Adhesion and interactions with hair biomolecules - a cosmetic perspective

This application is to support the PhD of Serena Cozzolino at ILL entitled Adhesion and interactions with hair biomolecules - a cosmetic perspective, a collaboration involving the ILL, KTH and L’Oréal in the framework of the InnovaXN PhD program. The aim is to study the difference between straight chain and branched (biomimetic) fatty acid self-assembly monolayers (SAMs) in terms of the crystallinity and order of the initial hydrophobic monolayer, and the order and density of subsequent adsorbed films of industrially relevant surfactants and polymers used in hair care products. This information will be used to understand the different adsorption behaviour of cationic polymers and their aggregates with anionic surfactants observed in neutron reflectance, AFM and QCM experiments and to design relevant models for the hair surface. This knowledge is crucial for the cosmetic industry, to improve the design of formulations of hair care products for increased sustainability.