Editor’s Pick For 2014: The Top Five Articles

In 2014 our most-read stories have been all about hair care, with the top three positions all dominated by the category, and the top two most popular articles being about the fast-growing hair loss and restoration category.

1. Back in February we published this article about the development of scalp micro-pigmentation technology, and it went straight to the number one position for the year.
2. According to the development team at the HIS Clinic, the treatment offers a less invasive solution to thinning hair or bald patches by simulating the look of real cropped hair on the scalp.
3. The developers say the best candidates for this procedure are those who have male or female patterned baldness, scalp scars, or post hair transplant patients, since the treatment is effectively camouflaging thinning hair.
4. A few months later, the Cosmetics Design team covered a story on new stem cell technology that may offer those with thinning hair a viable alternative treatment.
5. Researchers at the Elaine Fuchs’ Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development focused on stem cells in the hair follicle to determine what switches them on and identified the signal as Sonic Hedgehog. 
6. The solution they came up with was discovered by focusing on the fact that transit-amplifying cells emit a signal that can encourage dormant hair follicle cells to become more active.
7. The team managed to disable the signal, interfering with hair growth and regeneration, ultimately discovering a cell-division-promoting protein called Sonic Hedgehog, which plays a role in the embryonic development of the brain, eyes and limbs.
8. The study provides new insights into the manifestations of hair loss, which in the long run will be necessary to develop new therapeutics, they say.
9. In one of the biggest business deals of the year, German cosmetics players Henkel inked an agreement back in June with TSG Consumer Partners that adds three major hair care brands to its portfolio.
10. The deal also marked a major focus on the North American hair care segment, making it one of the biggest players in the professional hair care market in that region.
11. As part of the €270m ($367m) deal, Henkel has added the SexyHair, Alterna and Kenra brands to its hair care portfolio, which already included the global retail hair care brands Schwarzkopf and Syoss.
12. Advertising claims were thrown back in the spotlight when The National Advertising Board recommended that Unilever discontinue the use of barbed wire to depict competitors brands in a campaign for Dove.
13. The challenged claims appeared on the product website and Facebook page and on its YouTube channel, and were made by the competitor over complaints that it depicted competing body washes as harsh and damaging to the skin.
14. The competition referred the case to the authorities, who upheld the complaint, recommending that Unilever cease to use that type of image in its campaign.
15. An article published on cosmetics design back in February highlighted how anti-glycation has come under the spotlight as a treatment to reverse the signs of damage.
16. The treatment focuses on reversing skin damage caused by releasing the sugar molecule’s bond with protein, which allows the skin cell to return to its natural shape.
17. Glycation has been pinpointed as one of the main factors in the skin aging process and finding effective treatments to slow down or reverse the process has become a big focus for skin care developers in recent years.