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High-priced hair dryers, which have evolved into beauty appliances capable of not only drying hair but also providing hair care, are expanding the market size.
"Especially during the pandemic, as much of the face was covered by masks, it was said that 'hair accounts for 80% of facial impression,' leading to a surge in attention towards hair care, and high-priced dryers have rapidly gained popularity," shares Atsuko Tatsumi from Panasonic.
On September 1, Panasonic will release the hair dryer " nanocare ULTIMATE" priced over 80,000 yen［1］. What evolutions does this high-priced product possess? We spoke with Tatsumi.
On September 1, Panasonic will release the hair dryer " nanocare ULTIMATE" priced over 80,000 yen［1］. What evolutions does this high-priced product possess? We spoke with Tatsumi.
PROFILE
Atsuko Tatsumi
Panasonic Corporation, Beauty & Personal Care Division, Beauty Brand Management Department, Domestic Marketing Section
Explaining the Unique "nanoe" Mechanism of Panasonic
What exactly is nanoe, Panasonic's proprietary technology, that is incorporated into various products?
Nanoe refers to fine ions generated from water. Development started from the potential application of water's property to dissolve odor components like those from tobacco in air purifiers.Focusing on the characteristics of nanoe used in air purifiers (moisture content, weak acidity), we hypothesized that it would have a greater hair care effect than negative ions, leading to the development process.
The first generation "nanocare" equipped with nanoe was launched in 2005, marking its 20th anniversary this year.
It began with air purifiers, didn't it?
That's right. While the starting point is the same nanoe, current research has evolved to focus on deodorization and sterilization for air purifiers, while for hair dryers, it specializes in moisture for hair, thus slightly changing its nature.What is the mechanism by which nanoe moisturizes hair?
Between the cuticles of hair, there is a slight layer that is hydrophilic. By allowing the fine nanoe to infiltrate this layer, it can moisturize the inside of the hair.What are the features of the nanocare series?
Since its inception, nanocare has evolved with the concept of "not just drying but also providing hair care" and "drying quickly for a beautiful finish." In 2019, we launched a dryer featuring "High-penetration nanoe" that produces 18 times the moisture of conventional nanoe, increasing the moisture content of hair by up to 1.9 times compared to products with standard nanoe.However, at the time of launch, we had already started the next development phase with the aim of further improving hair care effects and increasing moisture not just for hair but also for the scalp and skin, asking ourselves, "Can we increase the moisture generation of nanoe even more?"
After about five years of development, we achieved the creation of the nanoe device "Second Generation High-penetration nanoe" that generates up to 10 times［2］ the moisture compared to previous "High-penetration nanoe" and successfully enhanced hair care effects.
Achieving Four Hairstyles with Just Drying
The recently released "nanocare ULTIMATE" is equipped with this second generation. Can you tell us about the background behind the development of this dryer?
As of March 2024, the cumulative shipment of nanocare has surpassed 17 million units, receiving support from many customers. While about 90% of customers are satisfied, some express desires for "more moisture," “still dry," or conversely, "too much moisture."Additionally, the two major elements customers seek in a hair dryer are "quick drying" and "hair care." In pursuing these goals, we also aimed to develop a product that "changes the concept of hair dryers, bringing customers unprecedented experiences."
Thus, in product development, there were two significant goals: the first was to realize overwhelming moisture and hair care effects that everyone could feel, and the second was to produce a dryer that leads to the ideal hair style.
Panasonic has been researching customer concerns about hair for many years, discovering that major issues include "dryness," "frizz and waviness," "lack of volume," and "texture." Therefore, we aimed to create a dryer that not only dries beautifully and quickly but also completes hairstyles and silhouettes tailored to those hair concerns.
As a result, there are four menus tailored to these hair concerns.
As a result, there are four menus tailored to these hair concerns.
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