Zero-waste beauty company, Everist has created ‘waterless shampoo and conditioner’ formulas it believes will change the way people approach hair care.
Everist was founded by two women with a combined 25 years working with multinationals like L’Oreal, The Body Shop, Procter & Gamble and Revlon. They stepped away from the big corporates to build a company from the ground up with a mission to make zero-waste beauty for beauty lovers.
Co-founders Jayme Jenkins, chief brand officer at Everist, and CEO Jessica Stevenson believe that “eco is for everyone” and that high-performance, clean beauty products can exist without disposable plastic packaging.
“Coming from big beauty, we understand what goes into making great products,” said Jenkins.
“We also know and care about the impact that the beauty industry is having on the planet. To make eco for the masses we had to do things differently. Our approach is not to solely focus on the ‘desire’ to be conscious, but to have formulas that are best in class and maintain sustainability throughout their entire product lifecycle. Our haircare concentrates will change the way people look at eco beauty.”
The new products will begin shipping across the US and Canada within weeks.
Most shampoos and conditioners comprise more than 70 per cent water, are rife with synthetic chemicals and packaged in single-use plastic containers.
“We felt we could do better,” said Jenkins.
Everist’s first products are made from ultra-clean formulas, free of preservatives, which is another benefit of going waterless, infinitely-recyclable aluminium packaging and with caps returnable in a closed-loop CapBack program.
Beyond the product, the company is committed to a light shipping footprint and a carbon-neutral supply chain.
“We put all the elements of the business under the microscope in order to be free of plastic-waste and have as little impact on the environment as possible,” said Jenkins.
Priced at US$24 per tube, Everist’s cream-pastes are 3x concentrated, meaning the equivalent of a whole bottle of shampoo or conditioner can fit in a 100ml travel-friendly aluminium tube – a first of its kind in the industry.
The hair care products contain cleaners derived from coconuts, aloe vera and peppermint, amla, and rosemary oils. The formulas are completely waterless and activated with the water in the shower. And unlike current waterless bar shampoo options, Everist’s leave no messy build up on the side of the bathtub.
The products contain no parabens, sulfates, silicones, dyes, synthetic fragrances or preservatives. They are vegan and cruelty-free.
Jenkins and Stevenson have received significant support from investors ahead of the product’s launch. Early support came from influentials including Wonderment Ventures, social impact firm Good & Well, and the female-founders of Canadian brands Knix and Smythe.
“We were fortunate early on to have people who saw the potential of our big ideas,” said Stevenson. “In a world of misinformation and greenwashing, zero-waste and clean beauty requires a great amount of thoughtfulness to ensure it is done right. We are committed to discovering new ways of doing things across the entire supply chain and creating better, higher performing products as the result. We are lucky to have partners that believe in us and understand the rigour that it takes to bring this to life.”
To use the shampoo, consumers are advised to squeeze about 2.5cm of concentrate onto their hand (for medium-length hair) and rub it into pre-wet hair to build a lather as you would with normal shampoo.
“The result is hair that is gently cleansed but not stripped, and feels light, soft and healthy,” said Stevenson.
