Our 8 Favorite Non-Toxic and Eco-Friendly Haircare Brands

Image credit: Grown Alchemist

This post contains some affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, EcoCult receives a small percentage of the sale price.

Finding the right products for our specific hair type is no easy task, especially when we are searching for ones that are non-toxic and sustainably made. The beauty industry is no stranger to scandals, including its lack of representation, health and toxicity concerns, and negative environmental impact. 

Most haircare products on store shelves contain chemicals that are more than just annoying to people who are sensitive to them — they can also negatively affect your health on a long-term scale through repeated exposure over the years. 

That includes increasing the danger of indoor air pollution. Most personal care products are inherently designed to evaporate, and many contain volatile chemical products (VCPs) that now constitute half of the fossil-fuel volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions in industrialized cities, even with fuel-related sources like cars.

The U.S. government also doesn’t require pre-market approval on personal care products. Companies — for the most part — are allowed to use any ingredient in their formulations without review. Not too long ago, our daily products could contain microplastics, tiny pieces that contaminated our waterways and harmed marine life. Another prevalent problem is the usage of palm oil, a controversial ingredient known to cause widespread deforestation and endangerment to many animal species. 

Haircare’s environmental problem goes beyond just its ingredients. The beauty sector is notorious for depending on single-use plastic —  consumers typically find themselves peeling off layers of plastic to get to the product. Today, billions of pounds of plastic can be found on ocean surfaces, presenting harm to marine life and humans. Wildlife can ingest these plastics or get entangled in them, and humans can potentially eat seafood containing microplastic.

So, how can you get glossy, beautiful hair without adding to these problems? Here’s what you should look for in a haircare brand: 

Sustainable Packaging

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy suggests we “eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items and innovate to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.” Big beauty conglomerates like the L’Oréal Group, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble have ambitious plans to achieve this goal by 2025 and 2030. But that’s still years away, and these plans are still just pledges.

In recent years, many small brands have been switching to recyclable or biodegradable materials such as soy, aluminum, and recycled glass. But these alternatives can also present challenges. For example, glass is heavier and therefore much more expensive to ship while causing more emissions.  Aluminum is a strong material that has the advantage of being reprocessed and reformed endlessly without losing its quality, but its production can use a high amount of energy.

In addition, many recyclable beauty products often do not end up in the right bin. Compostable packaging is becoming more common, but if consumers don’t have access to composting, it becomes another item in the landfill. Also, if consumers try to compost the wrong packaging in their backyard or at the local farmer’s market, it could lead to contamination in the soil.

Several beauty brands, including clean hair care brand Innersense, are transitioning into 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) for their packaging. “Haircare packaging is larger in size, heavier in weight, and typically sits in our showers, so the bottles have to be functional and safe in a wet environment,” said Greg Starkman, Innersense Organic Beauty founder.  “PCR plastic is the most natural next step for our packaging.”  It also comes with its downfalls, however, as PCR isn’t always high quality or durable. “

Many companies are sticking to typical packaging but partnering with TerraCycle to help tackle hard-to-recycle materials. Customers of participating brands can sign up for free and collect their packaging in any box at home. Once the box is full, customers can log into their TerraCycle account, download their shipping label and ship the package full of empties via UPS. TerraCycle claims that brands can potentially increase brand loyalty while helping reduce its impact on the planet. But it’s questionable how many people actually go through the chore of saving and sending their empties. Is it fair to put the process on customers when it’s the brands profiting from the packaging choices? 

Non-Toxic Ingredients

Chemicals are an essential component of our daily lives, but some should be avoided. We recommend you read the ingredients carefully and check if they are safe, especially if you are located in the United States — the EU bans approximately 1,400 chemicals, but so far,  the U.S. has banned only 11.

With all the multi-syllable chemical names listed in the ingredients list of your haircare products, it can be difficult to pin down exactly what to avoid. For instance, formaldehyde, which is associated with certain types of cancers, can be found as diazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, and imidazolidinyl urea. Parabens, widely known as endocrine distruptors, are easier to spot, as most forms are labeled with similar names like methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. Another common hormone disruptor recognized in the EU, phthalates have recently been banned in cosmetics in the EU, but are still allowed in US products.

Other potentially harmful chemical additives, including sulfates, silicones, diethanolamine, and lilial, can not only damage your health and the health of the environment but also your hair. Silicones, for example, are sometimes added to products for added shine, but ultimately weigh down and damage hair by preventing exposure to air and water.

Certifications, not Labels

It’s worth mentioning that it’s good to pay close attention to words such as natural, Non-GMO, organic, vegan, fragrance, and eco-friendly as they are often thrown on labels. Some can be very specific, such as “non-GMO,” meaning the product was made without any genetic engineering. But others can be very generic, like “natural” or “fragrance.” Its loose regulations allow brands to define it however they like. Under the label fragrance, brands are technically allowed by the FDA to hide certain ingredients and categorize them as “trade secrets.”

With this knowledge, we rounded up some of the most eco-friendly and non-toxic haircare brands out there so you can find something that works for you.

Innersense

What we like: Innersense creates organic, cruelty-free, and plant-based hair care products with ingredients that are sourced from ethical suppliers from around the world. Its formula is either cold-pressed, distilled, or processed without synthetics to preserve its purity. This year Innersense is expanding its sustainability efforts by refreshing its packaging and transitioning to 100% PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) materials.

Our review: Our editor loves the minimalism of each product she tried from Innersense, including the shampoo and conditioner, detoxifying hair mask, styling cream, and hairspray. She admires that everything was unscented, which made the whole process more enjoyable from mask to blow dry. After using this lineup, she reported her hair feeling soft and bouncy without the overpowering scents of other haircare brands.

Price range: $8 to $70

Flourish

What we like: A brand centered around sensitive skin and natural ingredients, Flourish uses real botanical ingredients to offer smooth, healthy hair without the itchy scalp. The brand specifically formulates its products to cater to those with contact dermatitis, eczema, and allergies, among other common skin conditions. Its gluten-free haircare line is packaged in reusable and recyclable containers made from materials including glass and aluminum that can be refilled from the brand’s refill pouches. Flourish offers a wide range of products from hair soaps to styling creams. 

Our review: Our sensitive skin tester loved the Lavender Mint + Clover shampoo for its clean feel and light, floral scent. The Flourish Styling Creme is a must-have for those with wild, untamed hair and a sensitivity to most pomades and hairsprays. The products came packaged in recycled, recyclable packaging and in containers that can easily be refilled time and time again.

Price range: $29 to $32

Grown Alchemist

What we like: Grown Alchemist creates shampoos, conditioners, and hair treatments with intentionally sourced ingredients like damask rose, sage, and black pepper. The brand offers refills on several of its products, making it easier to restock without extra packaging. In addition to being mindful about ingredient sourcing, it vets all the partners in its supply chain.

Price range: $30-$110

Viori

What we like: Based on the traditions of the Red Yao tribe in the Longshen region of China, Viori follows the very same processes used by these women for many centuries to create their rice shampoo and conditioner bars. The brand’s products are all vegan, cruelty-free, and sulfate, paraben, and plastic-free, right down to the packaging. Viori partners with local tribes to purchase Longshen rice used in its products, supporting the community and creating jobs that help to preserve the culture of the Red Yao tribe and the local habitat. The brand also offers a subscription with to allow you to repurchase your usuals at a discounted price. 

Our review: Each shampoo bar comes packaged in a unique origami box, which is both recyclable and reusable. The scents are mild and lovely, with earthy, fruity, and musky fragrances to choose from. Our tester has used these products with amazing results, including shinier and healthier hair, reduced breakage, and improved thickness. 

Price range: $18 to $96

Ethique

What we like: Out of frustration for the cosmetics industry’s amount of waste, Brianne West founded Ethique, which produces and ships solid bars completely plastic-free. Its bars are created with naturally derived, cruelty-free, plant-based ingredients, ethically and fairly sourced. Ethique pays its staff a living wage and donates 20% of its profits to charity.

Our review: We tested Ethique’s shampoo and conditioner bars, which were both pleasantly scented and lathered well. These products made our tester’s hair shiny and soft, but didn’t weigh it down like typical drugstore options. Each product came in a 100% recycled and compostable box that was easy to properly dispose of. We also tested the brand’s shower bar saver, which helped to keep product from washing away after use.

Watch out for: The scents can be a bit overwhelming, which could be irritating for those who are sensitive to fragrances. 

Price range: $10 to $15

Davines

What we love: B-corp certified and transparent with its sustainability practices, Davines offers an enormous variety of product lines tailored to specific hair types and products types, including those centered around sustainability and clean ingredients. Its range of shampoos and conditioners, stylers, and treatments are made from sustainably sourced, natural ingredients formulated to keep your hair healthy. 

Our review: Our tester was impressed with the decorative packaging and bar holder to save product in the shower. They mentioned that the lather and smell were pleasant, but they were unable to continue using the curly hair line due to breakouts. As a result, our tester thought this might be a great product for those without a sensitivity to scented products. 

Price range: $12 to $176

Love Beauty and Planet

What we like: Love Beauty and Planet is a vegan and cruelty-free personal care brand formulated with ethically-sourced essential oils. Its shampoos and conditioners formulas include 92-97% naturally derived content and don’t contain sulfate, silicone, or parabens. The brand’s products are packaged in 100% recyclable plastic bottles.

Our review: With gentle scents that aren’t overpowering, our tester loves the coconut oil and ylang-ylang shampoo and conditioners. Having used them for years, she finds that the brand’s shampoo and conditioner don’t weigh her hair down like other brands tend to, and leave a nice, clean shine. 

Watch out for: Be sure to source these products through a vendor that practices sustainable shipping; the brand is often available through big box store vendors, which typically ship in non-recycled plastic packaging.

Price range: $8

Plaine Products

What we like: Founded by two sisters in 2017, Lindsey and Alison Delaplaine, Plaine Products is a non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free personal care brand. Its formula is biodegradable, baby-safe, hypoallergenic, and made without sulfates, parabens, silicone, or synthetic fragrance. The brand runs all of its ingredients through the Environmental Working Group’s database to make sure they are safe and non-toxic. Plaine Products promotes circularity by packaging its product in minimalist aluminum refillable bottles worthy of the most beautiful bathroom and covering the return label’s cost. Its bottles are also strong enough to survive a number of trips, meaning they are well-worn before the brand recycles them. Plaine Products is B-corp certified and a member of 1% for the Planet.

Price range: $15 to $30

If this post was helpful to you, then check out the first and only book on this topic: To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick — And How We Can Fight Back, by EcoCult founder Alden Wicker.