Is Aveda Really More Natural?

June

Sandra Says: I read about Aveda products being derived from plants. Wanting to move away from toxic products, I excitedly bought shampoo and conditioner. The first ingredients sound great…then the list grows with increasingly complex multi-syllable chemical words that I find hard to believe are just plants! Technically I suppose everything on earth comes from ‘nature’ but I was expecting plant extracts ONLY not plant extracts and the same old chemicals. Whats up here? Is it marketing hype?

The Left Brain laments:
Sandra, I think you guessed it…Aveda is mostly marketing hype. Consider Aveda’s Color Conserve Shampoo

Shampoo Ingredients

Their ingredient list (as taken from Drugstore.com)

Aqueous Purified Water Extracts: Camellia Sinensis Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Extract (Bitter Orange), Astragalus Root (Membranaceus) Extract (Milk Vetch), Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Pinus Tabulaeformis Bark Extract (Pine), Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract (Grape), Sedum Rosea Root Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Quaternium 80, PEG 7 Dimethicone C8-C18 Ester, Babassuamidopropyl Betaine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Amyl Salicylate, Amyl Cinnamate, Lycopene, Lecithin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Sucrose Palmitate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Polyglyceryl 10 Oleate, Polyquaternium 7, Fragrance, Cistus Ladaniferus Oil, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone

They actually aren’t following the naming conventions of the INCI Dictionary because the term “Purified Water Extracts” is not an official name. If you strip away from this list all the stuff that is just marketing fluff, you’re left with the following ingredients that actually make the product work.

Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Quaternium 80, PEG 7 Dimethicone C8-C18 Ester, Babassuamidopropyl Betaine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Polyglyceryl 10 Oleate, Polyquaternium 7, Fragrance, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone

You have the same kind of formulas you find in conventional shampoos.

That includes water, detergents (ALS, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, lauramidopropyl betaine), conditioning ingredients (all the ones after betaine up to fragrance), fragrance, adjustment ingredients (to make manufacturing easier), and preservatives (parabens, isothiazolinones).

And you’ll find many of these ingredients in store brands like Pantene, Suave, Dove, Fructis, Tresemme, etc. There is nothing particularly natural about Aveda shampoos anyway. They do have a requirement that all the ingredients can be traced back to some plant but ultimately, this is a ruse.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Aveda produces good, high quality products, but they are no more natural or good for you than anything else you can buy. They have some environmental stances that are laudable which may help make you feel better about buying them. But these marketing shenanigans sure make me lose faith in them.

41 Responses to “Is Aveda Really More Natural?”

Jane Says:

I think aveda is mostly marketing hype, they should make make hair products that are different, more in the philosophy of ecocolors. (www.ecocolors.net)
Just my 2c.

Jane.
Antoinette M Says:

It was surely a marketing hype. I have also used it. But found nothing different. It’s almost same like other products.
thebeautybrains Says:

@jane – not sure that ecocolors.net is any different. Their doesn’t seem to be anything particularly natrual about their products either.
Heather Says:

Isn’t Aveda owned by Estee Lauder now? A friend of mine in the hair industry had mentioned that to me at one point.

I suspect if that’s the case, it’s probable that Aveda’s culture and products were much different when they started. Sometimes the larger company doesn’t hold the same beliefs as the ones they buy out.

Just a thought, enjoyed this article, thanks for all th work you do!
thebeautybrains Says:

Heather,

You are correct that Aveda is owned by Estee Lauder. We just don’t know for certain what effect that has had on their formulas.
Girl-Woman Says:

Thank you for breaking this down. Mostly I have bought Aveda — for nine years — because I feel like it is an additional tip to my stylist since he gets a percentage. I think I might have to rethink my tipping strategy with this information. Thanks.
Natural Bias on the Beauty Brains? | The Beauty Brains Says:

[...] Unfortunately, most of the time you’ll find that “natural” products are no more natural than their “synthetic” counterparts. Typically, a marketer of a “natural” product will take a standard formula, add small amounts of natural sounding ingredients and play up the natural-ness on the label and in advertising. For example, see our recent evaluation of a natural product like Aveda. [...]
AVEDA LOVER Says:

AVEDA IS THE REAL DEAL ITS AMAZING!! First off pick up their bottles and compare the first few ingredients to any other product line who claims anything natural.. Check a few of the shampoos not just one. you will see natural ingredients first so this means the products consist of mostly natural ingredients .. Aveda will far surpass any other line Paul mitchell, Matrix, Redkin, Bumble and Bumble any other quality salon product that people actually think is quality .. Look at the ingredients of those products compared to Aveda .. The other complete obvious difference if you all even know what a non synthetic smell is is that Aveda does not smell synthetic it smells natural. And if you are someone who uses non synthetic aromas you will love aveda and understand what it does mean to be pure plant and flower derived. Go to the website http://www.aveda.com read the sourcing stories. Aveda also is 95 percent naturally derived there bottles are up to 80 % recycled material. Aveda is the ONLY BEAUTY COMPANY POWERED BY 100 PERCENT WIND POWER!! Aveda was just on cnbc tonight for being a powerhouse leader in being environmental sustainable look it up on google and watch it . .. it’s not a joke at all or a marketing ploy I work in the sales field with Aveda and what they speak is 100 percent the truth!! I have been to the warehouse and the floors really are made out of tires and there are solar panels on the roof .. by the way the CVS bottles or store bought bottles could not be the real product as we do have copy cats so you should never buy Aveda online or in drugstores because you never truly know what is in those bottles we have studied CVS versus the real deal ill never forget a shampure bottle from Aveda verses a CVS one. the CVS one smelled like exact replica of tresseme not like the real shampure. so be careful.. only purchase your Aveda at the Aveda stores, salons, or schools. one more thing of course to keep the consistentcy of a shampoo’s chemistry you have to use some other ingredients. we actually send salon owners who raised the most money for earth month to bulgaria where we source our lavendar organically. we source our ingredients organically all over the world at times we have been backordered on products because we wont compromise say for example on an argan oil that is sourced from only 40 women in Morrocoo and is in our new green science skin care line. we are building bridges all over the world and helping indiginous people in the amazon to preserve their lands by helping them replant and build hospitals because we pay them a decent pay to harvest nuts that fall off of trees of babassu, urukkum , etc etc etc.. everyone has their own opinion and I respect that but I have first hand knowledge and experience and have seen how natural the company really is!! and cnbc saw it too !! if you are a hair stlist you will know the difference when you cut someone hair who has been using synthetics and plastic waxes from certain store bought products ..how about someone’s hair that the ends literally feel like mushy spaghetti its the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.. I wont put that stuff on my body especially since your skin is the largest organ in your body ..challenge use no synthtics or only Aveda for a month including your aroma ( no synthetic perfume) use their soap , shaving cream skin care, spf , makeup , body care etc then go back to a synthetic perfume , soap or shampooo.. you will never want to go back trust me you will be repulsed and I thought the way all of you did when I first didnt know much about the company but I kept an open mind and I so glad to be synthetic free .. talk about being stuck in an elevator with someone who has a strong perfume on with synthetics yuk!! let me know if any one tries to go synthetic free and how it felt when they tried to go back to synthetics..
AVEDA LOVER Says:

And you are right about companies certain claiming natural like Arbonne who claims natural then I heard they have vitamin C in only one product but since its in just one of their products they can claim it that is not right .. that is not Aveda at all pick up any product you will see the natural ingredients and they every day are working towards more and more revised products when they find better options so they are just improving.
AVEDA LOVER Says:

Oh and one more response to : whomever said some companies will take small ingredients of natural products and claim natural. yes they do look at other brands that say natural and you read all the ingredients then at the very end of the long list you see tea tree thats not right. look at Aveda they actually have the natural ingredients in the first half of the ingredients if not in the first four which means their products most of their ingredients the majority of the ingredients in that bottle are natural. we have even had schools beauty schools look at our ingredients and look them up and are amazed at how natural they are and other major major brands cant touch that!! thats a fact!!
Aveda Stylist Says:

I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with this article… and this is actually one of the only anti-Aveda ones I’ve came across. FOR THE SKEPTICS: No other company comes close to fairness in trade and production; whether that’s marketing and trade or the use of earth’s materials. Aveda is more than claiming to be natural… It is, and also benefits many communities around the globe and serves tribes and families who are less fortunate and makes a managable market for indigenous people.

Shampoo is shampoo; false. You need the ingredients to create the composition of the cleanser, and you’re right when it comes down to it the scientific names of the ingredients could look very similar to that of plastic based products, However… THEY AREN’T. Have we forgot that there are natural alternatives to creating these chemical compositions? I mean honestly, you are paying an extra ten dollars, use your suave and compare, hell even use REdken and compare.

I’ve been to many classes with Aveda, and have worked with them for almost three years now, nothing else compares.
Estee Lauder did purchase Aveda, however the founders of the company didn’t abandon it. When was the last time you saw an Aveda commercial on Television? Or even seen them at the world hair show? You won’t and you there’s a huge chance that you may never (not that being very commercial about something so positive and holistic would be a bad thing.)It’s because Aveda isn’t concerned with all of the things other beauty companies have gone by for years. Paul Mitchell recently claimed to start going green, as with many other companies who are gaining a clearer image… look it up guys, see who started to buzz. AVEDA!

” Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.” -Horst Rechelbacher- Founder, AVEDA
Aveda Stylist Says:

Do a little more research before answering questions next time… and being very one sided (tisk tisk.) Makes me wish people would really open up to giving back to society and STOP picking apart something that isn’t sugar coated. I’m sure the hundreds of the eco friendly stylists that work so hard studying outside of the box methods for improvement for global waste, replenishment of resources, and purity would agree with me.
thebeautybrains Says:

Aveda Lover and Stylist, thanks so much for your comments. Just a few points.

1. What more research would you have us do? Facts are facts. I know the raw material suppliers that Aveda uses and there stuff isn’t any more natural than anyone else’s.

2. If Aveda is so much more enviro friendly than anyone else, why do they sell aerosols filled with air polluting hydrocarbons?

3. What are you disagreeing with? The Aveda shampoo uses ALS just like P&G’s products. The fact that their ALS is derived from coconuts instead of petrochemicals is mostly irrelevant as P&G also uses coconut derived ALS.

4. Don’t you think going to Aveda classes are going to give you a biased opinion of the company?

5. The reason Aveda has the ingredients in the first half of their list is because they are breaking the labeling rules of the cosmetic industry. NOT because they have more in there.

Like I said, Aveda produces good products. They just aren’t any more “natural” than anyone else’s. The fact that they try to be more environmentally conscious doesn’t make them more natural.
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Aveda Lover Says:

WEll first off I want to say that I also disagree with your comments. If you research Aveda and actually talk to the Aveda company itself you will see that each and every ingredient can be traced. If your looking at some website for the ingredients well then your not doing your homework. It is more naturally based as I have seen results and I work and believe in Aveda. If you have that much doubts call the 1 800 number and question them. Then come back and write about it.
Left Brain Says:

Each and every ingredient can be traced? What does that even mean? All cosmetic manufacturers buy their raw materials from suppliers who keep production records following ISO9000 or higher standards.

Feel free to believe in Aveda. They produce fine products. I like many of them.

They just aren’t as natural or special as their marketing clearly have you believing.
dig deeper Says:

I think Aveda Lover is the one who needs to do more research. You can start at skindeep.com and type in Aveda’s ingredients one by one and see their toxicity level. Yes Aveda does use some pure non-toxic plant based ingredients but it’s the others one needs to be aware of.
dig deeper Says:

…and check out the info on sunscreens…a bit shocking considering the brainwashing we’ve been subjected to. Good luck everyone. The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off!
jessica Says:

Aveda is as green as it gets in quality hair care products. All the ingredients are plant derived. like aveda lover said, aveda is the only company that uses 100% windpower, promotes earth month, and several other “green” promotions. All of their products can only be purchased in Aveda stores or Aveda concept salons. Get your facts straigt.
Aveda Lover Says:

What boggles my mind is your limited view on things and how your quick to answer without even doing your homework. I went to skindeep and found quite a few astonishing facts. But how do we know its true? Are we to believe all the things that people write on the internet just because its easy for us to access? If you look closely they are looking at the ingredients for many Aveda products based on their formulations from 2005 and prior. Many of the products have been reformulated to fit the needs of the clients. Enough said, call Aveda. They will have a thurough reports on all their ingredients. If you still are not satisfied give me your email and I will give you proof!
bowleserised Says:

Nice try, Aveda flaks, but FAIL.
sarah Says:

For bowleserised – What are you, 12? Try a more intelligent response next time.

Who cares anyway? Use Herbal Essences or Pantene if you must. I feel that Aveda products do not leave a cheap coat of wax on my hair and that it actually feels more healthy. I will continue to support Aveda because of this, but especially because they are earth and animal friendly. I do not know of other lines that use recycled materials and that do not test on animals.
steph Says:

my hairdresser has been pushing me to use their AVEDA products, i admit on leaving the salon my hair does feel great and it does have a natural smell and she insures me it is because of my use of detergent full shampoos that my hair keeps snapping. however upon inspection of the shampoo ingredients, the sight of ALS on the ingredients list, a known surfactant/detergent and a substance that causes irritation, i have re-considered my thought to purchase their products, im sure that the natural ingredients that are in the product do have an effect, but because my stylist said they dont contain detergents when they do has kinda put me off. i think the whole enviro friindly part is great but it would be even more fantastic if they could get rid of the rubbish in their products and only have pure natural shampoo
other aveda stylist Says:

to simplify things… the aveda hair care is more natural because of the way that all of the ingredients are derived… all of those words that you cannot pronounce are not derived with anything that is unnatural and are not derived from anything that is unnatural. bottom line. =)
otheraveda stylist Says:

sorry i just read something else that i thought i should correct… our aerosol hairspray is a big seller… because it DOES NOT have anything in it that is polluting…. that’s why we sell it… that’s the key point about the hairspray… plus all of the money that the hairspray is bought with goes towards the wind power that our manufacturer is powered by. i mean seriously… do some research before you start bashing something that you clearly do not know anything about.
Left Brain Says:

Ok Aveda stylist, please show me your evidence that Aveda hairspray is not polluting.

For an aerosol to work, it has to be loaded up with a propellant. Propellants are hydrocarbons that when released into the atmosphere, a green-house gases and contribute to global warming. Aveda does not produce a non-polluting aerosol.

Seriously.
Cydney Says:

AVEDA HAS NEVER SAID IT’S PRODUCTS ARE 100% NATURAL. THERE IS NO WAY OF MAKING A PRODUCT 100% AND IT BEING SAFE.

Aveda tries its hardest to be as natural as possible and saving the enviroment. They’ve been around for 30 years way before the green movement started.

Aveda’s products are very natural. People with food alerges are advised NOT to use their products because of that.

Aveda is a wonderful company and all you people who disagree really need to do some research.
Chrystal Says:

Aveda is 97% certified Organic. Other ntural brand names actualy only need 4% to call themselves organic. Certified organic…Look that up. Cheers
aveda/aussie user Says:

You know what? I like AVEDA. I like it because they dont test on animals. I like it because, of all the other shampoos out there, I feel that when i use it i am contributing to a greener planet. Who cares if they arent 100% natural. They are natural enough. I like to think that if we all changed over to AVEDA products, we may not save the Earth, but it couldnt hurt! Heck.. we may actually help it out!!! So, if you dont like AVEDA, use Aussie!! I am pretty sure they are pet friendly too and my AVEDA stylist said that if i was going to use a store brand, it may as well be Aussie bc they are cleaner than some of the others, such as Pantene.. Just my thoughts… OH.. and one more thing.. AVEDA SMELLS WONDERFUL!!!!!
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sarah (works in an Concept Aveda salon) Says:

I work in a Concept Aveda salon!! I would highly recommend their products, when they say “all natural” it means naturally derived!! We also used their hair colour system in our salon and its upto 97 percent naturally derived!! None of ther shampoos contain silicone either, ever find when you use a drug store shampoo and your hair still feels greasy after its becauase its full of silicone that coats the hair and makes it limp, because the Aveda products are naturally derived you cannot get product build up!! For anyone wanting to try an Aveda shampoo i recommend you try Shampure as its a great all rounder for any hair types and smells gorgeous too!!And for an amazing hair spray try the aveda air control. . It the worlds first aerosol hairspray that does not afect the o-zone layer so your safing the enviroment without doing much!!
sara Says:

If Aveda is so natural, then why don’t they sign the Compact for Safe Cosmetics? Take a look at the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. It says it all.
mpls Says:

a) air control has only 35% voc, and is offset with energy credits – most other sprays are 55% or more
b) consumers want certain products and they are made as ethically as they can be
c) “sourcing” at aveda means they know exactly where each ingredient came from – the farm, the community, etc.. for every product
d) the sulfate in aveda product come from coconuts, YES, coconuts.
Wake Up Says:

A little logic will go a long way here: anything “natural” is essentially “food” and requires that it be “preserved” with chemicals. Otherwise all the “natural” ingredients will “ROT” in the bottle and you will be pouring mold and bacteria all over your hair. Therefore, the more “natural” ingredients (aka, food, botanicals, spices, etc.) the MORE CHEMICALS NEEDED TO PRESERVE IT.
sexylisagirl23 Says:

To “Aveda Stylist”

You need to get a CLUE. Advertising is lies- no exceptions.

All anyone has to do is go to cosmetic data and type in the words: “methylparaben” (found in Aveda’s Rosemary Mint shampoo)”methlychloroisothiazolinone” (found in Aveda’s Camomile shampoo) and “methlylisothiazolinone” also found in Aveda’s Camomile shampoo) ALL of these are anywhere from level 6 – 8 on the toxic scale. They have been linked with cancer and neurotoxicity, hormonal disruptions .

Aveda shoud NOT MISLEAD persons. You MUST ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS.

Think Aveda is perfectly safe? THINK AGAIN SCIENCE SHOWS OTHERWISE!

I can go ALL DAY!
Lisa Says:

Aveda has several dangerous chemicals in it. Do a search on cosmetic data. I am correct.
WOW! Says:

Ok, first off, saying Aveda is not any more natural then any other companies is bull.
I’m not going into detail about why they’re so great, because you can look on their website for that! But, I read a comment that says they use aerosol products, and I’d like to tell you that Aveda’s Air Control is the world’s first aerosol that DOESN’T affect the ozone layer!
sexylisagirl23: YOU need to get a clue. Honestly, you have NO clue what your talking about. Why don’t you do some REAL research about it.
barbara Says:

Lauryl sulfates are carcinogenic. It is listed twice in the ingredients. I like Aveda products but there are a few questionable ingredients. But all-in-all, I will still use Aveda.
thebeautybrains Says:

There’s no evidence that Lauryl Sulfates cause cancer in humans
Kelly Says:

All the dumb stylists on here are seem to have brain problems by all the chemicals that Aveda uses in their products.
Kelly Says:

Use a product called “Giovanni”. To the dumbass that said no product can ever be made that’s is TOTALLY natural, take a look at their ingredients. Some of you people have such tunnel vision about all mighty Aveda.