Formulating the Next Generation of Hair Care

Great hair starts with a balanced scalp. Explore formulation approaches for oily, flaky, dry, and sensitive scalp needs.

Scalp care formulations for diverse needs and routines

Happy Scalps for Everyone is a collection of scalp care formulations for oily, flaky, dry, and sensitive scalp needs. It redefines consumer expectations with practical ideas for pre-wash, cleansing, conditioning, and leave-on care—helping formulators and brands develop targeted routines beyond shampoo.

Key takeaways

  • Happy Scalps for Everyone translates oily, flaky, dry, and sensitive scalp needs into targeted formulation ideas.
  • Distinct approaches support mild cleansing, sebum management, flake care, moisturization, soothing, and conditioning.
  • Four-step routines span pre-wash treatments, shampoos, conditioners, and targeted leave-on or in-between care.
  • Featured Evonik ingredients enable formulation strategies across cleansing, conditioning, sensory performance, and scalp care.
  • The complete presentation provides formulation inspiration, highlighted ingredient roles, and supporting performance information.

Turn scalp awareness into targeted hair care

Scalp care is evolving from a niche concern into a broader beauty priority. Consumers increasingly associate scalp condition with the health and appearance of their hair, while brands are expanding their offerings across mass, natural, salon-inspired, and dermocosmetic positioning. This trend creates opportunities for more specialized products, formats, and routines.

Different scalp needs require distinct formulation approaches. Oily scalp calls for mild cleansing and sebum management, including formats that refresh hair between washes. Flaky scalp requires approaches tailored to oily or dry flakes. Dry or sensitive scalp benefits from mild cleansing, replenishing care, moisturization, and soothing support.

Global Scalp Care New Product Launches (2021-2025)

The launch of scalp care products has surged by 33% globally from 2020 to 2025. Notably, scalp-related claims are emerging not only in hair care but also across other categories like skin care and body care.

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Mintel GNPD, product description matches “scalp” with word variants, 2021-2025

Build routines from pre-wash to leave-on care

Scalp care can extend the familiar hair care regimen with targeted steps before, during, and after cleansing.

Pre-wash pastes, balms, and scrubs help remove buildup and provide gentle exfoliation. Shampoos deliver effective cleansing, while conditioners care for hair lengths. Dry shampoos, elixirs, gels, and serums offer targeted in-between or leave-on care.

This routine-based approach helps formulators and brands connect technical choices with an intuitive consumer story: address buildup when needed, cleanse gently, condition without overload, and add focused scalp care in convenient formats.

Explore formulation approaches for key scalp concerns

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Oily Scalp

For oily scalp, our formulation collection combines intensive and everyday cleansing with lightweight conditioning, on-the-go refreshment, and leave-on care. Key ingredient solutions include RHEANCE® D50 and dermosoft® decalact sebum MB for cleansing, TEGO® Feel C 10 for dry shampoo, VARISOFT® ingredients and SPHINGONY® for conditioning, and RHEANCE® One, SPHINGONY®, and Phytosphingosine for the micellar scalp elixir.

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Flaky Scalp

For flaky scalp, formulations range from pre-wash scrubs and a scalp detox shampoo to balancing conditioning and leave-on care. Highlighted solutions include RHEANCE® D50 and dermosoft® decalact sebum MB for oily-flake pre-cleansing, dermosoft® decalact MB for dry-flake and balancing formats, and VARISOFT® EQ 65 MB with dermosoft® UTM for conditioning.

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Dry/Sensitive Scalp

For dry or sensitive scalp, our formulation collection spans a scrub balm, mild shampoo, conditioner, and targeted serum. Key ingredient solutions include ECOHANCE® Remo XP, RHEANCE® D50, and ECOHANCE® Soft Baobab for pre-wash care; RHEANCE® D50 and VARISOFT® EQ 100 for cleansing; VARISOFT® EQ 65 MB and Hairflux® for conditioning; and Hairflux® with ROVISOME® Biotin for the serum.

Explore the complete scalp care formulation collection

Discover complete four-step routines for oily, flaky, dry, and sensitive scalp needs. Learn how formulations, highlighted ingredient roles, and supporting performance information help formulators and brands explore formats, refine ingredient choices, and develop targeted hair and scalp care offers.

Root Revival - A Holistic Approach to Oily Scalp Care

Scalp care is becoming a key growth area within the hair care market, driven by “skinification” trends, rising consumer awareness, and demand for targeted, science-based solutions. An oily scalp remains one of the most common concerns, caused by excess sebum production, disrupted scalp balance, and unsuitable cleansing practices. This white paper takes a holistic view of oily scalp care, combining market insights, scalp biology, and formulation strategies. It highlights the importance of gentle cleansing, support of the scalp barrier and microbiome balance, and sebum regulating actives. With a focus on biotechnologyderived ingredients such as glycolipid biosurfactants and skin-identical sphingolipids, the paper shows how sustainable, high-performance formulations can support long-term scalp balance and healthier looking hair.

Download your free white paper
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FAQ - Happy Scalps for Everyone

Happy Scalps for Everyone is a formulation inspiration collection for oily, flaky, dry, and sensitive scalp needs. It combines consumer and market context with four-step routines, formulation examples, selected Evonik ingredients, claim-support information, and ingredient performance data.

Consumers increasingly recognize that great hair starts with a balanced scalp, driving demand for targeted scalp care solutions. This creates opportunities for targeted pre-wash, cleansing, conditioning, in-between, and leave-on formats across different market segments.

It translates distinct scalp needs into practical format and ingredient ideas. The collection shows how pre-wash treatments, shampoos, conditioners, dry shampoos, elixirs, gels, and serums can contribute to targeted routines.

The formulation approaches focus on oily scalp, flaky scalp, and dry or sensitive scalp. Each cluster follows a tailored care strategy, ranging from sebum control and flake management to gentle cleansing, conditioning, moisturization, and soothing support.

The collection includes pre-wash pastes, physical scrubs, a scrub balm, clear shampoos, a dry shampoo powder, lightweight and rich conditioners, micellar and balancing elixirs, a scalp serum, and a lightweight scalp gel.

Yes. The presentation covers areas such as mildness and soothing, cleansing and sebum management, germ control, flake reduction, and scalp barrier-related care. Study designs, test conditions, and formulation data are included in the downloadable resource.