a pseudo-CMC.
(Figure 5) Movement improvement effect of Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)
4. Conclusion
(1)
Developed a new technology to analyze hair movement using a high-speed camera. Discovered the difference in movement between healthy, beautiful hair and hair damaged by heat from a hair iron. Focused on the presence of viscous components inside the hair that contribute to completely stopping the vibration at the end of swaying, and clarified the physical factors that impair hair movement.
(2)
Identified "Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)" as a key ingredient to improve hair movement impaired by heat damage, and succeeded in developing a technology that realizes the hair's original supple and beautiful movement.
The results of this research will be applied to hair care products scheduled to be launched in the fall of 2026.
It will also be reported at the IFSCC Congress 2026, an international academic conference on cosmetics.
1. Background and Purpose
In recent years, instead of permanent waves (hereinafter "perms") that require chemical processing, heat treatment using hair irons and curling irons, which can be easily done by oneself, is being used for hair styling. Around the 2000s, this was primarily used by some women to create firm curls, but today, its usage rate is high across all ages and genders as a simple method for anyone to fix morning bedhead or bend only the tips of the hair. Because heat treatment does not involve chemical processing with oxidation-reduction agents like perms, the damage to the hair is less obvious. However, there are increasing voices saying that repeated daily use makes the hair hard, dry, and lose its "suppleness." Yet, the word "supple" physically encompasses dual elements such as "elastic and soft," and its true nature was not fully understood as it could not be seen in static photos alone (Figure 1).
Therefore, our company focused on the appearance of hair, especially its supple movement, and studied the true nature of the "supple" movement of beautiful hair and the impact of iron damage on it in detail.
(Figure 1) Supple hair movement
2. Development of Movement Analysis Technology
When people feel that someone else's hair is beautiful, they always make that judgment while it is in motion over time. Therefore, in this research, we developed a proprietary technology that films the way hair sways with a high-speed camera and quantifies its movement along a time axis (Figure 2).
(Figure 2) Observing hair vibration (=movement) with a high-speed camera
As a result of the analysis, we found that healthy, supple hair moves quickly as the swaying subsides and then comes to a complete stop (an increase in the damping ratio), whereas hair damaged by an iron continues to sway unsteadily for a long time and has poor settling behavior (the damping ratio does not increase).
Furthermore, upon analyzing the vibration in more detail to investigate the cause, it became clear that in iron-damaged hair, the "viscous components responsible for completely stopping the vibration at the end of the swaying" are reduced (Figure 3).
(Figure 3) Vibration analysis results of healthy hair and iron-damaged hair
3. Discovery of "Viscous Components" to Stop Vibration
The components that "stop the vibration at the end of swaying" have the property of increasing viscosity as the amplitude (strain) becomes smaller. The key to this behavior is the "CMC (Cell Membrane Complex)," which acts as an adhesive holding the hair cells together (Figure 4).
(Figure 4) Hair structure and physical properties
Therefore, our company focused on "Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)," which has a structure similar to "CMC." When we treated iron-damaged hair with this, we confirmed that the viscosity in the micro-vibration region was restored, and the swaying came to a "complete stop" just like healthy hair (Figure 5). This is thought to be because this ingredient penetrated inside the hair and functioned as a pseudo-CMC.
(Figure 5) Movement improvement effect of Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)
4. Conclusion
(1)
Developed a new technology to analyze hair movement using a high-speed camera. Discovered the difference in movement between healthy, beautiful hair and hair damaged by heat from a hair iron. Focused on the presence of viscous components inside the hair that contribute to completely stopping the vibration at the end of swaying, and clarified the physical factors that impair hair movement.
(2)
Identified "Dilauroyl Glutamate (Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl)" as a key ingredient to improve hair movement impaired by heat damage, and succeeded in developing a technology that realizes the hair's original supple and beautiful movement.
The results of this research will be applied to hair care products scheduled to be launched in the fall of 2026.
It will also be reported at the IFSCC Congress 2026, an international academic conference on cosmetics.