The search of techniques that can represent, in a clearer way, the benefit the product can deliver both to the consumer and to the person who develops the products is one of the greatest challenges of the companies that prove the benefits of cosmetic products.

Most of the time, the numbers and statistical differences presented by a determine product are not easily comprehended and, most of the times, they cannot be “seen” in a trivial manner.

Some techniques widely used in the academy make it viable to see the immediate effects of a determined product on the surface or even in the interior of the fiber. We use and list below some of these techniques:

Scanning Electron Microscope

Through this technique, it is possible to identify imperfections or damages on the surface of the hair fiber, such as holes, absence of cuticles, notches, opening of cuticles etc. All these damages can be correlated to macroscopic structural damages of immediate or late effect such as more easily penetration of water and pollutants, increase of rugosity providing a reduction of shine and more roughness, exposure of the cortex and even the increase of split ends. In addition, it is possible to identify the protection of the cuticles from the deposit of products throughout the surface and how they reduce the structural problems presented above;

Fluorescence Microscopy

Through this technique, it is possible to observe the penetration of fiber particles and depending on the region of penetration, correlate how they alter the structure or the mechanical resistance of the fiber from the complementary analyses from other methodologies.

Atomic Force Microscopy

This technique has a higher image resolution and allows complementing the SEM analyses evaluating, for example, one single cuticle or the intercuticle region. There are some ongoing works that apply the technique to understand at a cortex level, the mechanical properties of the fiber.