System 3.0

May 22, 2017

This is a private post outlining goals and plans to create successor formulations of illumai products (sometimes called “System 3.0” in this memo).  System 3.0 products should better meet the marketing and functional needs of Formula XO, Inc. / illumai based on our experience to date.

The Issues Addressed

The current products are composed of the following ingredients (with key ingredients bolded):

Shampoo

  • water,
  • decyl glucoside,
  • lauryl methylglucamide (“LMG“),
  • glycerin,
  • behentrimonium chloride (“BTAC”),
  • dihydroxypropyl peg-5 linoleammonium chloride,
  • peg-150 distearate, and
  • fragrance

Conditioner

  • water,
  • behentrimonium chloride (“BTAC”),
  • stearamidopropyl dimethylamine (“SDMA”),
  • isoleucine,
  • peg-4 rapeseedamide,
  • fragrance, and
  • lauryl methylglucamide (“LMG”)

Leave-In Spray

  • water,
  • dihydroxypropyl peg-5 linoleammonium chloride,
  • behentrimonium chloride (“BTAC”),
  • fragrance

The current products are packaged in 8 oz. bottles, sold individually and as a set.  Moreover, there is a “travel pack” — a small set of the three products in 1.0 oz and 1.5 oz. packages.

Goals For Next Generation of illumai Products; Current Issues

There are essentially three independent, overarching issues that we would like to address with the next generation of products:

  1. “Onboarding Friction”
  2. “Rejection By Purists”
  3.  Product line extensions

Onboarding Friction

By “onboarding friction” I mean to include everything that creates resistance or impediments to a wonderful first use of the products themselves.  This is to be distinguished from “sales [or marketing] friction,” which applies to the resistance or impediments to first purchase of illumai products.

Onboarding friction includes things like fragrance/scent, tactile feel during use, ease of detangling, robustness of product (usable in a wide variety of conditions), packaging, actual results (shine, manageability, etc.), emotional reactions to any of the above, and perceived value of the products and the system.

Following Instructions as Part of Onboarding Friction.  At present, the illumai products behave sufficiently differently, when compared to conventional products, that customers must follow instructions carefully.   If customers do not follow instructions, it becomes likely that their experience with the products will range from sub-optimal to disastrous. Because getting customers to follow instructions (aka “compliance”) is difficult, we would like to have System 3.0 of the products be as simple to use as possible, and not require expensive re-education of the consumer.  Specifically, this means that the products themselves will need to change:

Shampoo –  The shampoo is highly concentrated and unless instructions are followed, customers can have the following issues:

  1. Inadequate distribution – the current viscosity means the shampoo doesn’t spread easily, nor does it easily penetrate to the underlayers of the hair, especially if the hair has residue from prior products.  We advise users to “spread the shampoo across their palms” — thereby breaking down the viscosity, beginning the dilution process and employing the larger surface area of the palms for faster distribution.
  2. Inadequate lather – unless the customer adds extra water to the head after applying the shampoo, the shampoo may not produce an attractive level of lather.  Some customers have been trained not to expect lather (because they are using “natural” or “organic” products which are notoriously poor at producing lather), and they complete the shampoo phase of illumai cleansing without ever getting enough lather to clean their hair.  (Without the extra water, they simply rub the dense formula across the top layer of hair and rinse it off — which fails to really clean the hair or scalp.)
  3. “Astringent” Feeling.   The shampoo has always had a “dry” feel that puzzles many consumers.  Without knowing and trusting that illumai represents a new and different “mechanism of action” based on a new science, they can interpret the tactile experience as “stripping” their hair … which is a serious negative.  We have to inoculate them against this judgment by indicating that the science behind illumai is different (and they should withhold judgment until they see results), and further that “squeaky clean” is a feature, not a bug.  That said, most women want “moisturized” hair — and they fear dry, flyaway hair, especially if they have chemically damaged (or “fried”)  hair. So providing a “dry” tactile experience with illumai engenders skepticism and resistance in some cases.  See 5(d) below for more.
  4. Detangling.  Along with the “dry” feeling is the fact that post-wash, illumai hair (especially long, fine, curly, and/or bleached hair) is sometimes tangled.  “It felt like a birds nest.”  Or “OMG, it was so tangled, I feared that I might have to cut out the knots.”   Not everyone has this experience: People with thin hair, short hair, and darker hair tend not to report it.  But many people notice that after shampooing and before conditioning, their hair is harder to comb out, even with just fingers.
  5. Possible Solutions To All The Shampoo Issues.
    1. One idea seems obvious: Dilution.  The shampoo should not be as concentrated, and/or perhaps as viscous.  We should also encourage people to use the same volume of illumai as they would use of other shampoos.  I don’t see any reason why we should try to be exceptional here — and require special instructions and handling.  (We must ensure, however, that having a more dilute form of the shampoo would not increase the risk of microbial contamination.)
    2. Another idea we are thinking about is to ship the shampoo in a “foaming dispenser” (example-mini and example-full;-size) and to dilute it so that it has enough water to foam up nicely.  Having a beautiful, 8 oz foaming-dispenser bottle in the shower would allow one-hand pumping, using the other palm to catch the foam.  “Smoothing” the foam onto the hair and using finger-pads to “vibrate” (rather than “swirl”) the hair will allow the shampoo to penetrate to the underlayers and the scalp.   Rinsing and repeating will likely ensure complete cleansing.  This still requires instructing advising users not to “over-agitate” their hair to avoid creating bad tangles.
    3. We must deal with de-tangling, preferably attenuating the issue at the shampoo step, but ensuring complete detangling at the conditioner step.  I believe we need to assess the new 3.0 formulations with those goals firmly in mind.
    4. The “astringent” feel has a benefit: it signals that “illumai is truly different.”  If we can get rid of all the other instructions, keeping this “it will FEEL different” instruction (and experience) could be a strong signal that the mechanism of action is truly different.  (“Illumai gives you a new, better kind of clean.”)  I believe that the marketing of mouthwashes provides a good analogy here, where the claimed mechanism of action is paired with a unique, tactile, “mouth feel” experience. For example, Lavoris’ astringent feel aligns with an image of stripping scummy film from inside the mouth; Listerine stings and thereby signals that it “kills germs that cause bad breath;” and Scope masks bad breath with very sweet, “fresh” flavor to cover up bad breath.  In the case of illumai, an “astringent” or “dry” feel doesn’t  signal “moisturize,” but we might be able to create a story around “sealing” the hair, having it “squeaky clean” with no residues and restoring its waterproofing and anti-microbial layers (“biome care”).

Conditioner –  The illumai conditioner is called “nurture” and is intended to do three things — stimulate scalp health, help repair hair, and detangle the hair.  Here is an explanation of those issues, along with other issues that need to be addressed in System 3.0:

  1. Stimulating Scalp Health.  The isoleucine in our nurture conditioner stimulates the production of anti-microbial peptides on the scalp.  The LMG in the product protects and restores the lipid barrier on the scalp.  Coupled with the fact that the shampoo does not disturb or destroy the lipids or the microbiome on the surface of the scalp, the illumai system is extremely good at promoting scalp health.  We want to preserve and promote this feature.
  2. Stimulating Hair Health. The isoleucine, as an essential amino acid, may have an opportunity to infuse itself into the cortex of the hair (e.g., through some abrasion or open cuticle).  If it did do, it would add “body” to the hair and offset some of the damage previously done to the proteins in the cortex.  More importantly, the BTAC is electrostatically attracted to areas where the sebum and cuticle have been depleted or damaged (that is, where the anionic charge of the cortex isn’t insulated from the external environment). Further, the conditioner doesn’t strip the lipids and microbiome from the hair. Again, we want to preserve these features.
  3. Detangling.  The SDMA adds some “slip” to the hair, but, frankly, we need more. Most conditioners are loaded with silicones and other materials which add a “silky” or “slippery” feel.   When conventional conditioners are applied, users expect to easily detangle their hair.  Many people love the “silky” feel, especially after rinsing the conditioner out.  They feel that their hair has thereby been “moisturized.” Frankly, the illumai conditioner does not detangle as well as silicone-based conditioners.  In the instructions, we have to point out that users “will not feel the ‘slippery’ feeling you get from silicones.”  Our customer service department advises women to avoid trying to “comb through” their hair with the conditioner on it, but rather to wait until the next step — the protect leave-in spray — to achieve full detangling.   This violates consumer expectations about what a conditioner does.  Conditioners are supposed to detangle.  Period. This is a problem which System 3.0 must fix.
  4. Viscosity.  The viscosity of the current formulation is very sensitive to temperature.  At room temperature, it has the consistency of a hand lotion.  If it’s warmer, e.g., 90°F, as it might be in a hot shower, it can be very runny and liquidy.  If it’s cooler, it can be so viscous that it’s hard to pump and hard to distribute through the hair. Reducing the variation in viscosity might be of benefit in both manufacturing and in use.
  5. Other Instructions.  The other instructions we give to users of the conditioner include: i) apply from scalp to tip (not mid-strand to tip as is more common instruction for conditioners); ii) apply to wet hair in order to aid distribution (don’t squeeze-out water first); and iii) leave on 3 minutes to allow the nurturing processes to work (which some busy women find highly inconvenient).
  6. Solutions To These Issues.
    1. Detangling.  By far and away, the biggest issue is inadequate detangling.  The new conditioner formulation must do better, without sacrificing any of the existing benefits.
    2. Viscosity.  We should revisit the viscosity so that a) it’s easier to make and control viscosity, b) the viscosity is more stable across a wider temperature range, and c) it’s aligned with the packaging we use.
    3. 3 Minutes.   I’d like to get rid of this instruction, either by modifying the formula so it acts faster or by remaining silent.  See “Deep Repair” product idea below.
    4. Apply To Wet Hair / Don’t Squeeze Out Water.  I’d like the new formulation not to require this instruction.  That is, the conditioner should distribute easily and adequately if someone does squeeze out the water first.
    5. Root To Tip.  This is one instruction that I think is worth keeping because it aligns with all the “scalp health” benefits listed above and underscores how we are different from silicone conditioners.

Leave-in Spray – the illumai “leave-in spray” is a mixture composed of water and two active ingredients (oils).  When not agitated, the mixture will separate, with the oils floating on top.  Happily, with only modest agitation, the oils will form microscopic micellar aggregates (image) which will remain in solution for several hours before separating.

Users don’t use the leave-in spray very much … and some use it instead of the conditioner.  System 3.0 will upgrade the shampoo and conditioner, but not the leave-in spray. We will phase this product out … or reposition it for styling or after-wash use.

Rejection By Purists

Our mission is “healthy beauty” based on a new scientific approach.  The people who are most likely to respond are people who want to avoid using products that create any sort of harm.

Sometimes this gets expressed as wanting “non-toxic” products — and a lot of product lines make that claim.  Sometimes providers say their products are “natural” or “organic.” Others claim that their products are “green” — or produced by “green chemistry.”

Our target market is interested in health, wellness, “good-for-you” products that align with a healthy, vital and attractive lifestyle.  Our customers don’t like “chemicals” (meaning ones that cause harm).  And they definitely want “non-toxic”, “clean”, preferably natural or organic products and ingredients.

PEGs and BTAC.  There are three ingredients in illumai which some of our customers question. The first two are polyethylene glycols (“PEGs”), a class of ingredient found in both our shampoo and our conditioner.  I’ve written elsewhere about why these raise questions and why consumers should not be concerned.  But, bottom line, we don’t want to have to spend our limited resources fighting a perception that “PEGs are bad”.  We’d rather switch.  Therefore, we want System 3.0 to be PEG-free.  Michael believes this would be an easy fix, as the PEGs we use are not critical and be substituted for.

The third ingredient is BTAC, which can be characterized as a mild biocide; again, Michael has an adequate substitute.

Fragrance. The other issue is “fragrance,” a customer concern I’ve outlined in depth here. This issue is secondary.  If it is going to be very disruptive and difficult to make a change, we can delay doing this — provided that we can qualify for EWG Verified status as described below.  But, in a perfect world, we’d replace our existing “Whitney” fragrance with one that had many fewer components so that we could disclose them all and avoid the “fragrance” item on the ingredient list, or, at a minimum be able to say something about our “fragrance” that was reassuring, like “composed only of natural, essential oils – no synthetic oils.”   Whitney is currently composed of 69 separate components, 28 of which are in trace amounts of 0.1% or less!

EWG Verified Program

The EWG Verified program is a kind of “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” — a program that certifies, via independent analysis, that the ingredients in any personal care product is safe and “low hazard.”  Also, all ingredients must be disclosed, including fragrances.  And the product must be manufactured in facilities complying with Good Manufacturing Practices.

If our revised formulations qualify for EWG Verified status, we can use their logo and claims in our advertising.  This is not yet a widely known program, but I know of no other which is better, and I think it’s a credential that we should seek.

Product Line Extensions

We have three product line extensions in the pipeline.  System 3.0 should know about these products, and, to the extent there are implications for System 3.0, these products need to be considered:

Anti-dandruff Shampoo.  Because “scalp health” is one of our key deliverables, we have found that a number of users want to use illumai as a dandruff shampoo.  Because extreme cases of dandruff overwhelm the curative tendencies of the illumai system, we have created a “dandruff formula” by using the main formulation and adding some salicylic acid, which scores a “4” (modest hazard) on the EWG Skin Deep database.  I have several questions and concerns about the dandruff formulation as it currently exists, and any System 3.0 review of the main products should include investigating these items:

  1. Frequency.   How often do you have to use the “dandruff formula” version?  Can you use it just once or twice to get rid of the most egregious flakes and then rely on a “regular” formulation to keep it under control?  Or do you need to keep using it?
  2. Dosage.  A related question is “how much do you have to use?”   The prior point (“Frequency”) assumes you would use the dandruff formula in an “all or nothing” way.  But perhaps there can be two strengths — a very strong formula that gets rid of massive or chronic dandruff, and a maintenance formula that keeps dandruff from returning.
  3. EWG Verified; Substitute for Salicylic Acid.  Because salicylic acid is a “4” on the EWG scale, it’s unlikely that illumai dandruff formula would qualify for EWG Verified status.  Is there a substitute ingredient which would loosen the flakes of heavy dandruff as well as salicylic acid does … and yet is more benign?That said, I don’t think having EWG Verified status is crucial for an anti-dandruff shampoo.

Détente.   Détente is a skin cleansing and protecting product composed of XO-70 (LMG and Decyl Glucoside), Glycerin, Sodium Proprionate, Isoleucine, PEG-150 Distearate and water.  For users with psoriasis, rosecea, blemishes, or other skin sensitivities or inflammations, Détente is a cleansing lotion which delivers great results and helps skin restore itself to full, healthy functioning.

We have not marketed it yet; I’m worried about how to position it. Dr. Zasloff recommends using it in lieu of any soap or detergent, scrubbing and rinsing thoroughly.  Then, he recommends spreading a very small amount across the affected area and leaving it on. From a marketing point of view, this creates category confusion: a single product that both cleanses (and meant to be rinsed off) and then is left on to do something more — moisturize? heal? what?

One observer suggested splitting Détente into two products — make it a two-step system, step 1 being “cleanse” and step 2 being “nurture and protect.”   There might even be an opportunity to adjust the two formulas to optimize those functions … e.g., adding a bit less of the surfactants to the second step.  Also, it would be good to get Détente (and the Détente system) to qualify for EWG Verified status, too, would means that the PEG-150 distearate would have to go.

Deep Repair Conditioner. Dr. Zasloff has created a leave-in-spray called the illumai “deep repair conditioner.”   It has gotten some positive reviews, but needs some better product marketing management and product development, IMHO.  At present, it appears to be a better leave-in spray than the regular “illumai protect leave-in spray” in that it gives more body and shine to the hair. Dr. Zasloff sees it as a sort of keratin treatment, but it isn’t that exactly.

I believe there is room for a “treatment” that we could market as a deep REPAIR conditioner. I like the idea of a single-use treatment (or multi-use system), to be used whenever hair has been subjected to abuse — e.g., after bleaching, coloring, other chemical process or simply significant environmental abuse. I like what I read about Olaplex. Dr. Zasloff once mentioned having several amino acids available to infuse into the cortex and help strengthen the proteins and bonds in the cortex. If the deep repair condition could also help restore the strong covalent bonds of the cuticle and “moisturize” the hair with a thin sebum sheathing, then the Deep Repair conditioner might be truly a spectacular product. I really like the idea as a step between hair dye (which does rip up the hair) and regular illumai hair care (which doesn’t really repair, but rather “does no harm” until your hair’s biome can restore itself over the few day period following hair coloring.

Solution: Project 3.0

The goals of Project 3.0 are:

  1. To NOT compromise the brand, specifically:
    1. To avoid all harmful detergents, preservatives, plasticizers, silicones, phthalates, or any other ingredient harmful to the biome or microbiome.
    2. To avoid glutens, nuts, animal-based products, animal-tested products, and ingredients sourced from non-sustainable sources.
    3. To promote and restore the health of the biome and microbiome so that the scalp and hair are healthy, strong and vital.
    4. To deliver shiny/lustrous, soft, manageable, non-frizzy, voluminous, and strong hair that is clean. (“illumai hair!”)
  2. To reduce onboarding friction by
    1. Having a simpler-to-comply-with set of products and instructions.
    2. Reducing time to first value (feel good during shampoo step and really good during conditioning step)
    3. Having the tactile experience of the shampoo be more understandable and attractive (that is, it can be different so long as it makes sense)
    4. Having detangling happen no later than the conditioning step.
    5. Having the tactile experience of the conditioner be more luxurious
  3. To qualify for EWG Verified Status
    1. Get rid of PEGs and BTAC
    2. Do something about Fragrance
  4. To re-engineer packaging
    1. to reduce costs
    2. for subscription business model
    3. to be more “sustainable”
    4. to explore foam dispensers a way to reduce onboarding friction and support subscription sales.