Pantene Introduces Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural, a New Hair Care Collection Created Exclusively For Women of Color

Unique Line of Shampoos, Conditioners, Hairdressings and Stylers Are Enriched with Essential Oils to Deliver Strong, Healthy Hair that Shines

Grounded in the philosophy that healthy hair is the foundation to beautiful hair, Pantene®, the world's leading hair care brand, is proud to announce the launch of Pantene® Pro-V® Relaxed & Natural, a new hair care collection created to meet the unique needs of women of color.

Whether chemically relaxed, color-treated or natural, the Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural collection is specially designed to help keep all hair types strong and healthy. The collection combines the most advanced Pro-Vitamin technology with essential oils and moisturizing conditioners to help keep African American and Caribbean American hair strong and healthy today, tomorrow and the next day.

"We are thrilled that the time has come to bring the Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural collection to launch. Women of color have a distinct set of hair care needs and Pantene has spent years of research and development creating a collection specially designed to deliver the optimal moisturization and strength benefits they need and want," said Scott Rogers, Marketing Director for Pantene.

Good-Bye Dry: Unique Formulas Helps Seal in Moisture

High levels of natural dryness can lead to hair care headaches for many women of color. In fact, 86% of women of color say that their hair is hard to style when it is too dry and 83% report that their hair needs oils to soften and moisturize it.

The new Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural collection transforms dry, fragile hair into strong, healthy hair that shines. Its unique formulas address the dry hair needs of women of color by blending the best of the brand's traditional Pro-Vitamin technology (to provide strength) with the essential oils such as jojoba seed oil and coconut oil (to provide hydration) to help seal in moisture and keep hair soft and manageable. In addition, the collection utilizes moisturizing conditioners that deeply penetrate into the areas where it is needed most to help prevent damage and reduce frizz and breakage.

Hello Healthy Hair: New Collection Transforms the Health of Your Hair

An astounding 65% of women of color say that their hair is not as healthy as they would like it to be. The new Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural collection offers women a collection of five unique products designed to help deliver the healthier, stronger hair women of color desire:

- Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Intensive Moisturizing Shampoo gently cleans away product build up while sealing in moisture and replenishing essential oils. Its patented formula utilizes petrolatum, a natural organic moisturizing ingredient, to provide two times better damage protection than our regular shampoo while keeping hair soft, manageable and shiny. This breakthrough formula hydrates hair and scalp with every wash to help improve scalp health with continued use. In addition, the Intensive Moisturizing Shampoo is pH balanced to leave hair and scalp feeling clean and moisturized with every use.

- Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Intensive Moisturizing Conditioner utilizes deep moisturizing ingredients to deliver superior detangling benefits against the leading competition. The unique formula works at the critical moment -- as you condition your hair in the sink or shower -- to seal in moisture and insulate every hair strand for easier combing with reduced frizz and breakage. Its advanced formula penetrates deep down to deliver conditioning ingredients to the dry/damaged areas where it is needed most to help seal in moisture and keep hair strong, healthy and shiny.

- Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Conditioning Wrap & Set Lotion is specially designed to help hold wraps or sets in place for long-lasting style with soft hold. Ideal for wet, freshly shampooed hair or for a dry style that needs to be refreshed between shampoos, the new wrap and set lotion contains conditioning ingredients to help prevent tangling, hair damage and split ends. Its lightweight formula conditions without weighing hair down.

- Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer helps keep hair soft, manageable and strong. A leave-in cream designed for daily use, its unique formula provides protection against damage while sealing in moisture to transform hair into strong, healthy hair that shines. Its unique formula penetrates deep down to deliver moisture to the dry/damaged areas where it is needed most to help transform hair from scalp to ends.

- Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Intensive Oil Sheen Spray helps keep hair shiny without weighing it down. Its aerosol formula can be used daily to finish off any hair style while providing the sheen you want while keeping it soft, strong and manageable. Its unique formula also helps prevent tangling, hair damage and split-ends.

The Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural collection is available nationwide at drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers beginning in March 2003. The collection can be found in the hair care aisle next to all other Pantene products. Suggested retail prices range from $3.99 to $4.69.

The Pantene Pro-V line now includes seven customized collections to help provide all women with beautiful, healthy hair: Volumizing Collection, Smoothing Collection, Curls Collection, Color Care Collection, Basic Care Collection, Daily Moisture Renewal Collection and Relaxed & Natural Collection.