Discover Aveda


The art and science of pure flower and plant essences is the core of Aveda. Our beauty products are alive with the life force of plants, and contain pure essential oils. Our solutions are so powerful we call them Purescriptions™. While we specialize in hair care, we offer other plant-based products—skin care, makeup, pure-fume™, aromas and lifestyle—that are all professionally developed, clinically tested, and go to exceptional lengths to be respectful of the earth. Our professional network, nearly 7,000 salons and spas worldwide, shares our commitment. Ever since a hairdresser founded Aveda in 1978, our products have been harvested with respect for the earth, in harmony with the web of life.

Aveda: connecting beauty, environment and well-being.



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Mission

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.
5,000 Years of Results Our earliest roots lie in Ayurveda, the Indian healing tradition based on the knowledge of life and the interconnectedness of all things. It has proven, over 5,000 years, that treating the whole person leads to greater balance and well-being, so we consider the effects of our products not only on hair or skin, but on body, mind and emotion.

Our relationship with Ayurveda began in 1978, thanks to two renowned Ayurvedic physicians and scholars, Drs. Vinod and Kusum Upadhyay. Globally sought for their expertise in Ayurvedic medicine, pharmacology, botanical research and aromatherapy, they brought 1,000s of years of Vedic and Ayurvedic tradition to bear on Aveda's work. Their guidance first helped us identify botanical actives for our products, allowed us to pioneer “functional aromas”(with our Chakra™ Balancing Blends), and helped us launch innovative, powerful plant derived formulas such as Outer Peace™ Acne Relief skin care.

heritage

Earth and Community Care Report

In 1989, we were the first privately held company to sign the CERES Principles (Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies). Today, we continue to strive to improve our practices and commit to publicly sharing our results.
2010 Report »
2008 Report »

Responsible Packaging

We are proud to be the first beauty company with 100% post consumer recycled PET for skin care and hair styling.* With every package we develop, we're mindful of our environmental footprint and work to minimize our packaging and maximize our use of recyclable and post-consumer recycled materials.
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Renewable Energy

We're proud to be the first beauty company manufacturing with 100% certified wind power.** Our wind energy purchases offset 100% of the energy used by our primary manufacturing facility in Minnesota, our company headquarters and the Aveda Institute Minneapolis.
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Cradle to Cradle

In support of our mission "to care for the world we live in" Aveda has embraced the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) concept and philosophy as a key element of acting responsibly.
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* Bottles and jars. **Per a review of WWD Beauty Report International Top 100 Cosmetic Manufacturers' Corporate Websites in April 2007.

Acting Responsibly

We believe there is no responsible alternative to doing business other than through the pursuit of environmental sustainability and this belief guides every decision we make. We find inspiration for doing so in nature and believe that nature is not merely something to be cherished and protected, but also should be emulated as a model of sustainability. We also believe that profit and environmental responsibility will increasingly work together as more industries find out that "nature works" for both sustainability and the bottom-line.

Urukum From Brazil

The Yawanawa people, growers of the beautiful, red-orange Brazilian urukum seeds, work as a community, toward growth and renewal with support from Aveda.
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Argan From Morocco

Moroccan women are saving the argan tree from the encroaching desert. We help them determine their future, and protect the trees upon which they depend.
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Cistus From Spain

Spanish cistus extract is essential to Aveda—like the people who harvest this certified organic plant. Our relationships with local Andalucian village inhabitants have helped create an earth-friendly cistus practice.
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Ingredient Sourcing

Journey with us—to trace Aveda's ingredients back to the farm or harvesting co-op. We call it Soil to BottleSM, and we do it to ensure fair compensation throughout the process.

Aveda develops close working partnerships with certain communities and/or suppliers and seeks to use them as our primary source for specific ingredients. We frequently reference these relationships in our promotional materials. However, sometimes due to conditions beyond our control (e.g., drought, pests, and capacity limitations) these communities and/or suppliers are unable to meet our needs for an ingredient, including being unable to supply some or all of it. When such situations occur, Aveda uses additional suppliers to provide high-quality alternative sources until we are able to resume sourcing from the primary supplier.

Rose And Lavender From Bulgaria

Aveda's partnership with Enio Bonchev, a Bulgarian rose and lavender oil distillery, ensures the Romi People's fair treatment and compensation.
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Sandalwood From Australia

Our purchase of wild Australian sandalwood oil from the indigenous harvesters—historically underpaid by others—has resulted in fair pay for their product.
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Babassu From Brazil

Aveda has helped the women who collect and process the Brazilian babassu nut develop a sustainable business, preserve ancestral lands and protect the ecosystem.
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Ingredients

Our Green Ingredient Promise at Aveda, we continually strive to increase our use of naturally derived ingredients, i.e. those in which more than 50% of the molecule comes from a plant, non-petroleum mineral, or other natural source, like water. We set other standards for use, too, like avoiding certain types of processing.

Our standards have made us a pioneer in the green cosmetics world: now more than 90% of our essential oils and 89% of our raw herbal ingredients* are certified organic.

* By tonnage.

Green Ingredient Policy

Discover how we connect our mission with product development by sourcing ingredients from traditional communities around the world.
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Be the Change

Ayurvedic Roots

Ayurveda is an ancient holistic system of healing that strives to create balance in body, mind and spirit. Ayurveda means “the science of life” and it has been central to Aveda since the very beginning, when we partnered with the Ayurvedic Doctors Vinod and Kusum Upadhyay*.

recycle caps with aveda

Our cap recylcing program helps extend the current boundaries of recycling and invites participation from all corners of our community.
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The End of Animal Testing

We never have, and never will conduct animal testing on our products, and we tirelessly promote alternative methods to end all animal testing in the beauty industry.
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breast cancer awareness

Aveda cares about those affected by breast cancer, so we donate $4 from the sale of each special-edition Pink Ribbon Hand Relief ™ product, up to a maximum of $270,000, to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation ® to support cruelty-free research.
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We're pleased to announce that we exceeded our goal of raising $4.0 million for global and local clean water projects this year; bringing us to a cumulative total of over $22 million raised since 1999, $16 million for our clean water initiatives.

THANK YOU, WATER WARRIORS!

ALL FOR ONE GREAT CAUSE

Reaching this goal means that over the last 5 years we have touched the lives of tens of thousands of families worldwide by helping Global Greengrants fund water projects like these: converting 55,000 acres of land to sustainable agriculture; protecting or improving more than 550,000 people's access to clean water; supporting 16,000 women to be activists for clean water in their communities; enabling 275 communities to take action against toxic industrial pollution and hundreds of other projects, like those listed below, that have helped protect water rights and water access around the world.

  • 550 watersheds protected
  • 3,000 women trained in community environmental management
  • 55,000 acres converted to sustainable agriculture
  • 350 communities taking action against toxic pollution
  • 26,000 people benefitting from wells and water infrastructure.
    • Protecting water quality of the Mississippi, Columbia and Potomac Rivers for people and wildlife.
    • Developing plans for ecological restoration of Florida's Everglades.
    • Promoting water conservation programs in the Rocky Mountain region.
    • Protecting the freshwater resources and cleaning up toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes.
    • Protecting and enhancing water quality of beaches in California and New Jersey.
    • Supporting coastal communities impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill and advocating for effective and thorough clean-up.
    • Building water systems and sanitation facilities in East Africa.
    • Developing community-based water systems in Madagascar and India.
    • Building rain-saving water cellars and providing accessible drinking water to rural villages in Northwest China.
    • Supporting the construction of water systems in Nepal and Ethiopia.

YOU CAN STILL HELP
There are many simple actions you can do to protect clean water. Here are a few of our favorites:

Support Organic Farming
Runoff from conventional farming contains nutrients and pesticides that pollute the fresh water supplies into which they empty. In many places this is the largest source of water pollution. Organic farming is heather for our water supply*.

Conserve Electricity
Every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of traditional electricity that we use takes about 2 gallons of fresh water** to make. Conserving electricity-and opting for renewable energy-saves water, too.

Go Meatless More Often
It takes up to 5,000 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat***. Enjoy a veggie meal and use less water.

Connect with your local Earth Month Clean Water Partner all year long
Interested in learning more about clean water issues in your area? Find your local Earth Month Partner organization and stay involved all year long.

*United Nations Environment Program: "Global Environment Outlook", February 2009,
**River Network: "Clean Energy."
***Eating well: "6 Reasons to Eat Less Meat."

VISIT AN EARTH MONTH LEADER SALON
If Earth Month activities are close to your heart you might want to find a salon that shares your values. Simply click to find a location; enter your zip code and state and check EM for Earth Month Leader. We'll find the name of an Earth Month Leader salon near you.

EARTH MONTH 2011: WE'VE REACHED OUR GOAL!