Let Your Hair Color Do the Talking

STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Would a blonde or a brunette appear more presidential? Would you sooner trust a brown- or blonde-haired surgeon? Would a redhead make a loyal employee?

The Clairol haircolor team recently posed these and other questions to over 1,000 women (ages 18 plus) nationwide to gauge the influence of hair color on personality perceptions. The results show that blondes are overwhelmingly perceived as fun and flirty, brunettes as smart and serious and redheads as strong.

"Hair color is more than just an element of outward appearance - every shade has a distinct personality," explains Brad Johns, celebrity colorist and Global Color Director for Clairol. "When a woman colors her hair, she is choosing not only a particular shade but the attitude and image that go with it."

    Specific findings for the Clairol survey include:

    THE COLOR OF POLITICS:
     -- Tight race:  When asked to predict what hair color they believed the
        first female president would have, survey respondents split their vote
        between brunette and blonde. Interestingly, when Clairol asked the
        same question in a 2002 and 2004 survey, the majority of women
        believed the first female president would be a brunette.

    A COLORFUL JOB HUNT:
     -- Looking for that "in" for your next interview? Seventy-six percent of
        women believe brunette is the best hair color for making a good
        impression on an interview. Blonde came in second (12 percent) and red
        last (three percent).

     -- CEOs prefer ... Brunettes! Sixty-seven percent of women said if they
        were a CEO and could hire only one person based on their hair color,
        they would hire a brunette. Thirteen percent of women chose redheads
        and eight percent chose blondes.

    THE BEAUTIFUL BLONDE:
     -- Sex appeal ... Flirty blonde icons clearly still hold influence, as
        more than half of women polled said blonde is the hair color men find
        sexiest on a woman. Half of women surveyed also chose blonde as the
        most seductive hair color.

     -- Blondes still have more fun ... More than half of women surveyed
        reported that they believe blonde is the most fun-loving hair color.

    THE BRILLIANT BRUNETTE:
     -- Seriously speaking ... More than three quarters of women surveyed said
        they associate brunettes with being the most serious. Fifty-six
        percent also reported that brunette signals the most confidence.

     -- Trust me, I'm a doctor ... Seventy-seven percent of respondents said
        that a brunette doctor would appear the most trustworthy to them.
        Seventy-two percent of women find brunette to also be the most
        trustworthy hair color in general.

    LADIES IN RED:
     -- They mean business ... Redheads were voted most intimidating by half
        of respondents.

     -- If only for a day ... The majority of women surveyed said that if they
        could change their hair color for a day, they would choose to go red.

About P&G Beauty (NYSE: PG)

P&G Beauty products help make beauty dreams real and grooming enjoyable everyday for millions of women and men worldwide. With more than 100 brands available in nearly 130 countries, P&G Beauty delivered sales of more than $22 billion in fiscal year 2006/07, making it a leading global beauty company. P&G Beauty offers trusted brands with leading technology to meet the full complement of beauty and grooming needs, including Pantene(R), Olay(R), Head and Shoulders(R), Max Factor(R), Cover Girl(R), DDF(R), Sassoon Professional(R), Wellaflex(R), Rejoice(R), Sebastian Professional(R), Herbal Essences(R), Koleston(R), Clairol Professional(R), Nice 'n Easy(R), Venus(R), Gillette(R), SK-II(R), Wella Professionals(R), Christina Aguilera fragrance, Escada(R), Hugo(R), Boss(R) and Lacoste(R) fragrances. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G (NYSE: PG) and its brands.