Beauty with Purpose

Stylists want to leave a lasting impact on their clients but not on the earth. Reducing their carbon footprint means partnering with brands that are also looking to reduce waste, energy and water-use.

• Pureology Professional Color Care has a new look, new packaging, and a streamlined portfolio

• Still sulfate-free and 100% vegan formulas, Pureology Professional Color Care is now also paraben-free and mineral oil free

• Concentrated, rich lather formulas mean less is more, while shampoo and 95% PCR (post-consumer recycled shampoo and conditioner bottles, excluding cap) packaging means less in the landfill

• Two salon owners talk about how they align with Pureology’s sustainable approach to beauty

The pursuit of environmental, global sustainability sees many of us pitching in to help preserve the earth’s balance. Working with “clean beauty” products, meaning those that are consciously produced to avoid the depletion of natural resources, is one way to keep moving in the right direction. This eco-consciousness resonates with two beauty professionals who are making the world more beautiful, and more sustainable, from opposite coasts of the country.

Brooklyn Beauty

Michaella Blissett Williams opened her first salon, [salon] 718, in the basement of her brownstone in Brooklyn as a two-chair studio. Today, with four locations, she has realized her concept of inclusive and community-based salons. Her most-recently opened location is at 1Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, [salon]718 Dumbo,  and it is a flagship store for her partnership with Pureology Professional Color Care. 

 “We’ve always been conscious of sustainability and as we went into our second and third salons, we were looking at ways to lower our carbon footprint,” she says. “Working with Pureology helps us do that. The concentrated formulas mean you use less product and packaging; you can get seventy shampoos out of one bottle.”

Pureology Professional Color Care, always known for being sulfate-free and 100% vegan formulas,  recently introduced a new look, new packaging, and a streamlined portfolio. The line is now also paraben-free and mineral oil free.

“Pureology’s formulas appeal to our clientele, who are very conscious of what they are using,” Blissett Williams continues. “They like being able to see all the ingredients in every product, so they know that what’s inside is clean and won’t harm them or the environment. They want to support companies that have a mission they share and that have a responsibility to being sustainable. And our stylists love that the products are dual-benefit and appropriate for all hair types.”

Pureology packaging is 95% PCR (post-consumer recycled, shampoo and conditioner bottles, excluding cap) which means less in the landfill. They also recently introduced a leak-proof cap to the bottles which does away with extra, protective shrink wrap around the bottles.

Blissett Williams’s salons also did away with excess waste by going paperless. “We use a scanner on our phones in place of business cards to save information and contacts and we use Phorest Salon Software for checkout. Clients get emails, receipts, and text messages and it is amazing how much money we save, in addition to saving on resources.”

Being “sustainable” applies, as well, to how Blissett Williams builds and coaches her team. With the aim of creating a career that supports and sustains stylist’s financially, while fulfilling them artistically, she emphasizes education, and fosters a team-based environment.

“We don’t hire egos or anyone with a following,” she says. “I’m never looking at your book because we have no problem building you, but we build as a team. One day, you might be sweeping and doing shampoos, and the next day you’re doing a $400 ticket. Everyone is cross trained to do what’s needed and to also work up to a full book, eventually.

“We’re big on education (every established stylist knows it is part of their job to teach the newer stylists who come in) and I’m very big on financial literacy. After COVID hit, I saw how many stylists weren’t in a position to sit back and ride this out. We offer a 401K and we help them understand the importance of saving for a rainy day.”

California Girl

Pureology Artistic Director, Ashley Hofstrand, has found opportunity in the COVID-19 lockdowns, taking the time to look at her business with new eyes. A user since 2001 and an artist for the brand for ten years, Hofstrand has always been an advocate for clean living. 

“My specialty is shiny, healthy hair color,” she explains. “And women spend a lot of money on their hair color, so I love that with Pureology, it does what it says it’s going to do. I can assure them that this product is going to maintain that hair color.” Pureology’s patented Antifade Complex is infused into every formula to protect color vibrancy and ensure lasting color payoff.

Living on a half-acre in Central California, Hofstrand has established a studio in her home, Studio Bee, but during lockdowns and forced closures, has been making plans to expand to a stand-alone building on her property. She will do it with a focus on sustainability in her design and in how she runs the business.

“I am going to put a garden around the studio so my clients can pick fresh veggies after getting their hair done,” she says. “I shop sustainably—I like to thrift and to recycle and to shop locally, supporting vendors from California—so that’s how I’ll furnish the space. My materials will be recycled and I’ll fill the space with treasures I’ve picked up on my thrifting adventures. And living in California, where water conservation is so important, I’ll have water-saving sinks.”

Hofstrand created a recycling program for her clients and she educates them on the fact that Pureology is packaged with post-recycled consumer products. “They are encouraged to recycle their bottles and get 10 percent off of their next order.”

Her SalonCentric sales representative first introduced her to Pureology, Hofstrand says, because it lined up with her values.

“She knew I’m vegetarian, that I was really passionate about recycling, and that I practiced a sustainable lifestyle. So when I smelled that incredible yummy fragrance, and learned it was vegan and protected color, I was already in. 

“Then she hit me with all the sustainable efforts that went into the manufacturing, especially around water conservation,” Hofstrand concludes. “I’ve been passionate about Pureology, ever since.”

Share the passion for Pureology Professional Color Care, the same “Extraordinary Color Care for Beautiful Hair,” now with updates to packaging and formulations that keep moving things in the right, more sustainable, direction. Larger bottles (250 to 266ml) at the same price, with leak proof caps so no shrink wrap needed.

Shop Pureology Professional Color Care