Rowan & Thistle

PLATE No. 032

Ingredient Collection

Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein

Hydrolyzed Keratin

Illustrated plate for Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein: a woolly domestic sheep, a tuft of curly cream wool, a single wool fiber magnified to show its scaled surface, and an amber pool of hydrolyzed keratin.

Figure Key

  • Fig. 1 Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries)
  • Fig. 2 Sheep Wool
  • Fig. 3 Wool Fiber, Magnified
  • Fig. 4 Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein

The Ingredient

Hydrolyzed Keratin is a protein derived from sheep's wool and used to help strengthen and protect hair. Keratin is also one of the main proteins naturally found in human hair. By breaking the wool keratin into much smaller pieces, it becomes useful in hair care, where it can help improve strength and elasticity and reduce the breakage associated with damaged or weakened hair.

From Plant to Ingredient

  1. Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein, step 1 — Sheep Wool: a soft tuft of curly cream sheep's wool.

    1. Sheep Wool

    Sheep's wool is naturally rich in keratin, the strong fibrous protein that gives wool much of its structure and resilience.

  2. Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein, step 2 — Wool Fiber, Magnified: a single wool fiber magnified to show its overlapping scales.

    2. Wool Fiber, Magnified

    Up close, a wool fiber reveals overlapping outer scales surrounding a structure built largely from keratin protein.

  3. Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein, step 3 — Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein: a glossy amber pool of the protein.

    3. Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein

    The keratin from wool is broken into much smaller protein fragments through a process called hydrolysis, creating the liquid hydrolyzed keratin used in hair care.

Why We Chose It

Hair is made largely from keratin, so this protein has a particularly interesting relationship with the hair itself. Hydrolyzed Keratin helps support hair's strength and elasticity, making it especially useful for strands weakened by chemical processing, coloring, heat, or everyday wear. We use it to help hair feel stronger and more resilient rather than simply coating it for temporary softness.

What You'll Notice

  • Stronger-Feeling Hair — Helps reinforce weakened strands so hair feels more resilient.
  • Less Breakage — Helps improve strength and elasticity, reducing the tendency of weakened hair to break.
  • Better Elasticity — Helps hair better withstand stretching and everyday stress.
  • Support for Damaged Hair — Especially useful for hair weakened by chemical processing and other sources of damage.

Botanical Profile

Scientific Name
Hydrolyzed Keratin
INCI Name
Water, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Butylene Glycol
Plant Part Used
Not plant-derived.
Final Ingredient
Liquid Protein
Origin
USA

A Closer Look

“Hydrolyzed” simply means that a large protein has been broken into smaller pieces. Keratin in wool exists as a large, tough structural protein—the same family of protein that gives human hair much of its strength. Breaking that keratin into smaller fragments changes it from the structural material you see in a wool fiber into an ingredient that can be used in hair care.

Products Featuring Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein Featured In

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