ROSE HALL, St James

GLOBAL consumer goods corporation Proctor and Gamble chose Montego Bay for the regional launch of the newly developed products under its premium haircare brand, Pantene.

These latest products by the hair health pioneer are specially formulated for women in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean who sport relaxed or natural hair, after extensive clinical research and consultation with counterparts on their haircare needs.

The breakthrough collection composed of two product lines, the new Pantene Truly Natural and Pantene Pro-V Truly Relaxed, were launched by Proctor and Gamble (P&G) last week Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay, and are to hit the shelves locally within a few days courtesy of local product distributor Consumer Brands.

“Locally, we have noticed a trend where more and more women are purchasing the premium Pantene haircare products and taking them to the salon for their stylists to use in their hair,” said Ann Davis, Consumer Brands Marketing Manager, who expects these latest offerings from the brand to find even more favour with the local market.

The development of the products for Caribbean women by P&G makes good business sense in light of the revelation by its researcher that women in the region spend 25 per cent more of their disposable income on hair care and haircare products than their North American counterparts, even while earning less per capita than them.

At the Jamaica product launch, Dr Rolanda Johnson Wilkerson of Pantene’s Global Research and Development and Mauricio Graciano,

Hair Care Scientific Communications Director, also unveiled the Pantene Co-Wash — a 3-in-1 Pro-V Cleansing Conditioner that instantly cleanses, conditions and detangles hair without stripping it of its natural moisture.

“The Co-Wash formula was inspired by the hair-washing routine and needs of Caribbean women, who have been found to have a preference for using one product in cleansing

their hair,” said Dr

Johnson Wilkerson.

The P&G researcher said they have recognised that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to hair products, as while 60 per cent of Caribbean women sport relaxed hair, the remaining 40 per cent embrace their natural texture, with the trend now going from relaxed to natural.

“Therefore, Pantene is offering products to address the needs of natural hair in keeping up with this trend,” she said.

Graciano points out that the newly launched products, which “bring the benefits of the salon to your home,” are focused on addressing the issues of damage protection and repair, but mused that several new technologies are coming from Proctor and Gamble to combat damaged hair as a result of ageing, in addition to scalp care, adding that the Caribbean is being factored into the mix.

The new products have already been launched in the United States.