The Complex World of Hair Lipids – an Overview of Research at TRI
- TRI Princeton
- 11 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Scratching the Surface: Lipids, Protection & the Sebum–Microbiome Relationship
This fourth TRI Talk of 2025/26 was given by Dr. Ernesta Malinauskyte and was a whistle-stop tour of the work that TRI has recently undertaken into the world of hair lipids. While Ernesta is greatly interested in this area, it’s also receiving a great deal of attention from the haircare industry, and the more that we learn about hair lipids, the more it’s becoming clear that they are a vital part of hair and scalp health. In fact, we’ve written several blog posts about the behavior of lipids under various conditions, including during exposure to chlorine and sunshine, how lipid levels can be affected through washing, and the lipid composition of polar bear fur and how it impacts upon the fur’s overall properties.
Ernesta’s talk was broadly divided into five parts, giving an overview of several projects running at TRI. She started with an outline of what hair lipids are and where they can be found, then moved into how they can be damaged and the impact that damage can have on their properties – which is likely to be of interest to formulators and device manufacturers. She then gave an overview of the types of lipid present in the sebum and hair and their relative abundance (using our new HPTLC instrument), which continued into a link between the presence of lipids and their impact upon the composition of the scalp microbiome. Finally, Ernesta gave her thoughts about future research directions, and underscored the importance of TRI’s academic and industrial partnerships. In fact, we’re always looking for research partners. If you or your team are interested in a collaboration, please contact us!
If you missed the talk and would like to watch it again, head to your original Zoom link and it should be available on playback. These talks are also available in the TRI library and are free to access for TRI Member Companies and library subscribers. The TRI Talks from 2025/6 will also be available to purchase at the end of the series, as a Box Set for USD 25.
If you would like more information about becoming an TRI Member Company and all the advantages that this offers, please get in touch!
The next TRI Talk is by Dr Samuel Gourion-Arsiquaud on 11th February and is titled “Beyond SPF: Next-Generation Sunscreen Development for Maximized Efficacy and Safety in a Warming Climate (A Spectroscopic Approach)”. This talk will showcase how the use of vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman) can show how temperature impacts upon the absorption and longevity of sunscreens, with the data then being used to formulate new products and use new technologies.
