Gold – many of us are wearing it as jewellery right now.
For millennia, gold has been valued and hoarded by kings, queens and of course in modern times – investors. In addition to its luster and beauty, its rarity makes this beautiful golden metal highly desirable to possess. In fact, if you were to take all of the gold on earth, it would only fill just over three Olympic swimming pools 1. It is this combination of rarity and beauty which contributes to the price of gold.
In addition to the aesthetic aspect of gold, gold has many uses in both high-tech industries as it is both highly conductive and noncorrosive. For example, it is no secret that Apple uses certified recycled gold in their computer chips 2. Recently, studies have also demonstrated that gold can be a powerful and beneficial technical ingredient in cosmetics. Specifically, “colloidal gold” – or real gold particles suspended in a solution, and are being added to exclusive formulations to take advantage of its beneficial properties.
Skincare companies are taking advantage of gold in their formulations due to the anti-aging properties this precious metal demonstrates. Additionally, gold particles in shampoo formulations accelerate and intensify the benefits observed in the hair and on the scalp, from other natural ingredients in the shampoo like essential oils and organic herbs 3. Understandably, the higher gold appears in the list of ingredients, the more beneficial properties will be delivered. As we mentioned, consumers should be weary of words like “cosmetic gold” – as this is not the same as real gold particles. Notably, if gold is one of the last ingredients in a shampoo, then you should also expect little or no benefit.
However, all that glitters is not gold. It turns out that numerous manufacturers have jumped onto the consumer excitement about gold products and are using “cosmetic gold”, which is nothing more than gold colouring. To be clear, the benefits of gold are only achieved in the presence of real gold particles.
Consumers should check if the product contains “colloidal gold”, as only real gold will offer the benefits we discussed in this article.
Think of gold particle shampoo like jewellery. You could buy a 8 karat gold or 18 karat gold bracelet, which one has more value? The 18 karat, as it contains far more pure gold. This reasoning holds when you select your gold particle shampoo. You will pay more for a shampoo with generous real gold particles, however, the benefits to your hair and scalp will reward your investment. We do not expect that the larger mass market producers will be able to compete in this space, as using real gold particles would cut too deeply into their profit margins.
This emerging trend will benefit boutique shampoo producers like Anna Farrell Swiss Beauty to connect with customers looking for the benefits of real gold in their shampoo. I recently tried her all natural shampoo and was very excited about both the lovely scent and how it made my hair and scalp feel. This is my new blow dry “go to” shampoo, as it really helps lock in the moisture of my hair. Gold as a technical ingredient is here to stay, and health-conscious natural beauty companies like Anna’s are wise to offer products meeting this new consumer demand.
Lisa Areshko – Beauty Expert
