Abstract

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF HERBAL SHAMPOO FORMULATIONS AND TO COMPARE FORMULATED SHAMPOO WITH MARKETED SHAMPOOS

Prabhat Dessai* and Shiny Phatarpekar

ABSTRACT

Shampooing is the most common form of hair treatment. Shampoos are primarily been products aimed at cleansing the hair and scalp. In the present scenario, it seems improbable that herbal shampoo, although better in performance and safer than the synthetic ones, will be popular with the consumers. A more radical approach in popularizing herbal shampoo would be to change the consumer expectations from a shampoo, with emphasis on safety and efficacy. We have evaluated and compared the herbal shampoo, which was formulated in previous study, with two marketed shampoos. The findings of this investigation reveal that synthetic preservatives have sometimes been the cause of adverse effects among consumers. We have used the physico-chemical approach to preservation and by formulating a self preserving shampoo, have avoided this risk posed by chemical preservatives. However, the aesthetic attributes, such as lather and clarity, of the laboratory shampoo are not comparable with the marketed shampoos. The foam volume was on a par. Although the retail products were not fare so well in the tests conducted by us, they enjoy market popularity, especially if they foam well. This is mainly due to the false notion among consumers that ‘a shampoo that foams well, works well’, and no real effort on the part of manufacturers to counter this fallacy.

Keywords: Herbal shampoo, Radical approach, Physico-chemical approach, Aesthetic attributes.