New Formulations: Injected with Style
A collagen-based hair care line is clearly stylish.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorMarco Pelusi created the Marco Collagen ColorGuard Hair Care System, which launched last October. Pelusi, a salon owner whose family owns a chain of 15 salons on the East Coast, spent more than five years developing his line.
He received a lot of help from his chemist, who is also a family friend. Together, they searched for the best ingredients. “The ingredients are all USP [United States Pharmacopeia] grade—the very highest grade available,” says Pelusi, adding, “Most beauty products only use cosmetic-grade ingredients.”
Collagen was incorporated in all of the products. The ingredient is commonly used in skin care products, but Pelusi feels that its benefits for the hair and skin are similar. “Both [skin and hair] change with age, and both should be treated like silk,” Pelusi says. “My products actually contain ingredients that are similar to those found in the most high-end skin care products.”
Collagen has recently been used by a few other hair care brands. However, it is unusual to see an entire line, including styling products, specifically formulated with collagen to benefit color-treated hair. “Most brands offer only a shampoo and a conditioner for color-treated hair. When using my hair spray, you are actually spraying collagen right onto the hair shaft,” he says.
The idea to use collagen in every product came about during research. “During development, once I saw collagen appearing in a few different formulas, I asked my chemist to include a form of collagen in as many different formulas as possible,” Pelusi says.
According to Pelusi, collagen prevents color from fading by filling in “holes” on the hair shaft. The “holes” are formed when some of the natural keratin protein on the hair shaft breaks down as a result of the coloring process, says Pelusi. This is what makes hair appear dull and frizzy. “When the ‘holes’ are filled, the hair shaft’s cuticle layer closes. This allows light to reflect off the hair, and its color shines,” he adds.
Before Pelusi’s line launched, he tested the products on clients in his salon. “I listened to honest feedback and made the necessary changes to the formulas,” he says. “It was a long, difficult process,” he adds.
Pelusi describes the packaging he chose for the line as elegant and straightforward. “It’s not full of gimmicks. I wanted the packaging to be simple and to let the science behind the formulas speak for the products,” he says. Transparent plastic bottles were chosen to show the product inside. Some of the liquid formulations are translucent beige, and other creamier products are white. The caps and closures are black, and the product names are silk-screened in chocolate brown.
“The clarity of the packaging reflects the fact that there is nothing to hide. The proof that it works is in the ingredients,” Pelusi says. The fact that USP-grade ingredients are used is stated on the packaging, in hopes of creating consumer awareness about the quality of ingredients and also to help the line stand apart from other brands.
USP is the United States Pharmacopeia, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to developing quality standards for medicinal, healthcare, and related products. United States Pharmacopeia–National Formulary (USP–NF) is a book of public pharmacopeia standards. It contains standards for medicines, dosage forms, drug substances, medical devices, and dietary supplements. It is also used by manufacturers marketing therapeutic products. Meeting USP–NF standards is a mark of high quality.