Established in 1976, Mase International Marketing Services started off as a distributor of hair colour products. Over the years, the company has grown to become a leading distributor of cosmetics and toiletries products in Asia. Mase places great emphasis on innovation in Research & Development (R&D) in its hair products and is the only Singapore SME in this field with an R&D facility focusing primarily on hair dyes and hair growth formulations.

Hair colour products have evolved to meet the changing needs of the market. Increasingly consumers are looking for products with gentler formulations to reduce hair damage. With these insights in mind, Mase engaged the services of IPI to source for alternative hair dyeing methods to cater to this growing niche of customers. 

After understanding Mase’s requirements, IPI assisted Mase in identifying and assessing relevant technology partners to accelerate their in-house R&D efforts. Through IPI’s technology matching service, Mase successfully partnered the School of Chemical & Life Sciences at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) to embark on a research collaboration to develop a novel dye ingredient. The collaboration is expected to create a new range of hair dye products that are gentle on the hair and retains colour for a longer period.

In total, Mase has saved 18 months had they undertaken their project on their own.

Ng Ling Ching, Director, Mase International Marketing Services said, “IPI was instrumental in finding the right research partner to complement our in-house research activities. Through IPI’s facilitation, we are glad to have saved substantial time and effort to look for the right research partner. The research collaboration with NYP will also accelerate our product innovation cycle.”