Procter & Gamble Co. has never been one to shy away from going to extremes with research and development to better understand any of their brands and recent efforts for Pantene shampoos and conditioners is no exception. The company assigned market researchers to define in scientific and tangible terms what constitutes a bad hair day for a woman.

Scientists for the company found that women were emotionally affected by which hair products they used feeling less «hostile,» «ashamed,» «nervous,» «guilty» or «jittery,» and at other times they even felt more «excited,» «proud» and «interested.» According to The Wall Street Journal, the results were obtained from 3,400 women, who took part in the survey and told about the emotions they experienced in relation to hair.

The efforts by the company for the product come in the wake of faltering sales during the economic downturn as consumers cut back to essentials on most products. According to Euromonitor, Pantene’s US sales were $812 million in 2009 and exhibited a 9% decrease versus the 3% industry mark.

Dr. Jeni Thomas, a senior scientist for Procter & Gamble stated, «A ‘good hair day’ is the ultimate goal of our work. If you get it right, it’s a huge emotional lift. If you get it wrong, it’s not.»

The company has launched a more simplified product line in an effort to be less confusing to consumers. The new products are four groups and bright coloring is used to highlight the packaging as they found the stark packaging used prior formed a virtual wall of white on the shelves in stores. The selections were pared down from 165 items to 120.