Keratin doesn’t exist in a single form — it’s made up of multiple chains that organize into protofibrils and then microfibrils.
These organized fibers are surrounded by an amorphous keratin matrix, forming the main structural layers of the hair: the medulla, the cortex (length), and the cuticle.The structure of keratin is shaped by disulfide bonds, along with salt bridges and hydrophobic interactions. These bonds determine whether keratin becomes a structured fibril or remains in an amorphous (non-structured) state. While the medulla contains mostly amorphous keratin, the cortex and cuticle consist of protofibrils, microfibrils, and fibrils.
Importantly, the hair’s structure is influenced not just by the presence of amino acids, but by their proportion, arrangement, and the way they interact within the keratin matrix.
Even though the amino acid composition stays the same, keratin can take on different structural forms — fibrillar or amorphous — depending on how those amino acids are organized.Mimicking keratin is complex, because it’s not just about copying its components, but replicating its entire structure. And since the amino acids are already tightly bound within keratin chains, their bioavailability is naturally low, making true biomimicry a scientific challenge.
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