The first safe commercial hair color was created in 1909 by French chemist Eugene Schuller, using the chemical paraphenylenediamine. Hair coloring is very popular today, with over 85% of women coloring their hair and a growing percentage of men following suit. How does haircolor work?
Hair is mainly keratin, the same protein found in skin and fingernails. The natural color of hair depends on the ratio and quantities of two other proteins, eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin is responsible for brown to black hair shades while pheomelanin is responsible for golden blond, ginger, and red colors. The absence of either type of melanin produces white/gray hair. Expires 10/28/2025