The launch of Dove Advanced Care line In the US market consists of 13 products that include shampoos, conditioners and specialty treatments all designed to meet the growing demand for hair care products designed around specific 'issues', such as colored hair.
The new line up is expected to be launched in the European market in the coming months, although no specific date has been given.
In a recent marketing presentation, Euromonitor's Claire Briney referred to the 'micro segmentation' of the personal care market, giving particular reference to the evolution of the hair care category.
In recent years hair care products have been launched to address every type of requirement - from shampoos with anti-aging and anti-frizz properties, to products aimed at specific hair colors and hair styling products for every conceivable type of finish.
The new Dove hair care products address issues such as hair that has been either lightened or darkened, together with more serious cases of hair damage, caused by either hair treatments or environmental damage.
The launches have been designed to particularly focus on issues relating to colored hair, particularly in light of the company's research results showing that some two thirds of US women now color their hair.
Advanced Color Care is a new line of shampoos, conditioners and specialty conditioning treatments that are said to provide customized care for the different effects coloring treatments have on the hair.
"Dove Advanced Color Care addresses that the effects of lightening and darkening are not the same," said Judy Rahn of Unilever research and development.
"During the coloring process, lightened or highlighted hair can be stripped of its color to achieve a lighter shade, while darkened hair can eventually lose its luster and new, color-coated feel," she added.
According to Unilever, Advanced Color Care for lightened or highlighted hair helps revive hair structure leaving hair to make it soft, smooth and luminous.
However, the company says that its approach for the treatment of colored dark hair is different. Dove Advanced Color Care for colored hair helps preserve the smoothness and softness of hair to maintain the effect that the hair has just been colored.
Meanwhile the company says that its research shows that damaged hair is thought to affect as many as three out of four women, leading it to develop its Advanced Care for dry, damaged hair. The company says that this premium line includes products with two levels of care, developed because not all damaged hair is the same.
On the other hand, the company has also developed Advanced Care Sheer Moisture for slightly damaged hair as part of the new line up. This has been developed to strengthen weakened hair by providing the right levels of conditioning for slight symptoms of damage.
For extreme damage, created by chemical treatments and flat-ironing, the Advanced Care Therapy for more severely damaged hair has been developed to help repair dryness and brittleness using a patented Silicone Technology that seeks out the damaged area of hair.
Dove Styling has also added five new products to its line, including two curl defining products, two anti-frizz creams, and an unscented hairspray. Each product contains Weightless Moisturizers and delivers natural movement as well as providing a barrier to help prevent hair damage from heat styling.
To back up the launch the company is also providing a toll-free telephone hotline, advising individuals how they can maximize the use of these new products as part of their own hair care routine.