What Is Clean Beauty? For Herbal Essences, It’s About Being Real]

Make the switch to clean beauty by knowing what ingredients are a big no-no and what are necessary to achieve naturally healthy hair

The word “natural” has evolved from being a mere descriptor of products and services in the clean beauty industry to becoming a lifestyle we all should strive to embody. Browsing through the numerous products from online stores show you how the word natural can be a sure eye-catcher, enticing customers to make the clean beauty switch. It’s simple, isn’t it–you see the claims, you read the ingredients and associated benefits, and you’ll be confident that the product you’re getting bears nature’s gifts. Well, it isn’t that easy.

Related: Go All-Natural And See What Plant Power Can Do for Your Hair

The problem with finding personal care products that truly harness nature’s benefits is that there are those that promote being organic without having the evidence to back them up. At Herbal Essences, they carry the name herbal loud and proud by committing to the highest standard of product safety for shampoos and conditioners by using key botanicals endorsed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

With that being said, how can you differentiate a product unknowingly filled with chemicals from one that actually has botanicals endorsed by plant scientists? We listed three key natural ingredients found in Herbal Essences bio:renew to bring together nature and science, harnessing true plant power–the natural ingredients you’d want for your hair.

Histidine

Ever noticed that stark difference in hair health between your childhood years and how it feels today? Go on, just comb through your hair and you might notice how it wasn’t as healthy as a decade or so ago. That’s the impact of histidine. When hair first forms, it naturally contains histidine to help protect itself from impurities and appear full or life. But over time, UV exposure and weathering strip the naturally-occurring histidine from your hair, leaving every strand look dull and lifeless. Bottled in every formulation of Herbal Essences bio:renew is this rejuvenating antioxidant harnessed from corn. Histidine acts as a hair superfood that traps, neutralizes, and removes free radicals that wreak havoc in hair.

Aloe vera

This herb has been a well-known name in the beauty industry, but did you know that Aloe vera has been used in products for more than five thousand years? People have been no strangers to its natural moisturizing and soothing properties, treating hair exposed to chemical, physical, thermal, and environmental damages. Its leaves are full of a gel-like substance which contains most of the plant’s bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and amino acids. Plus, this gel gives off a great gloss, leaving your hair smooth and shiny.

Sea Kelp

It can be considered outrageous if you live in a tropical archipelagic country and haven’t been to the beach. If you have, then you might be familiar with sea kelp–a type of green and brown underwater vegetation. But aside from being an ingredient in some island dishes, sea kelp contains nourishing and strengthening properties. It helps gives hair its healthy shine and volume through its vitamin and mineral content, as well as hydration properties.

These are at the core of Herbal Essence’s thrust for clean beauty, as every product is touted to be free from harmful and toxic substances. They even have their product safety manifesto and ingredient transparency up on their website. You won’t find any common allergens such as gluten, a protein giving shampoo its viscosity and body. Parabens, a preservative that stunts bacteria growth but can interfere with natural estrogen production, is also a big no-no. And you better believe that every formulation presents itself naturally–no added colorants whatsoever.

Rooted in plant-science and powered by nature, the Herbal Essences bio:renew line of shampoos and conditioners have key botanicals identified by real scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The product’s ingredients and safety gets validated by Herbal Essences through a four-step, science-based process. If the bottle says it has coconut milk that moisturizes and hydrates your skin, scalp and hair, then the formula uses actual coconut milk. Some formulas from the collection even carry plant combinations you might not be familiar with, such as White Strawberry and Mint, where the citrus and hydration from the strawberry, coupled with the soothing properties of mint, gives your hair a frizz-free flow.

That’s why Herbal Essences houses a team of more than 500 scientists and professionals who go beyond the status quo to ensure safety and quality requirements are met. If there are any doubts about an ingredient’s potential to cause harm, they won’t use it. Period.

Herbal Essences takes no shortcuts in providing botanist-approved products so there’s never any doubt. Experience plant power in your shower and embody true clean beauty. Herbal Essences bio:renew is available on Lazada and Shopee.