Hair Color Research Articles

The biochemistry of melanogenesis: an insight into the function and mechanism of melanogenesis-related proteins.

Melanin is an amino acid derivative produced by melanocyte through a series of enzymatic reactions using tyrosinase as substrate. Human skin and hair color is also closely related to melanin, so understanding the mechanisms and proteins that produce melanin is very important. There are many proteins involved in the process of melanin expression, For example, proteins involved in melanin formation such as p53, HNF-1α (Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α), SOX10 (Sry-related HMg-Box gene 10) and pax3 (paired box gene 3), MC1R(Melanocortin 1 Receptor), MITF (Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor), TYR (tyrosinase), TYRP1 (tyrosinase-related protein-1), TYRP2 (tyrosinase-related protein-2), and can be regulated by changing their content to control the production rate of melanin. Others, such as OA1 (ocular albinism type 1), Par-2 (protease-activated receptor 2) and Mlph (Melanophilin), have been found to control the transfer rate of melanosomes from melanocytes to keratinocytes, and regulate the amount of human epidermal melanin to control the depth of human skin color. In addition to the above proteins, there are other protein families also involved in the process of melanin expression, such as BLOC, Rab and Rho. This article reviews the origin of melanocytes, the related proteins affecting melanin and the basic causes of related gene mutations. In addition, we also summarized the active ingredients of 5 popular whitening cosmetics and their mechanisms of action.

Acetyl zingerone methyl ether protects hair against oxidative damage incurred during and after treatment with permanent dyes and helps extend longevity of newly developed hair colour.

Use of permanent hair dyes causes unintended oxidative damage during the short time frame of the dyeing process that leads to perceivable changes in the feel, manageability and appearance of hair. Moreover, after hair has been dyed, regular exposure to the sun as a key environmental stressor continues to stimulate additional oxidative damage and to induce newly developed hair colours to fade prematurely or undergo changes in colour quality. To document the utility of acetyl zingerone methyl ether (MAZ) as a newly designed haircare ingredient to afford extra protection against oxidative damage and safeguard the integrity of hair colour. We demonstrate that MAZ is compatible chemically with the high alkaline conditions required for the colouring process and from theoretical calculations preferentially binds Fe and Cu ions relative to Ca or Zn ions. In model Fenton reactions MAZ effectively chelated active redox metals (Fe and Cu ions) in the presence of excess Ca+2 ions to inhibit the production of hydroxyl radicals, and in separate studies, MAZ neutralized singlet oxygen with greater efficiency than α-tocopherol by a factor of 2.5. When mixed into permanent dyes prior to hair tress application, MAZ significantly reduced combing forces, and SEM images led to substantial reductions in visual signs of surface damage. In a 28-day clinical study, relative to controls, mixing MAZ into hair dyes prior to application interfered neither with colour development nor with ability to cover grey hair and led to significant improvements in perceived attributes associated with hair's condition immediately following the dyeing process. Over a 28-day maintenance phase, especially between Day 14 and Day 28, continued use of shampoo and conditioner containing MAZ significantly preserved gloss measurements and hair colour in terms of longevity and colour quality as remaining desired and fresh compared to use of control shampoo and conditioner. This work establishes MAZ as a next-generation hair care ingredient for use in permanent dyes to attenuate oxidative damage and in shampoos and conditioners to promote longevity of hair colour and to maintain overall health and appearance of hair on a daily basis.

Defending Deepfakes by Saliency-Aware Attack

With the rapid development of deep learning, especially the generative adversarial network (GAN), face modification has been substantially advanced and enables the generated images to look more realistic. Given an image or a video frame of a person, such a system can create fake images, which manipulates the movement, expression, and even appearance, e.g., hair color, eye color, and age. Such a system is termed Deepfake, which has raised significant ethical issues, especially for celebrities. With the pretrained Deepfake models being widely available on the Internet, its negative applications, such as face manipulation and pornographic generation, have exposed the dark side of the Deepfake technology to the sociocyber world. In this article, we aim to defend a well-trained Deepfake model by manipulating the raw image with unperceived perturbation. To minimize the alterations to the original image while effectively fooling the Deepfake model, we propose to selectively perturb only the foreground person region and maintain the irrelevant background. This is based on the observation that the salient object in a person’s image is always the foreground face region. Such a strategy introduces negligible alterations to the original image, which makes the attack remain effective. We experimentally demonstrate the superiority of the proposed attacking framework over the existing models and show our approach is ready to be applied for out-of-the-box development.

Thin Amelanotic and Hypomelanotic Melanoma: Clinicopathological and Dermoscopic Features.

Background and Objectives: Amelanotic/hypomelanotic melanomas (AHMs) account for 2-8% of all cutaneous melanomas. Due to their clinical appearance and the lack of specific dermoscopic indicators, AHMs are challenging to diagnose, particularly in thinner cutaneous lesions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinicopathological and dermoscopic features of thin AHMs. Identifying the baseline clinical-pathological features and dermoscopic aspects of thin AHMs is crucial to better understand this entity. Materials and Methods: We divided the AHM cohort into two groups based on Breslow thickness: thin (≤1.00 mm) and thick (>1.00 mm). This stratification helped identify any significant clinicopathological differences between the groups. For dermoscopic analysis, we employed the "pattern analysis" approach, which involves a simultaneous and subjective assessment of different criteria. Results: Out of the 2.800 melanomas analyzed for Breslow thickness, 153 were identified as AHMs. Among these, 65 patients presented with thin AHMs and 88 with thick AHMs. Red hair color and phototype II were more prevalent in patients with thin AHMs. The trunk was the most common anatomic site for thin AHMs. Patients with thin AHMs showed a higher number of multiple melanomas. Dermoscopic analysis revealed no significant difference between thin AHMs and thick AHMs, except for a more frequent occurrence of residual reticulum in thin AHMs. Conclusions: Thin AHMs typically affect individuals with lower phototypes and red hair color. These aspects can be related to the higher presence of pheomelanin, which provides limited protection against sun damage. This also correlates with the fact that the trunk, a site commonly exposed to intermittent sun exposure, is the primary anatomical location for thin AHMs. Multiple primary melanomas are more common in patients with thin AHMs, likely due to an intrinsic predisposition as well as greater periodic dermatologic follow-ups in this class of patients. Apart from the presence of residual reticulum, no other significant dermoscopic differences were observed, complicating the differential diagnosis between thin and thick AHMs based on dermoscopy alone.

Being different: what it means to be a person with albinism in Nigeria

Persons with albinism experience visual impairments and have unusually white hair and skin colour. In Nigeria, they face social disadvantages due to misconceptions about albinism, which create barriers to equal participation in education, employment, and society. This study explored the life stories of persons with albinism in Nigeria to understand the meanings they ascribe to their experiences. Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, forty-two interviews were conducted with eleven persons with albinism. ‘Being Different’ emerged as the main theme representing the life experiences of persons with albinism in Nigeria from childhood to adulthood. Participants expressed ‘Being Different’ through subthemes such as ‘being in a tug of war’, ‘disadvantaging schooling system’, and ‘suffering double tragedy’. The study concludes that strongly enforcing anti-discrimination laws, promoting inclusive education, and regularly educating the public about albinism can significantly reduce the negative effects of ‘Being Different’ in Nigeria.

Association Between Natural Hair Color, Race, and Alopecia.

Limited epidemiologic data has suggested direct associations between hair pigment, race, and incidence of alopecia areata (AA). Here, we examine the relationship between natural hair color, race, and the lifetime risk alopecia. In this case-control study, we included UK Biobank patients of all races and self-reported hair color with diagnoses of AA, androgenetic alopecia (AGA), or scarring alopecia (SA). Multivariable logistic regression was used to detect differences in lifetime risk. Findings reveal a significantly increased risk of AA among individuals with black hair compared to dark brown hair (OR 1.71 [95% CI 1.22-2.38], p < 0.001). Those with red or blonde hair showed a decreased risk of AA (0.74 [0.56-0.97]; 0.62 [0.41-0.95], p < 0.05). No racial differences in AA prevalence were observed among individuals with black hair. Darker hair colors may be associated with a higher risk of AA, lighter hair colors with a lower risk, and differences in hair color could contribute to previously noted racial variations in AA incidence, potentially influencing dermatologists' perspectives on the disease's epidemiology.

Anomalous fur colouration in eight small mammal species from Türkiye

In mammals, hair and skin colour play crucial roles in concealing individuals from predators, facilitating communication within and between species, and contributing to essential physiological functions like thermoregulation. However, certain individuals exhibit abnormal colouration patterns due to either an excess (melanism) or deficiency (albinism, leucism, or piebaldism) in melanin production. Despite the prevalence of chromatic disorders in mammals, instances of species displaying colour anomalies remain infrequent. Here, we report the occurrence of colour anomalies in eight small mammal species (Microtus hartingi, M. dogramacii, M. schidlovskii, M. levis, Mus macedonicus, Sorex sp., Apodemus sp., Nannospalax sp.). In some specimens with colour abnormalities (M. hartingi, M. schidlovskii and M. dogramacii), species identification was confirmed by molecular analysis (cyt b gene region). An individual of M. dogramacii exhibiting colour anomaly was compared with the M. dogramacii species displaying normal colouration through multivariate morphometric analysis and was found to be in the normal range for the species.

Genomic analysis links the American mink Royal pastel coat phenotype to retroviral element type 1 insertion in the HPS3 gene.

To date, only 10 of the more than 30 fur colours that had been observed in American mink (Neogale vison) have been linked to specific genes. The Royal pastel fur colour is part of a large family of brownish colours that are quite similar to one another, making breeding and selecting processes more difficult. Here we carried out whole-genome sequencing of five American minks with Royal pastel (b/b) phenotypes originating from two distinct mink populations. We identified an insertion of endogenous retroviral element type 1 (ERV1) into the first intron of the gene encoding the HPS3 protein, which regulates the trafficking of tyrosinase-containing vesicles to maturing melanosomes. With Cas9-targeted nanopore sequencing, we reconstructed the full-length sequence of the 11.7 Kb ERV1 insertion and observed hypermethylation that spread to the HPS3 gene promoter region. These findings highlight the role of HPS3 in the formation of melanosomes and melanin, as well as the genetic process regulating the intensity and spectrum of hair colour. Moreover, in mink breeding projects, these data are also useful for tracking economically important fur qualities.

WHEN HAIR TALKS: HOW HAIRSTYLES INFLUENCE THE PERSONALITY OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE K-DRAMA ADAPTATION OF THE WEBTOON PERFECT MARRIAGE REVENGE

Hair plays a crucial role in a woman's identity, serving both aesthetic and expressive purposes, and often reflecting personality traits (Cunningham et al., 1997). This study explores the changes of stereotypes associated with hair types and colors in the Korean drama adaptation entitled Perfect Marriage Revenge from a Webtoon series. Using Hutcheon's (2013) adaptation theory and Cunningham et al.'s (1997) insights on hair and personality, The research examines how haircolors in the drama adaptation differs from the original Webtoon series and how it affects the character’ss personality. Cunningham et al. (1997) suggested that hair colors influences characteristics: blonde hair is seen as feminine, attractive, and emotional, while brunette hair is linked to intelligence and structure. This qualitative study analyzes visual and textual data from both the Webtoon and K-Drama, employing a comparative method to identify differences in hairstyles and character portrayals. Findings reveal that Han Yi Joo's character undergoes a transformation influenced by changes in hair color in both the original and adapted works. The changes also happen in the personality of the same character, which means that the adaptation version takes in to account both hair color and its stereotype.

Investigation of the Perception of Facial Image Changes according to Skin Tone and Hair Color among Female College Students in Their 20s

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether facial images can be perceived differently by changing skin tone and hair color among female college students in their 20s, and to provide objective data for selecting hair color suitable for skin tone.Methods: Surveys were conducted for female college students in their 20s to evaluate images regarding general characteristics and stimuli that altered skin tone and hair color. SPSS 25.0 statistical program was used to analyze the collected data, and frequency analysis and cross-tabulation analysis were performed.Results: Following the analysis of the change of facial images according to hair color by skin tone, it was found that the lighter the skin tone, various facial images were formed according to the brightness of the skin tone. However, the darker the skin tone, the more it is focused on the skin tone itself rather than the change in hair color. Regarding the change in facial images based on skin tone based on hair color, it was observed that dark matogany hair color formed various facial images depending on the skin tone, while other hair colors formed similar patterns of images regardless of skin tone.Conclusion: The study analyzed the perception of facial image changes according to skin tone and hair color to provide objective data for selecting the right hair color for skin tone.

Molecular Basis of MC1R Activation: Mutation-Induced Alterations in Structural Dynamics.

The MC1R protein is a receptor found in melanocytes that plays a role in melanin synthesis. Mutations in this protein can impact hair color, skin tone, tanning ability, and increase the risk of skin cancer. The MC1R protein is activated by the alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). Previous studies have shown that mutations affect the interaction between MC1R and α-MSH; however, the mechanism behind this process is poorly understood. Our study aims to shed light on this mechanism using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to analyze the Asp84Glu and Asp294His variants. We simulated both the wild-type (WT) protein and the mutants with and without ligand. Our results reveal that mutations induce unique conformations during state transitions, hindering the switch between active and inactive states and decreasing cellular levels of cAMP. Interestingly, Asp294His showed increased ligand affinity but decreased protein activity, highlighting that tighter binding does not always lead to increased activation. Our study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of MC1R mutations on protein activity.

미용전공자들을 위한 퍼스널컬러 이미지메이킹 교육프로그램 교수·학습안 개발

This study attempted to suggest basic training data for image making, which are needed to acquire personal color theories and technical aspects and improve job performances for the students majoring in cosmetology. For this, a training program was developed based on an ADDIE model (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation). First, 27 papers on image-making and personal color-related training programs were analyzed. Then, purposes, goals, modules, specific programs and a training method were designed. Specifically, a total of 7 modules were constructed as follows: Modules 1 handles the understanding of colors and tones while Module 2 covers the concept and types of personal color. Module 3 describes a personal color diagnosis system. In addition, Modules 4 and 5 explain color usage (makeup, hair color) and facial expression &amp; posture respectively while Modules 6 and 7 state manners &amp; communications and breaking inferiority complex &amp; vision setup each. Concerning teaching-learning methods, lectures and practices were designed. In terms of the length of lecture, Modules 1-6 were 2 hours each while Module 7 was 1 hour (13 hours in total). It is anticipated that it would be necessary to execute the training &amp; learning plan specially designed for the students majoring in cosmetology and develop a final training program after assessment and verification.

Antioxidant Properties of Platycladus orientalis Flavonoids for Treating UV-Induced Damage in Androgenetic Alopecia Hair.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) causes thinning hair, but poor hair quality in balding areas and damage from UV radiation have been overlooked. Plant extracts like Platycladus orientalis flavonoids (POFs) may improve hair quality in AGA. This study examines POFs' effectiveness in treating AGA-affected hair and repairing UV-induced damage. Hair samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine surface characteristics, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to measure free radicals in the hair, and spectrophotometry to assess changes in hair properties. POFs effectively removed hydroxyl radicals from keratinocytes and had antioxidant properties. They also reduced UV-induced damage to AGA hair by mitigating the production of melanin free radicals. Following POF treatment, the reduction in peroxidized lipid loss in AGA hair was notable at 59.72%, thereby effectively delaying the progression of hair color change. Moreover, protein loss decreased by 191.1 μ/g and tryptophan loss by 15.03%, ultimately enhancing hair's tensile strength. compared to healthy hair, hair damaged by AGA shows more pronounced signs of damage when exposed to UV radiation. POFs help protect balding hair by reducing oxidative damage and slowing down melanin degradation.

Further Than Fur: Effects of Sex, Body Site, and Season on Hair Color and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Captive Addax nasomaculatus Antelopes

The Addax nasomaculatus is an African antelope currently considered “critically endangered”. There is little scientific knowledge about the species, which could potentially aid in species conservation. The objective of this study was to determine how hair cortisol concentration and hair color vary according to sex, body site, and season across a whole year in zoo-housed addax. The addax population was housed at Parque Lecocq Zoo, Uruguay. Hair samples were taken from the shoulder and rump in autumn, winter, spring, and summer. Hair cortisol concentration in addax varied according to sex, with males exhibiting a higher hair cortisol concentration than females (1.03 ± 0.05 pg/mg vs. 0.91 ± 0.05 pg/mg, p = 0.016, respectively), with these differences being more significant in the spring (p &lt; 0.0001). Hair cortisol concentration varied across seasons (p &lt; 0.0001), with maximum values observed in summer. The color parameters (L*, a*, and b*) varied across seasons (p &lt; 0.0001). The coat was blacker and yellower in winter and whiter in summer. Males had darker and greener hair color than females (p &lt; 0.05). Sex and season-driven variation in hair cortisol concentration and hair color seem to be important elements to consider in relation to thermal comfort and animal welfare in addax, highlighting the warmer seasons as critical.

Syphilis susceptibility factors atlas: A wide-angled Mendelian randomization study

ObjectiveThe pathogenic mechanisms of syphilis and the host defense mechanisms against syphilis remain poorly understood. Exploration of the susceptibility factors of syphilis may provide crucial clues for unraveling its underlying mechanisms. MethodsA two-sample Mendelian Randomization framework was utilized, and the inverse-variance weighted method was used as the main analysis. All data was sourced from Genome-wide association studies datasets from 2015 to 2022 in Europe, and all participants were of European descent. Only summary-level statistics were used. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the heterogeneity and pleiotropy of the datasets. ResultsOur study established 18 exposure factors (12 risk factors and 6 protective factors) for syphilis susceptibility. Twelve factors encompassing body mass index, waist circumference, darker natural skin, cooked vegetable intake, processed meat intake, diabetes mellitus, glucose regulation disorders, gout, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diverticulitis, and longer menstrual cycles were found to increase susceptibility to syphilis. In contrast, 6 factors including easier skin tanning, blonde natural hair color, irritability, higher neuroticism scores, extended sleep duration, and delayed age at first sexual intercourse were connected to a reduced risk of syphilis infection (all P < 0.05). ConclusionsThis study identified 18 influencing factors of syphilis susceptibility. These findings offered novel insights for further probing into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of syphilis and underscored the importance of multifaceted prevention strategies against syphilis.

The influence of cosmetic treatments in the uptake of in vitro cocaine contamination in hair.

Hair analysis is a powerful tool to assess drug use, yet the challenge of external contamination complicates its interpretation. Understanding the influence of cosmetic hair treatments is pivotal as their presence may affect this phenomenon. This study investigated the effects of four cosmetic treatments (bleach, henna, gel, and dry shampoo) on the external in vitro contamination of cocaine and its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BE). Hair samples were divided into four groups: A-hair treated with cosmetics then contaminated; B-hair contaminated then subjected to cosmetic treatment; and C-hair solely contaminated (control group). Negative hair samples (n = 24) were immersed in a cocaine and BE aqueous solution of 1μg/mL for 24 h. All hair samples were analyzed by a LC-MSMS procedure successfully validated according to ANSI/ASB Standard 036 guidelines (limit of quantification at 10pg/mg). Henna in Group A (n = 13) resulted in the most substantial reduction for cocaine (92%), while bleach in Group B (n = 15) showed an 80% decrease. For BE, Group A henna (n = 13) exhibited a 50% reduction, and Group B bleach (n = 15) demonstrated a 71% decrease, all compared to Group C (n = 24). The study found no significant differences concerning hair color (black (n = 3), brown (n = 10), red (n = 5) and blond (n = 6)) or shape (straight (n = 6), wavy (n = 16), curly (n = 1), and coily (n = 1)). All analysis were performed in triplicate with variations below 20%. These findings emphasize that cosmetic treatments do affect cocaine/BE concentrations in hair when exposed to external contamination, highlighting the importance of considering an individual's cosmetic history prior to interpretation.

Происхождение и лексико-семантическая характеристика цветообозначения ерән ‘рыжий’ в башкирском языке

The article examines the origin, historical development and semantics of the word yeran ‘red’ in the Bashkir language. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in Bashkir linguistics, this color designation is subjected to a comprehensive etymological, comparative historical, and lexico-semantic analysis. During the scientific analysis, it was revealed that the yeran ‘red’ lexeme is characterized by an ancient origin: scientists have restored its proto-Turkic (*jẹgre-n ‘red (about the color of a horse); deer, gazelle, antelope’), proto-Altai (*negre ‘type of deer’) forms. It is established that the first fixation of the word falls on the ancient Turkic period. The word is found in almost all Turkic languages in the meaning of ‘red color of a horse or other animals’, in Kipchak – in the designation of red hair, mustache, beard, in some Turkic languages – as the names of animals ‘roe deer, gazelle, antelope’ (‘roe deer’, ‘gazelle’, ‘antelope’). It is assumed that jagren ‘chestnut’ in the Turkic languages originally meant the color of the horse’s skin, over time the semantics of the word expanded – it began to be applied to the color of human hair, then gradually to all objects of reddish color, reddish hue. In Bashkir, eran, like the reflexes *jẹgre-n in many Turkic languages, functions in the meanings of ‘red (about the suit, about the hair, mustache, beard)’. Related lexemes are found in other Altaic languages: in Korean and Tungusic-Manchurian languages, they are used in the meanings of ‘roe deer’, ‘vazhenka (female reindeer)’. In the Mongolian and Tungusic-Manchu languages, the meaning of the word ‘red horse color’ is a Turkic loan. The Turkic word entered the Russian language as well: Igreny ‘light red (about horse color)’.

Eugenia (Myrtaceae) from Reserva Natural Vale, Espírito Santo, a center of plant endemism in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Eugenia includes ca. 1,100 species worldwide and is the richest angiosperm genus of Brazilian flora with a remarkable biodiversity in the Atlantic Rainforest. In Espírito Santo state, the central-north region conserves the biggest forest fragment and is composed by the lowland coastal forests known as Tabuleiro. Considering the scarcity of studies approaching this vegetation and the high diversity of Eugenia species, this work presents a taxonomic treatment of Eugenia species from Reserva Natural Vale. The study area is located at the municipalities of Linhares and Sooretama, in the northern part of the coastal mesoregion of the state. For the taxonomic treatment, fieldwork was carried out between August 2015 and March 2019 and herbarium collections of BHCB, CVRD, CEPEC, ESA, HRCB, HPL, HUFSJ, ICN, K, MBM, MBML, RB, RBR, SORO, SP, SPF, SPSF, UB, UEC, and VIES were consulted, as well as images of nomenclatural types available online. This work points out the occurrence of 48 species of Eugenia within Reserva Natural Vale, encompassing 48% of the Eugenia species recorded in the Espírito Santo state. Six of them are presented as new occurrences for the reserve (Eugenia arenaria, E. disperma, E. florida, E. handroi, E. pachnantha and E. schottiana); two (E. pachnantha and E. schottiana) are first recorded for the state; E. adenophylla and E. infuscata are described as new. Eugenia adenophylla, E. atlantica, Eugenia cataphyllea, E. flavicarpa, E. hispidiflora, E. ochracea, E. penduliflora, and E. soteriana are endemic to Tabuleiro coastal forest, and E. handroi is the only record for Espírito Santo state. The most useful characters to distinguish the species are hair colours, especially in the floral structures, midvein on the adaxial surface of leaf blades, inflorescence type, connation and persistence of bracteoles, and the presence or absence of indumentum on the flowers’ hypanthia. Furthermore, morphological descriptions, distribution and phenology data, taxonomic comments, species illustrations, and an identification key for the species in the reserve are presented.

Personalized hairstyle and hair color editing based on multi-feature fusion

In the metaverse era, virtual design of hairstyle becomes very popular for personalized aesthetics. As hair design tasks can be decomposed into hair attribute editing and generation, the development of generative adversarial networks (GANs) has significantly prompted its development. The majority of the existing algorithms focus on transferring the overall hair region from one face to another, which ignore fine control over the color and geometric features. Furthermore, these algorithms may result in unnatural generation results. In this paper, we propose a hair modification framework that learns hairstyle information from a reference face mask and color information from a guidance face image. Firstly, the features of the input face image and reference images are extracted through a group of encoders, and then divided into feature vectors of coarse, medium, and fine levels. Secondly, multi-level feature vectors are fused in the latent space using attention-based modulation modules. Finally, the fused feature vector is passed through a StyleGAN generator to generate face images with specified hairstyle and hair color. Experimental results show that the proposed method can finely simulate the hairstyle transition between long and short hair under the constraint of the reference mask, and can produce realistic fusion effects in the hair-covered regions, such as ears, neck, and forehead. Various hair dyeing effects that adapt to personalized characteristics are demonstrated, as facial features including skin color and hair texture are preserved when transferring the hair color.

Melanin for Photoprotection and Hair Coloration in the Emerging Era of Nanocosmetics.

Nanotechnology is revolutionizing fields of high social and economic impact. such as human health preservation, energy conversion and storage, environmental decontamination, and art restoration. However, the possible global-scale application of nanomaterials is raising increasing concerns, mostly related to the possible toxicity of materials at the nanoscale. The possibility of using nanomaterials in cosmetics, and hence in products aimed to be applied directly to the human body, even just externally, is strongly debated. Preoccupation arises especially from the consideration that nanomaterials are mostly of synthetic origin, and hence are often seen as "artificial" and their effects as unpredictable. Melanin, in this framework, is a unique material since in nature it plays important roles that specific cosmetics are aimed to cover, such as photoprotection and hair and skin coloration. Moreover, melanin is mostly present in nature in the form of nanoparticles, as is clearly observable in the ink of some animals, like cuttlefish. Moreover, artificial melanin nanoparticles share the same high biocompatibility of the natural ones and the same unique chemical and photochemical properties. Melanin is hence a natural nanocosmetic agent, but its actual application in cosmetics is still under development, also because of regulatory issues. Here, we critically discuss the most recent examples of the application of natural and biomimetic melanin to cosmetics and highlight the requirements and future steps that would improve melanin-based cosmetics in the view of future applications in the everyday market.