IMCD Launches Glass’Hair Leave-On: A Groundbreaking Step in High-Performance Hair Care Formulation
IMCD Group , a global leader in the distribution and formulation of specialty chemicals and ingredients, has announced the launch of its latest innovation in the hair care sector: Glass’Hair Leave-On, a high-performance, trend-driven formulation inspired by the sleek, lustrous, and polished look known widely as the glass hair trend.
This new formulation is the first of ten standout concepts unveiled under IMCD’s newly launched “Mastering Simplicity” programme, designed to bring elegance and effectiveness together in a curated range of streamlined beauty solutions. More than just another hair product, Glass’Hair Leave-On embodies IMCD’s unique ability to merge deep technical expertise with trend foresight—resulting in a ready-to-market product that offers immediate value to beauty brands seeking modern, effective, and sensorial formulations.
A Strategic Response to a Defining Beauty Trend
The glass hair aesthetic—marked by ultra-smooth, mirror-like shine and frizz-free strands—has captured the attention of beauty consumers and professionals around the world. First made popular by celebrity stylists and viral social media content, the trend shows no signs of fading. Today’s consumers are increasingly looking for high-performance products that can replicate salon-quality results at home. However, they also demand simplicity, transparency, and efficiency in both product formulation and performance.
IMCD’s Glass’Hair Leave-On directly addresses these expectations. Developed by the IMCD Beauty & Personal Care team in partnership with their Hair Care & Toiletries Centre of Excellence in Milton Keynes, UK, the formulation is a direct result of cross-functional collaboration, where marketing insights and scientific innovation meet.
“This isn’t just about creating another glossy product,” explains Laurent Blasco, Global Technical Director, IMCD Beauty & Personal Care. “With Glass’Hair Leave-On, we’ve taken the idea of glass hair and given it substance—building a formulation that delivers exceptional shine, smooth texture, and a luxurious feel, without overcomplicating the routine. It’s a product that performs with integrity.”
Showcased at in-cosmetics global and Beyond
The formulation made its official debut during an exclusive webcast following a successful preview at in-cosmetics global 2025, held this year in Amsterdam. It was the first to be unveiled from the broader “Mastering Simplicity” collection—a series of ten expertly developed beauty solutions created to help brands accelerate time-to-market while maintaining the highest standards in performance and user experience.
At its core, the “Mastering Simplicity” initiative reflects a strategic shift within the beauty industry: consumers want products that do what they say, feel great to use, and are supported by clear scientific and market rationale. IMCD’s approach to formulating Glass’Hair Leave-On follows this ethos exactly—providing a lightweight, non-greasy leave-on treatment that enhances shine and manageability without the heaviness often associated with high-gloss hair products.
The webcast launch included live formulation demonstrations, discussions with key IMCD scientists and technical advisors, and insights into how Glass’Hair Leave-On was engineered to be scalable, stable, and adaptable to different brand stories.
Formulation That Meets Function—Fast
One of the hallmarks of IMCD’s offering is its ability to turn concepts into realities—quickly and with precision. The Glass’Hair Leave-On formulation is a clear demonstration of this capability. It was conceived, developed, tested, and refined at IMCD’s Hair Care & Toiletries Centre of Excellence, a facility dedicated to producing technically robust and trend-aligned beauty solutions.
From the first brief to the final texture, the product development process emphasized user experience, formulation elegance, and market readiness. Leveraging insights from IMCD’s global network—which includes 21 application laboratories, 13 Beauty Studios, and 6 Centres of Excellence—the team was able to bring together the best of science, creativity, and consumer understanding to craft a formulation that’s both high-impact and easy to implement.
“Our global footprint allows us to anticipate trends, understand regional preferences, and respond quickly with tested, scalable solutions,” said a representative from the technical team at Milton Keynes. “Glass’Hair Leave-On is more than a product—it’s a toolkit for brands to build on, a plug-and-play formulation with room for customization and storytelling.”
More Than One Innovation: The Power of the Portfolio
While Glass’Hair Leave-On took center stage at the launch, it was only the beginning of what IMCD has in store. The Company also introduced Fix & Care Hair Stick, a complementary concept designed to offer targeted hold, definition, and frizz control—ideal for taming flyaways and maintaining polished hairstyles on the go. Like Glass’Hair Leave-On, the Hair Stick is part of the broader “Mastering Simplicity” collection, which includes formulations across multiple beauty categories such as skincare, body care, and color cosmetics.
Each product in the collection has been thoughtfully designed to help beauty brands simplify the development process—cutting down the time and cost associated with R&D, testing, and go-to-market execution. Brands can take these base formulas and customize them further, confident in their proven performance and consumer-tested appeal.
“Whether a brand is launching a new hair care line or updating an existing product portfolio, our ‘Mastering Simplicity’ range offers starting points that are both creative and commercially viable,” said Blasco. “We’ve done the work so our partners can move faster, smarter, and more confidently.”
Backed by Global Infrastructure and Expertise
IMCD Beauty & Personal Care operates as a strategic partner to cosmetics brands and manufacturers across the world. What differentiates IMCD is its dual strength in distribution and formulation development—a rare combination that enables the Company to deliver not just raw materials, but also full product concepts supported by deep technical know-how and market insights.
By leveraging its international network of laboratories and beauty studios, IMCD is able to co-create with clients in real time, developing formulations that meet exact performance and regulatory requirements. The launch of Glass’Hair Leave-On showcases this capability in action, setting a new benchmark for what beauty innovation can look like when backed by a truly global and integrated organization.
A Future-Forward Approach
As the personal care industry continues to evolve, so too does IMCD’s approach to innovation. The Company remains committed to offering solutions that reflect the modern consumer’s expectations: products that are sensorially pleasing, sustainably formulated, and scientifically sound. With sustainability increasingly at the forefront, many of the ingredients used in the Mastering Simplicity collection, including Glass’Hair Leave-On, align with clean beauty standards and can be adapted to meet eco-conscious claims.
