Astronaut shampoo: Kao commercializes 3D hygiene sheets piloted aboard International Space Station

28 Mar 2023 --- Kao Corporation will launch sales of a new dry shampoo called Space Shampoo Sheet on April 3. The product will be offered in limited quantities on Rakuten Ichiba, one of Japan's largest e-commerce shopping malls. Pre-orders began on March 15. 

Though originally created for zero-gravity use by Japan’s veteran astronaut Koichi Wakata, the sheets will also solve hair-washing challenges for people on the ground.

“It really cleans me up, even up here without baths or showers,” comments Wakata. “The contoured surface wipes away dirt when I massage for a deep clean all the way from the roots up. A quick shampoo invigorates my scalp.”

Wakata lived on the International Space Station (ISS) on a five-month mission from October 6, 2022 to March 12, 2023, setting the space duration record for an astronaut from Japan.

The astronaut’s bags were packed with a supply of 3D Space Shampoo Sheets. The same sheet, now available commercially under the brand name Space Shampoo Sheet, can easily wipe impurities from the scalp and hair without water.

Space Shampoo Sheet by Kao.Around the time of liftoff, PersonalCareInsights spoke to a Kao representative about product development and personal care innovation in outer space. “We believe that the products we have developed for the ISS can be applied on the ground in situations such as droughts and disasters,” the spokesperson said.

A light massage of the contoured sheet over the hair removes excess sebum and refreshes the scalp. The sheets can be used indoors or outdoors, whenever a user wants to wipe away perspiration and stickiness without a shower or bath.

Preparing to launch
Shampooing on the ISS is an operation rife with challenges. Water is scarce in space, and the splashing of shampoo solutions must be minimized in zero-gravity environments.

Special shampoos are also needed due to restrictions placed on the amounts of alcohol allowed aboard space vessels.

When Kao researchers learned of the hair-washing challenges faced in zero gravity, they realized that the cleansing technologies Kao had cultivated over the years could improve the hygiene and QOL of astronauts. 

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency approved the 3D Space Shampoo Sheets in 2021 and loaded it on the ISS during Astronaut Wakata’s five-month stay there in October 2022.

The Space Shampoo Sheet to be launched commercially in April will also be sold through Funtech Lab&Biz, Kao’s open innovation platform.

Zero gravity personal care
Like satellites, the pursuits of the personal care sector and space exploration continually cross paths. Last December, Colgate-Palmolive Company and NASA signed a contract to investigate ways to improve skin, oral and personal care for both astronauts in space and people on Earth. 

Astronaut Koichi Wakata demonstrates how to use the Space Shampoo Sheet in zero gravity.In February last year, Colgate-Palmolive’s PCA Skin brand set up an orbiting space laboratory to investigate if exposure to microgravity will accelerate skin repair. The research team delivered live tissue samples from tissue-engineered skin to investigate these outcomes, which ultimately may help the partnership develop novel strategies for skin health management.

Notably, in space, exposure to stressors such as UV rays and disturbed circadian rhythm can have a negative impact on skin health. However, these stressors are not unique to space, as humans on Earth also experience skin health stressors due to high tension and global warming.

“In the long term, as space travel increases, and in the shorter term, as societies experience the impacts of weather extremes, temperature fluctuations and disruption to day-night rhythm with increasing changes to our Earth’s atmosphere, there will likely be interest from formulators and beauty brands for ingredients relevant to tackling issues felt in both environments,” Julie Droux, senior technical marketing specialist, actives and natural origins at Clariant, previously told PersonalCareInsights.

“Factors already experienced in space, like higher UV exposure, accelerated premature aging and the need to support cell function restoration will become more prevalent concerns here on Earth.”

By Benjamin Ferrer

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