Procter & Gamble

I haven't watched Nightline since the Ted Koppel days, but this segment is a decent look into the business of hair care. Reporter Sharyn Alfonsi visits the research and development facilities of personal-care giant Procter & Gamble, showing viewers the tests that have gone into the reformulation of Pantene. Although the segment often feels more promotional than investigative, it's nonetheless a rarely seen peek into the scientific side of beauty — including a look at P&G's amazingly powerful microscopes. Worth a look.

If you're a stalwart Pantene buyer, next time you go to restock, consider purchasing through the brand's online store. Now through the end of February 2011, Pantene is donating 10 cents from every purchase made at its online outpost to the P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Fund, which provides PUR packets to mothers in places where water may be contaminated. It may not be as substantial a portion of proceeds as companies like Kiehl's or Max Factor regularly donate, but given what an enormous market Pantene has, it's no small change.

Oh yes, I am looking fine these days — or at least my hair is. Earlier this year, Procter and Gamble invited me to tour their headquarters in Cincinnati. Among the sights that intrigued the science geek within: a scanning electron microscope. These high-powered microscopes are used to measure minuscule items, and P&G uses theirs to analyze hair texture. That research went into the reformulation of Pantene hair care, which now comes in formulas that target fine, medium-to-thick, curly, and colored hair.

While in the lab, a P&G scientist snipped off a few locks of my hair to be analyzed under the microscope. What you see here is an up-close look at a single strand. It measures 68.7 micrometers in diameter, so it's classified as fine hair. Disappointingly, the hair damage includes "slight cuticle edge chipping," but it's cool. My inner Ms. Wizard is still excited, and the mild damage means there's just one more reason to use conditioner.

Gisele Bündchen, Pantene's endorser in Brazil, announced today that Procter & Gamble will be making some changes. Over the next two years, look for the packaging for Pantene Pro-V, CoverGirl, and Max Factor (if you're outside the US) to go green. In lieu of the more traditional petroleum-based plastic, packaging will be made from renewable Brazilian sugarcane.

Lots of brands have gone to more sustainable packaging already, but P&G is an enormously powerful company and a dominant player in the personal care market. So the fact that it's making this push is perhaps indicative of a directional shift on the industry's part, and could spill over into even more mass market products. What do you think? Is this a sign of more changes to come?

On the heels of a notice of intent to sue from the Green Patriot Working Group, Procter & Gamble has agreed to reduce the levels of a known cancer-causing agent, 1,4-dioxane, in Herbal Essences hair care. GPWG testing showed that there was almost 150 percent more of the toxin present than is considered safe by California law. (It is completely banned in the European Union.)

Procter & Gamble contends that all of its products are safe and comply with California regulations, but it has nonetheless agreed to create new Herbal Essences formulas. In a letter, the company's legal representation has promised "a companywide reformulation to reduce the concentration of 1,4-dioxane in each of the 18 different Herbal Essences formulae to at or below 10 parts per million, within normal analytical variation." All but one of the new formulas are set to begin production before July.

Before you go rushing to read the ingredient list of your own shampoo bottles, know this: 1,4-dioxane won't appear on it. That's because it's a byproduct of the manufacturing process, and the FDA does not require labels to list such contaminants. Later this year, Herbal Essences will have lower levels of 1,4 dioxane — but otherwise, there's no way to tell if it's present in a product or not.

In a story that, in another era, would perhaps have been a piece in The Onion instead of one in real life, Procter & Gamble is starting its own health and beauty mag called Rouge. Along with offering coupons, the magazine will be about 60 percent P&G "branded editorial coverage," meaning stories that advise you while also endorsing brands such as Cover Girl and Olay.

The surprising twist on this news is that when P&G was researching the viability of the idea, their studies showed that "80 percent of readers found Rouge to be comparable to fashion titles such as Marie Claire and Allure in 'quality and design.'" That's great news for Rouge, but yikes, what does that say about people's opinions of regular magazines these days? Some of you think advertisers influence editorial coverage anyway, but Rouge doesn't try to be objective. Will you check this advertorial mag out, or take a pass?