Flake off

Discover the truth behind the dandruff shampoo commercial and if their promise of making flakes go away holds up.

Written byPhil Plait
| 1 min read
Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Last night, I was watching TV, and a dandruff shampoo commercial came on. The usual advertising slickness ensued, and then they had their tagline: "Our shampoo makes flakes go away". I really, really wish that were true. I can think of a lot of flakes I'd use it on.

Meet the Author

More on Discover
Chankillo site in South America with the Milky Way above
The Earliest-Known Astronomical Observatory in the Americas May Offer New Insights
blue one-celled organisms
One-Celled Organisms Laid the Foundations for Complex Life — Here's How
How many satellites are circling Earth? A cluster of satellites orbiting Earth
About 15,000 Satellites Are Circling Earth — And They’re Disrupting the Sky
Illustration of end-Ordovician marine life before extinction
444-Million-Year-Old Microscopic Fossils Reveal Early Seafloor Recovery After Mass Extinction
RGB image of the ring nebula
A Hidden Iron Bar Has Been Uncovered Inside the Ring Nebula
the white skull of a common rat on a black background
Giant Rats Grew 14 Times Larger Than Their Mainland Relatives 650,000 Years Ago, but Their Brains Did Not
Cheetah in the wild
Ancient Mummified Cheetahs Found in Saudi Caves Rewrite the Species’ History — and Its Future
space, stars, galaxies, and black holes captured in an image from JWST
The Universe’s Mysterious Little Red Dots Are Young Black Holes
replica of a Homo habilis skull
A 2-Million-Year-Old Skeleton Shows Early Humans Were Still Built for the Trees
t. rex fossil in a museum
Tyrannosaurus Rex Took 40 Years to Grow Up, Fossil Bones Reveal
Iron Age sampled teeth from different views
2,500-Year-Old Iron Age Teeth Reveal How Ancient Childhoods and Diets Unfolded
Illustration of bacteriophages attacking E. coli
Bacteria-Killing Viruses Turn into Better Antibiotic Fighters in Space

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe