Waterborne polyurethanes from castor oil-based polyols for next generation of environmentally-friendly hair-styling agents

In a 2020 study, researchers developed castor oil-based waterborne polyurethanes (CWPUs) as potential environmentally-friendly hair-styling agents. These CWPUs showed excellent storage stability for at least 24 months and were tested for hair-styling performance and skin irritation on animals. The results indicated that CWPUs with a Young's modulus greater than 50 MPa, elongation at break between 15-300%, and moisture uptake less than 4% provided superior hair-styling performance compared to commercial hair spray products. Additionally, skin irritation tests on rabbits revealed negligible irritation, suggesting that these CWPUs are safe for use. The study concluded that CWPUs synthesized from castor oil-based polyols are promising for creating new, low-toxicity hair-styling products with strong performance.