MODERN SALON interviewed Global Creative Director Ammon Carver about L'ANZA Healing Haircare. We ask all of the questions you have been dying to know about the company!

MODERN SALON: Tell us more about the company. Who is L’ANZA? What is their vision/mission? Do you have a specific mission for 2016?
AMMON CARVER: L’ANZA is an independent, salon-exclusive products company dedicated solely to the professional stylist that's sold in 46 countries around the globe.

We develop the highest quality premium products to achieve beautiful results, more importantly, we believe stylists have the power to affect everyone they touch, and we are inspired by them every day.

Education is at the forefront of our evolution, and we continue to invest heavily in expanding our education opportunities. Global Creative Directors Ammon Carver and Matt Swinney collaborate with Global Healing Color Director Leah Freeman to conceptualize and develop the season’s latest designs in cut, color and style.We lead a Tribe of over 200 Healing Artists worldwide.  

MS: What makes L’ANZA different from other beauty brands?
AC: L’Anza products are the only products that heal the hair. While many other products can treat or repair the hair, only L’Anza uses proprietary complexes to heal the hair from the inside out.  

Moreover, L’Anza is only available in salons, so the stylist can be confident that these products are exclusively for them and their clients. L’Anza is proud to be a diversion-free brand. 

MS: Why should stylists use L’ANZA haircare in the salon?
AC: There are a wide variety of products and brands for a stylist to use, yet there are even more available in food and drug stores.  It is critical for a professional stylist to use products strictly designed for salons, which deliver results that cannot be achieved by using retail brands.  L’Anza invests a tremendous amount of time, money and resources to insure that their products are the highest quality, delivering superior performance.  L’Anza provides stylists with the tools they need to deliver the results that will define their difference and give clients the reason and to come back to the salon, as they cannot achieve these results from retail products.

From a color perspective our 3-1 flexibility allows the stylist to achieve permeant, demi- permanent and glazing all out of one tube. This provides lower inventory which allows more productive space in their salons, which also gives the stylist the opportunity to be more creative. 

MS: L’ANZA uses natural, wildcrafted botanicals in all of its products – can you tell us a little more about that?
AC: L’Anza products contain organic, wild crafted and non-GMO botanicals. They are grown organically in natural, sustainable forests, jungles and woodlands throughout the world. With less pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers used, our planet will be less toxic and better for humanity and the environment. L’Anza formulas contain an abundance of natural ingredients from all regions of the world. L’Anza will continue efforts to develop sustainable products with plant-based ingredients.

We believe beauty is responsibility. L’Anza believes that beauty should always be responsible and compassionate. We are cruelty free, never test on animals and are PETA approved.

MS: From care to color, how does L’Anza stay on the “cutting edge” in the beauty industry?
AC: L’Anza is constantly using the most advanced research and development to insure that they are utilizing the highest performing ingredients to deliver the best results.  In addition, as a global company, we listen to the needs of our stylists, and insure that our development matches their needs.  Moreover, we work with many fashion designers on the runway, which also gives us great insight into future trends.  Therefore, we are combining the scientific research we conduct with our work in the fashion industry to develop products that are on trend yet deliver superior results.

MS: L’Anza Education uses the acronym B.I.G. – Believe, Inspire, Grow – can you talk more about what each of these mean for L’ANZA?
AC: At L’Anza, we believe stylists can discover the beauty within every person they touch. The mission of our global stylist collective is to support and encourage your passions, while empowering you to achieve your highest potential. We love what you do, let us help you do it.

We believe in the power of hairstylists and their ability to create positive change in people’s lives. It’s our mission to continue to support the industry through education and development, with the finest in haircare, color, and business support. Because of our belief in the industry, we are also very proud to say we are committed to never being diverted.”

The education we provide directly relates to the styles and trends that clients are asking for today. It's important to us that the information we give can be used to strengthen the stylists skills behind the chair.

MS: Tell us more about your Global Creative Team. What accomplishments have you made in 2016? What are your plans for the rest of the year?
AC: We are constantly stretching our creative energy to develop inspiration for stylists around the globe. Moreover, we work hard to insure this inspiration can be utilized by our stylists to learn and grow.  A great accumulation of this inspiration can be seen by our collections, which on the one hand provide visual stimulation, yet on the other offer great education to learn and grow from them on an individual level.  

We develop two collections per year, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. We also travel all throughout the US and 40 countries around the world to personally touch as many stylists as we can, and help them grow their skills. Our creativity and inspiration climaxes at The B.l.G. Event, which is our global gathering of stylists, salons, Salon Consultants and distributors, altogether supporting each other’s growth. Will take place in November in Jamaica. It is a combination of inspiration and education.   

For more information about L'Anza Healing Haircare, visit lanza.com. If you are interested in joining the L’Anza Tribe, visit https://lanza.com/education/healing-artist/.