Assessment on General Parameters for Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Shampoo

Shampoo in India was derived from the Hindi word champi meaning hair massage. The introduction of shampoo in India dates back to the British reign in the country. Being a recent development the growth of shampoo or rather the penetration levels of shampoo in the India has been commendable. The shampoo market in India is estimated to be 2,500-3,000 crore. The shampoo market is India is categorized according to the benefits they provide. Mostly consisting of three kinds of shampoos cosmetic, herbal and anti dandruff, the shampoo market in India has managed to tap users of the various segments according to their requirements and preferences. Due to the continuous efforts of the top shampoo brands in India penetration of shampoos in urban areas is almost 100%. As far as penetration of shampoo in the rural areas is concerned it has risen by almost 18% in the current scenario. The market research shows upward trend in the herbal shampoo trade playing a major role in fuelling this world wide demand for herbals. The recent interest of consumers in herbal shampoos has been stimulated by the decline of faith in modern shampoos, the belief that plant remedies were natural and thereby superior to man-made synthetic shampoos. These reasons have contributed to the increased acceptance as well as manufacture of herbal shampoos. Many herbs have been scientifically evaluated for its shampoo properties. Similarly there is a lack of scientific review on formulation and evaluation parameters for herbal shampoo preparations. This review attempts to fill up this gap and emphasizes the need for safety evaluation of herbal shampoos.