Biolage Goes Cruelty Free, Vegan
Biolage, the professional hair care brand, has gained a new certification.
The brand has reformulated its entire assortment to meet vegan and cruelty-free standards, gaining a Leaping Bunny certification. All of the brand’s packaging is now manufactured with 100 percent recycled plastic, with the exception of bottle caps.
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A statement from the brand said the packaging change would save more than 30 tons of virgin plastic annually.
Mounia Tahiri, the brand’s senior vice president and head of brand in the U.S., said the brand’s more environmentally conscious chapter was a natural next step. “We do it to stay true to the mission of the founder of this brand. We’re always trying to modernize,” she said. “It’s still the iconic white bottle, but we’re modernizing to meet the look and feel to meet the needs our consumers and stylists have today.”
The journey wasn’t without road bumps. Products were reformulated to stay true to consumer experiences, and products that weren’t up to par were discontinued.
“It’s been a year of highly engaged chemists working with marketing and Cruelty Free International. It was an intense year,” said Rafael Lopes, vice president of Biolage’s global marketing. “It’s an important step, and it’s really inscribed in the natural evolution of the brand.”
Paring back the formulas was also part of the plan to cater to aesthetic trends.
“There’s been a rediscovery of the Biolage brand, a professional performance you can trust that’s centered around the idea of conditioned, soft hair,” Tahiri said.
Added Lopes, “What we’re seeing is what we saw in the makeup segment a few years ago when no-makeup makeup was booming. We see that transferring to hair, consumers want to wear their hair natural, looking beautiful without doing too much.”
The decision comes as consumers turn more attention to sustainability — and also to their hair. As reported by WWD, hair care is still the fastest-growing category in prestige beauty; and Biolage was said to be performing well at Ulta Beauty on the retail giant’s last earnings call.
Salons are still driving the business’ growth, Tahiri said. “Salons are definitely back,” she continued. “The return was incredible. We’re continuing to see that consumers are searching for a real connection in the salon…they want an experience. There’s no better way to deliver that than the salon.”
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