Nutrafol's keratin supplier targets Asia for next phase of hair supplement sector growth

The New Zealand-based company produces keratin that can be used in both nutraceuticals and personal care products.

The keratin that it supplies for use in nutraceuticals is marketed under the brand name keraGEN-IV.

This is said to be a proprietary blend of digestible, bioactive keratins rich in cysteine and triggers the production of collagens IV and VII – the structural collagens in the dermal-epidermal junction of the skin.

Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, ​Scott Haycock, commercial director at Keraplast Manufacturing, said that the company hoped to expand its presence in Asia and Europe on the back of its success in the US.

The US is by far its largest market when it comes to the supply of keratin for hair supplements.

It also supplies the ingredient to New Zealand brands i.am.me and kiri10 for their hair supplements.

Haycock said that most of the users were women in their mid-20s to post-menopausal stage.

They usually take hair supplements for thicker, shinier hair, and for an overall improvement in hair health.

“They are looking for an overall improvement in hair health, such as healthier looking, shiny hair and they're looking for an improvement in scalp health, as well as thicker, healthier hair.”​

He added that there has been increasing interest in hair supplements due to greater awareness and social media influence.

The company is hoping to grow its market presence in Asia and Europe.

China, South Korea, Japan, and South East Asia will be its priorities within Asia.

“China is a very big market from a size perspective, as for South Korea, it has a very strong industry and strong market when it comes to personal care, so Korea is very strategically significant market for us to enter.​

“Japan is another market that we are focused on as well.” ​

Interestingly, within South East Asia, there is greater interest in keratin and hair supplements mainly from local Malaysian and Indonesian manufacturers and brands.

According to Haycock, these companies are mainly interested in ingredients that are backed by clinical studies, the source of the ingredients, as well as the quality of the ingredients.

“I think having validated clinical claims is very important. What's very important to them is also the quality of the ingredient and where the ingredient is being sourced. ​

“A lot of companies are very interested in our sustainability efforts. We've got a very strong story coming from New Zealand, where we are non-GMO. We're clean, green, sustainable, and that's becoming more and more important.” ​

Aside from keratin, some companies have also added biotin, collagen, and vitamins into their hair supplements for synergistic effects.

“We see very strong synergies between keratin, collagen, and vitamins. ​

“Keratin plays an important role in the synthesis of collagen IV and VII, which you don't necessarily get from collagen supplementation, so if you put the two together, there will be synergistic effects.” ​

New scientific findings ​

On top of hair health, keraGEN-IV has been found to benefit the skin as well, based on a 60-day randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

The study was conducted on 65 women aged 45 to 60 with healthy skin but damaged or stressed hair.

They were randomised to take either the placebo or 200mg of keraGEN-IV.

Results showed significant improvements in hair loss and hair strength in the intervention group.

Specifically, they reported a 43.1 per cent reduction in hair loss, and a 17.6 per cent increase in hair cortex integrity on day 60 as compared to the baseline. Both are said to be statistically significant improvements.

However, neither the intervention or the placebo group reported any significant change in hair luminosity and lustre over the study time or compared to each other.

The findings, published in HealthMed​,​ also reported significantly enhanced skin elasticity, skin barrier function, and nail strength in the intervention group.

For instance, there was a 10.1 per cent increase in skin elasticity from baseline by day 60 in the intervention group.

While it did not lead to significant effect on skin hydration, the intervention group reported a 12.5 per cent reduction in trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) on day 30 as compared to the baseline. Measurements on day 60, however, were not significantly different from the baseline.

“This study verifies keraGEN-IV’s role in hair anchoring which is a concern for many women experiencing hair loss due to hormonal changes or stress. ​

“It also indicated keraGEN-IV’s role in skin elasticity which can deteriorate as one ages,”​ said Dr. Jennifer Gu, VP of research and development at AIDP, Inc., a distributor of the ingredient who was also involved in the trial.

The source ​

Keraplast sources its functional keratin ingredient from farmed sheep’s wool and uses a proprietary extraction technology in the process.

The company said that the ingredient has a higher bioavailability due to its similarity with human keratin.

“Keraplast has pioneered a patented commercial method to extract alpha keratin on a large scale. ​

“We utilise a gentle, low-temperature chemical process which breaks disulfide bonds to make the keratin soluble and then modifies the cysteine bonds to maintain solubility and introduce high bioactivity. ​

“The result is a functionalised keratin®, and because of the similarity between alpha-keratin in wool and human keratin, it provides superior bioactivity when used in personal care and supplements,” ​said CEO Howard Moore.