No.098 is a Damaged-Hair Conditioner . It is a rinse-off product that selectively adheres to hair weakened by bleaching, dyeing, perming, heat styling tools, and friction to reduce tangling and breakage while smoothing the surface. While No.097 High-Moisture Conditioner focuses on dryness and flexibility, No.098 centers on reducing breakage, improving combability, protecting the cuticle, and maintaining color .
It is defined as a cosmetic product that does not biologically regenerate existing hair, but rather temporarily repairs damaged areas and reduces subsequent mechanical damage.
The target consumers are users whose wet hair easily stretches and breaks, and exhibits split ends, roughness, and frizziness due to bleaching, frequent dyeing, perming, or high-temperature styling.
The main reasons for purchase are as follows.
- Reduces tangling and breakage during combing of wet hair
- Restoring smoothness and shine to rough cuticle surfaces
- Relieves color loss and dryness in dyed hair after washing
- Reduction of friction damage during drying and styling
- Bond-care conditioning that is more directly felt than shampoo
Buyers should first check whether breakage, combability, and shine are actually improved after using the conditioner alone, rather than focusing on the names of bond, peptide, and protein.
The global damaged hair market has expanded from general protein conditioners to acidic bonding, peptide, and ceramide protection. Olaplex forms the premium market with its proprietary bond-care, Redken with acidic rutin, and K18 with peptides and protection against external damage.
The core target is moderate to severe dyed, bleached, or heat-damaged hair, porous hair, and long hair that breaks easily. No. 097 is suitable for simply dry hair, while consumers with severe damage requiring long contact time and intensive nourishment should use a hair mask.
Key performance characteristics include wet and dry combability, reduced breakage, softness and shine, and inhibition of frizz and color loss. The basic formula combines fatty alcohols and cationic conditioning ingredients with amino acids, hydrolyzed proteins, peptides, panthenol, ceramides, lipids, silicones, or alternative film-forming agents.
Formula Route | Design direction | Buyer's judgment |
|---|---|---|
| A. Acidic Bond-Care — Hero | Controlled acidic pH, cation conditioning, amino acids, panthenol, light lipids | It offers the best balance of performance, usability, and OEM realism for damaged hair. |
| B. Peptide/Ceramide Shield | Protects against daily friction and environmental damage with peptide, ceramide, and film-forming ingredients | Strong premium story, but needs verification of finished product sustainability |
| C. Protein-Lipid Repair | Combine hydrolyzed protein with vegetable oil ester | Beneficial for bleached and highly porous hair, but requires maintenance for stiffness and cumulative application. |
Hero Route avoids excessively low pH, excessive protein, and heavy oils. Specific claims such as "bond repair" or "3-day protection" must be verified through comparative testing of the finished product, rather than through the raw material's mechanism of action data.
Key safety variables include skin and eye irritation from acidic formulations and cationic surfactants, fragrance allergens, accumulation of proteins and polymers with repeated use, and the rancidity and microbial stability of vegetable oils. The primary application area is from the middle to the ends of the hair, not the scalp.
market | Warning of Regulations and Claims | RFQ Mandatory Validation |
|---|---|---|
| korea | Improvement of damage, tangling, and shine falls within the scope of general cosmetics. Expressions regarding hair loss or permanent regeneration are excluded. | Combability, breakage, shine, frizziness, retention, stability |
| USA | Improvements in appearance and manageability are cosmetic claims. Claims of changes in growth or structural function are drug risks. | MoCRA data proves safety, eye irritation, and comparative claims |
| EU/UK | Restricted Ingredients, Fragrances, Allergens, Safety Assessment, PIF, Responsible Person, and Market-Specific Reporting | CPSR data, CPNP/SCPN, breakage, color retention, and label review |
Validation evaluates wet and dry combability, breakage after repeated combing or washing, shine, softness, frizz, and color retention compared to a standard conditioner. Results from a system using shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in together must be distinguished from the effects of the conditioner alone.
The recommended specifications are a 200–300 mL inverted flip-top tube or a pump for high viscosity . 200–250 mL is suitable for concentrated premium products, while 300 mL, the same as the shampoo, is suitable for standard sets.
For acidic formulations, container and pump component suitability is checked, while for rich formulations, low-temperature dispensing and residue are verified. The unopened period of 30 to 36 months is determined based on the results of preservation, stability, rancidity, and container suitability, and the bond-care expression on the export label is matched with the test results.
The recommended positioning is Premium Accessible Bond Care . It offers clearer evidence regarding damage and combability compared to standard high-moisture conditioners, and aims for a price point more accessible than global brands focused on proprietary technology.
- General & Damage Care: Approx. US$12–22 per 250–400mL
- Functional bond-care: Approx. US$22–35 per 200–300mL
- Salon · Proprietary Technology Premium: Approx. US$30–45 per 200–300mL
It is advantageous to formulate the set with No. 092 Damaged Hair Shampoo, but to ensure the primary noticeable reduction in damage comes from the conditioner. The mask and leave-in products should be extended to higher levels depending on the degree of damage.
- Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner: A flagship product that improves breakage, tangling, shine, and maintainability through proprietary bond-building technology and highly concentrated conditioning. Olaplex Official Product Information
- Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Conditioner: A salon-standard benchmark that offers strength, softness, and color protection for damaged hair through acidic pH and intensive conditioning. Redken Official Product Information
- K18 Damage Shield Protective Conditioner: Offers daily protection against UV rays, mechanical styling, and environmental exposure through lightweight, peptide-ceramide-based conditioning. K18 Official Product Information
The competitiveness of K-Beauty lies in its ability to rapidly develop step-by-step product lines—including shampoo, conditioner, ampoule, and leave-in—targeting consumers who frequently bleach and dye their hair, offering immediate softness and minimal residue. The key is not the imitation of proprietary technology names, but rather the basis of finished products that demonstrate reduced breakage and a distinctly Korean user experience .
RFQ stage | Manufacturing conditions | Buyer Checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Concept Sample | Route A, designation of policies for damage level, hair thickness, fragrance, and silicone | Wet combing, softness, rinsing, hair root drooping |
| Validation Sample | Confirmed container and bond-care claim application | Damage, gloss, frizz, color retention, stability, rancidity |
| Pilot/Production | Sales country label, golden sample, and quality standards confirmed | MOQ, Unit Price, Technology/Raw Material Rights, Test Data, Change Management |
The specifications for the OEM/ODM priority inquiry are Route A, 250mL inverted container, acidic pH, validation of breakage and combability for bleached and heat-damaged hair, and the fragrance-free option . Inquire with the manufacturer regarding the right to use bond-care ingredients, conditioner-only testing, results when used in combination with shampoo, and conditions for re-verification in the event of a change in key ingredients.
OEM/ODM Inquiry — Contact to: mail@markethub.org
Buyer RFQ includes the country of sale, distribution channel, cause and level of damage, hair thickness and porosity, volume, fragrance, silicone, and protein policy, target pH, comparison products, single and system claims, test scope, and initial and annual quantities.
The key to determining commercialization is as follows.
- Does it clearly improve breakage and combability more than daily, highly moisturizing conditioners?
- Does softness not depend on a heavy capsule and sagging hair roots?
- Is the effect of conditioner alone distinguishable from the effect of the entire shampoo and leave-in routine?
- Do you have materials and licenses to support the Bond repair, restoration, and long-term protection claims?
Damaged hair conditioners have high global market potential and the potential for set sales. Given the abundance of similar products , comparative data on bleached hair, low residue, and reasonable OEM unit prices are key factors in selecting a buyer.
- Global Core: A+
- OEM/ODM Priority: A+
- NoChemiLife Hero: Candidate — Acidic Bond-Care Route
- Recommended SKU: Fragrance-Free Acidic Bond-Care Conditioner for Color & Heat-Damaged Hair, 250mL
- Core Evidence: 6 items including K-Beauty RFQ 112 official list, Olaplex, Redken, K18, FDA product classification standards, EU CPNP, etc.
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