Skinification, or the practice of bringing skincare principles, routines, and ingredients to other personal care categories, is expected to grow in 2026. This movement is particularly prevalent in the hair care sector, where a principal component of healthy hair now includes a healthy scalp.
Understanding how active ingredients affect scalp tissue at the biological level is critical for creating innovative products. Molecular testing technologies that can efficiently screen for biological activity are considered standard tools for evaluating safety, efficacy, and understanding mechanisms of action. Testing not only supports the development of science-backed products, but also streamlines the product development process, decreases costs, and reduces time to market.
Inside the Scalp Skinification Movement
The skinification of scalp care is based on the current recognition that the scalp serves as the foundation for healthy hair. This recent shift in focus has prompted hair care product developers to pivot from creating strand-centric products with aesthetic benefits such as reducing frizz or boosting shine, to focusing on biologically active topicals that regulate the expression of growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, and other signaling molecules in scalp tissue cells that target the root of healthy hair.
“Skinification of the hair care sector highlights something we often overlook: the scalp is skin and requires the same attention and care we give to other body areas,” Genemarkers’ Senior Scientist, Stephanie Cunningham explains, “Bringing the same active ingredients, formulations, and testing once reserved for skincare products into the hair and scalp care industry is necessary for targeting the mechanisms required to make a real difference in hair health.”
Skinification-driven goals for hair care include creating products that target biological endpoints such as barrier integrity, sebum regulation, hydration, and inflammation. Product or ingredient efficacy is no longer defined by sensory or visual effects alone, but by the ability to support the underlying biological processes that contribute to a healthier scalp and ultimately, healthier hair.
The Science Behind the Scalp
The increased focus on scalp health is fueling demand for skincare-grade actives, such as hyaluronic acid, collagen, peptides, and probiotics, in hair and scalp care. However, re-evaluating skincare ingredients for scalp care functions requires a thorough understanding of the scalp’s unique biology and its impact on product absorption and efficacy. Assuming a proven skincare active will perform the same way on the scalp as it would on facial skin presents a significant risk.
“Compared to facial skin, the scalp presents distinct biological challenges that influence ingredient performance, such as altered barrier properties, increased sebaceous activity, and heightened immune responses. These factors affect penetration, bioavailability, and biological responses,” shares Genemarkers’ Founder and CEO, Anna Langerveld, PhD.
Because of these differences, even well-characterized skincare actives may behave differently when applied to the scalp. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid, for example, are frequently included in skincare formulations to boost hydration. However, glycerin’s small molecular size allows for more effective penetration of the scalp tissue, whereas hyaluronic acid may deliver more limited benefits depending on formulation and molecular weight. Including targeted scalp-specific testing in early product development can reduce the likelihood of discovering performance differences in late-stage development, or even post-launch, which can lead to costly reformulations.
Biomarker Testing for Scalp Care Ingredients
Confirming that an ingredient impacts targeted endpoints, such as barrier integrity, sebum regulation, and inflammation is crucial for creating effective scalp care formulations. High-throughput biomarker analysis is a valuable technology for validating safety and efficacy, and measuring mechanisms of action for scalp care ingredients and formulations.
Biomarker analysis (also commonly referred to by terms such as biomarker testing, gene and protein expression analysis, and molecular testing) is an essential tool used in the consumer product and personal care industries to evaluate how ingredients and formulations affect skin biology at the molecular level. Rather than relying solely on visual assessments or consumer perception studies, biomarker testing measures quantifiable changes in specific genes, proteins, and signaling pathways that are directly linked to biological endpoints.
In scalp care, biomarker testing measures gene and protein expression to provide insights into how an ingredient or formulation interacts with scalp-specific cells or scalp skin. By establishing a connection between a given ingredient and one or more measurable biological responses, biomarker analysis provides objective, reproducible evidence to support efficacy claims and guide formulation decisions.
Advantages of Biomarker Testing:
- Mechanistic Insight: Reveal how ingredients and formulations influence key scalp health pathways to confirm the mechanisms of action in scalp tissue, rather than relying on visual responses alone.
- Efficacy Validation: Provide quantifiable evidence that compounds and ingredient blends are delivering meaningful biological effects on the scalp to support efficacy claims and help differentiate actives based on demonstrated performance.
- Early Safety Assessment: Identify early signs of irritation, inflammation, or barrier disruption to reduce development risk before clinical testing or formulation scale-up.
Biomarker Testing in Action: EXFOLACTIVEⓇ from SILAB
Many ingredient manufacturers and personal care brands are already applying biomarker insights to validate skincare actives for scalp-specific use. EXFOLACTIVEⓇ, an active ingredient developed by the ingredient manufacturer SILAB, was originally designed to exfoliate and hydrate facial skin by supporting desquamation, a part of healthy skin renewal where the outermost skin cells are shed from the surface. New data published in November 2025 by Cosmetics & Toiletries reveals how these benefits could be expanded to include scalp applications. In their research, SILAB found that lotions containing 0.5% EXFOLACTIVEⓇ increased a highly relevant biomarker for scalp health, Kallilrein-5 (KLK-5), by 74% in Caucasian volunteers. KLK-5 is a serine protease involved in desquamation that plays a critical role in reducing flakes and maintaining a healthy scalp.
This type of biomarker-driven validation illustrates how skincare-grade actives can be evaluated for performance in the scalp. Rather than assuming efficacy based on skin data alone, ingredient developers can generate targeted biological evidence to support new applications, reduce development risk, and strengthen efficacy claims. This approach is essential as skinification reshapes hair and scalp formulation strategies.
Turning Scalp Science into Measurable Results with Genemarkers
“By measuring changes in scalp-relevant gene and protein expression in 2D in vitro cell models and ex vivo human scalp tissues, Genemarkers enables ingredient developers and formulators to validate biological efficacy and generate mechanistic insights linking molecular responses to compound performance. This data enables researchers to make informed development decisions and mitigate downstream risk prior to clinical testing,” Genemarkers’ Senior Technical Sales Manager, Jocelyn Kearsley shares.
Genemarkers is a leading contract testing laboratory that works collaboratively with brands and ingredient manufacturers to address scalp-specific research questions. Each project begins with a comprehensive consultation with members of our scientific team, where our scientists and technical experts will help you to identify relevant study endpoints and select gene and protein biomarkers to deliver data that reflects key biological processes. Genemarkers acts as an extension of your scientific team to design and execute a relevant, robust, and reproducible study.
For ingredient developers navigating the skinification movement, working with Genemarkers means gaining early clarity to reduce uncertainty and ensure skincare-derived actives deliver meaningful scalp care benefits. Request a free consultation and quote to learn how you can incorporate biomarker research into your scalp care development.