CCUK Zoom webinar - The Hair Care Gap - 21 January 2026 - 3:00 – 4:15 PM (GMT)

The Haircare Gap is a thought-provoking industry webinar organised by CCUK exploring the disparity between innovation in skincare and haircare. While the skincare category continues to surge ahead with ingredient innovation, clinical validation, and consumer engagement, haircare often appears to lag behind — with fewer groundbreaking actives, slower trend cycles, and challenges in claim substantiation. This session will bring together voices from across the value chain — ingredient developers, formulators, manufacturers, brand leaders, and testing specialists — to explore why this “gap” exists, whether it is real or perceived, and how the industry can bridge it. 

Key Discussion Points:

• Why does skincare appear to innovate faster than haircare?

• Are the differences due to formulation challenges, consumer expectations, or regulatory/claims barriers?

• Is haircare’s rinse-off nature a limiting factor for active ingredient performance and claim validation?

• How can ingredient manufacturers, formulators, and testing experts collaborate to accelerate progress?

• What opportunities exist for new technologies, claims, and storytelling in haircare?

Target Audience:

This webinar is designed for professionals in the cosmetics and personal care

sector, including: 

• Ingredient and raw material suppliers

• Formulators and product developers

• Brand managers and marketing teams

• R&D scientists and claims specialists

• Regulatory and innovation strategists

 Agenda

1. Welcome & Introduction (15 mins)

Speaker: Rachael Davison-White, Barentz UK

• Setting the scene: contrasting the fast-moving skincare market with the slower evolution of haircare innovation.

• Discussion of ingredient diversity, data-backed actives, and the persistence of legacy haircare technologies (e.g., guars, polyquaterniums, sulfate-free claims).

• Framing the key question: Why is innovation slower in haircare?

2. Established Ingredient Manufacturer Perspective (15 mins)

Speaker: Helene Hine, Croda Beauty

• Size of the haircare market

• Do trends in haircare move at the same rate as skincare and comparison with skincare innovation pipelines.

• Insights into technology barriers, and why new actives often launch in skincare first.

• Highlighting advances such as K31 Bond Builder Technology.

3. Startup Ingredients Manufacturer Perspective (15 mins)

Speaker: Peter Luebcke, Valogen Biosciences

• Size of haircare market and growth potential

• What are the specific challenges for entering the haircare market as a newcomer vs skincare

• Is there a disparity felt by startups between the market segments

• What changes could ease these challenges?

4. Formulation & Brand Perspective (15 mins)

Speaker: Dr Catherine Leray, THG Labs

• Exploring the challenges of formulating rinse-off vs. leave-in products.

• Key claim areas and where limitations exist.

• The consumer’s view: what expectations are unmet, and what future claims would brands like to achieve?

• Costings of haircare vs skincare.

5. Testing & Claims Perspective (15 mins)

Speaker: Paul Cornwell, TRI Princeton

• The science of claim testing in haircare.

• Current testing methodologies and their limitations.

• Innovations in testing — particularly for rinse-off products.

• Opportunities to strengthen data and credibility in haircare claims.

6. Wrap-Up & Q&A (10 mins)

Chair: Rachael Davison-White

To bag your place, RSVP here: The Haircare Gap | Cosmetics Cluster UK