Henkel in North America launches clean, vegan hair care brand

“When our internal incubator team began creating the range, we wanted to ensure the products were as natural as possible without sacrificing performance,” ​says Marina Azizova, Senior Research and Development Director at Better Natured, in this week’s media release about the new brand launch.

Azizova is perhaps best known in the cosmetics and personal care industry for her years of work on the Zotos hair care and hair color brand. At the close of 2017, Henkel acquired Zotos International from Shiseido; and it was at that time Azizova joined the company.

As Henkel CEO Hans Van Bylen told the press in December 2017, the acquisition of Zotos “is part of our strategy to expand our position in attractive markets and categories. It further strengthens our Hair Professional business in the US, the world’s single biggest hair professional market.” ​In recent years, Henkel has also acquired Sexy Hair, Alterna, Kenra, and Nattura Laboratorios along with that company’s Pravana hair brand.

Creating a clean professional hair brand

Azizova and her team at Henkel set out to formulate a professional hair brand with naturally derived ingredients, as defined by ISO Standard 16128, a brand that is regulatorily compliant in Europe and the US, and a portfolio of products that do not contain any of one dozen ingredient “taboos”​: silicones, parabens, SLS/SLES sulfates (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate), petrolatum, mineral oil, phthalates, gluten, animal byproducts, chemical sunscreens, microbeads, BPA, and formaldehyde-releasing agents.

And according to this week’s media release, the initial line from Better Natured is indeed comprised of products formulated with between 86% and 99% naturally derived ingredients.

To do this, says Azizova, “we started the formulation process using just a few active ingredients, and then pulled in the newest high-quality, naturally-derived options available on the market.”​

“Better Natured is about good, clean, fun,” ​she says, invoking the new brand’s trademarked tag line, “and we want consumers to embrace the freedom of knowing that our clean formulas truly perform, so they can be as creative as they want.”​

The brand has launched with a collection of 12 hair care, hair styling, and treatment products; a line of Better Natured color is on track to hit the market this June.

Better Natured partnerships support environmental clean up and the virus crisis

The Better Natured brand story is about sustainability and naturals as are its main charitable initiatives. However, “in light of the current Coronavirus pandemic, Better Natured will be supporting medical workers on the frontlines through a significant product donation of shampoo,​ conditioner, and gloves to both the Stamford Hospital Foundation and to Project Donate Beauty,” ​states this week’s release.

The brand’s primary charitable efforts include a partnership with TerraCycle to facilitate package recycling and sponsorship of community service projects led by Keep America Beautiful.

---

Deanna Utroske is a leading voice in the cosmetics and personal care industry​ as well as in the indie beauty movement. As Editor of CosmeticsDesign.com, she writes daily news about the business of beauty in the Americas region and regularly produces video interviews with cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, and packaging experts as well as with indie brand founders. You can contact Deanna and learn more about her work in the B2B beauty industry online here. ​