For decades, people with curly or tightly coiled hair have faced the same challenge: how to achieve sleek, straight styles without damaging their hair. Traditional straightening treatments often rely on harsh chemicals, including formaldehyde, thioglycolates, and sodium hydroxide. While effective, these substances often come with serious downsides—scalp irritation, lasting damage to hair fibers, and even exposure to potentially toxic fumes. The beauty industry has long searched for a safer alternative.
Polyphenol Factory, a Korean beauty-tech startup, believes it has found the answer. At CES 2026, the company will present Grabity StraightMAX, a hair-straightening technology powered by naturally derived polyphenols. Unlike chemical relaxers, StraightMAX does not break the hair’s internal disulfide bonds. Instead, it uses plant-based polyphenol polymers to coat the hair surface with an invisible layer. When heated and dried, this external layer reshapes the hair shaft, transforming even tight curls into smooth, straight styles in just one or two uses.
What makes StraightMAX especially innovative is its dual capability. The same molecular principle that straightens hair can also be reversed to create waves or soft curls, turning it into a versatile styling platform. The result is sleek, shiny hair that remains soft and natural to the touch—far from the stiff, brittle results of conventional treatments. Importantly, the effect lasts until the next shampoo, meaning users can enjoy professional results at home without committing to permanent change.
Hair straightening has been dominated by salon perms and keratin treatments. These methods require long sessions of professional application. StraightMAX sidesteps all of these issues. Application is simple: depending on hair type, users can choose between a spray for looser curls or a cream for very tight, water-repellent hair. After applying and drying, the hair holds its new shape without extra effort and keeps a natural texture (unlike when using gels).
Professor Haeshin Lee of KAIST
The technology builds on more than a decade of research by Professor Haeshin Lee of KAIST, one of the world’s top scientists in bio-inspired materials. His lab has pioneered adhesives inspired by marine mussels, which can bond even in wet conditions. That same principle now powers StraightMAX’s polyphenol coating, enabling it to attach securely to hair despite the presence of water. The polyphenols themselves are sustainably sourced from agricultural by-products such as walnut shells and green tea leaves, giving the product an eco-friendly dimension.
Polyphenol Factory is no stranger to consumer success. Its first product, Grabity anti-hair-loss shampoo, became a sensation in Korea, selling 1.4 million bottles within a year of launch and topping charts at Olive Young (a cosmetic chain) and Naver (Korea’s leading search engine). The company has since expanded internationally to Japan, the U.S., Taiwan, and Europe.
With StraightMAX, it is targeting markets where curly hair is most prevalent—North and Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia—positioning the product as a safer, sustainable alternative to long-entrenched chemical straightening.
By combining cutting-edge biomaterials science with consumer-friendly design, StraightMAX points toward a future where beauty routines can be both effective and safe.
Filed in . Read more about CES, CES 2026, Healthcare and Korea.
