Analysis of Cosmetic Residues on a Single Human Hair by ATR FT-IR Microspectroscopy
February 2018
in “
Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy
”
Studysummary This study successfully used ATR FT-IR spectroscopy to uniquely identify or differentiate human hairs by detecting specific spectral features associated with individual hair characteristics and cosmetic residues on hair surfaces. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The study demonstrated that ATR FT-IR microspectroscopy, using a homemade slide-on Ge μIRE accessory, was an effective tool for characterizing single human hairs and their surfaces. This technique provided detailed chemical information about the molecular structure of hair, including the presence of proteins, water, lipids, and waxes. The method was non-destructive, required no complicated sample preparation, and had a short analysis time, making it suitable for forensic and cosmetic applications. The research was supported by various Thai research funds and Chulalongkorn University.
