L’Oréal Commits to Ethnic Hair and Skin Research

Sept. 19 through 21st, L’Oréal held its second international symposium, titled Ethnic Hair and Skin: New Direction in Research, in association with Howard University, College of Med­icine, Department of Derma­tology in Chicago. The symposium was held at The Fairmont Chicago, Chicago, IL.

The symposium, which drew 200 attendees from 11 countries, was recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology as providing 12 hours of continuing medical education credit for physicians. Of the 32 presentations given, six were overview talks and 26 were original research presentations by various doctors and scientists.

One of the highlights of the conference was a tour of L’Oréal’s Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research, which was established last June.

The multi-million dollar facility houses a team of biologists, chemists and physicists devoted to researching the special properties and needs of the hair and skin of people of African descent, according to L’Oréal. The research is also dedicated to making comparisons of hair and skin characteristics of Caucasians, Asians and Hispanics and other ethnic backgrounds.

L’Oréal is committed to sharing its research results with the scientific community in order to aid and quicken treatment breakthroughs as well as furthering its own product development.

“The opening of this Institute represents an important milestone for our company and for people of African descent around the world,” said Jean-Paul Agon, president and chief executive of L’Oréal USA. “The knowledge and insights we gain through research conducted at the Institute will ultimately allow us to develop innovative new products that better serve the beauty care needs of the global ethnic market.”

L’Oréal’s research has determined that ethnic consumers account for 51% of total sales and spend double the percentage of their annual income compared to Caucasians on hair care products alone. The company determined there was a need for its Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research because, “traditionally most basic science research has been performed only on Caucasians—despite differences in the physical and biological characteristics of ethnic skin and hair, which typically sustains increased damage because it requires more sustained grooming and chemical treatments,” according to L’Oréal.

“There is no specific timetable for the new research to result in a product,” said Dr. Victoria Holloway, director of the Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin, explaining that it could be a few years before products are developed.

Holloway noted, “Hair is our first priority and we are also interested in skin.”

Dr. Holloway is a board-certified dermatologist with an undergraduate degree from Harvard, a medical degree from Yale and a masters in public health from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. She joined L’Oréal USA in 2000 as assistant vice president of research and development and director of the Institute for Ethnic Hair and Skin Research.