Make your haircare routine more planet-friendly this year with our Marie Claire UK Hair Awards sustainability leaders

Redefining the typical salon experience, the Lush HairLab in Brighton is a wholly inclusive, welcoming space to all. Not only does the salon allow visitors to make specific decisions such as choosing between hard or soft water, it also offers expertise in gender-neutral barbering, Afro hairdressing and henna speciality. Hijab-wearers are invited to have their services completed in private rooms, whereas those with neurodiversity requirements can ask for the lighting, sound, and temperature to be adjusted to suit their needs. Herbal hair dyes are also natural and ethically sourced. In short, Lush’s salon represents a refreshingly ethical approach to hairdressing in a space that’s inviting and safe for all.

We all love a Tangle Teezer, but did you know the brand now offers the most planet-friendly version of its OG brush yet? With all the detangling power of the regular brush (yes, the unique two-tiered teeth technology still features), this version is made with 85% sustainably sourced castor beans, celebrating the notion of circular beauty through its creation. Judge and Marie Claire's Beauty Editor, Nessa Humayun, praised its “very ergonomically comfortable design,” saying it was her “new go-to.” “[I] couldn’t live without it now. I trust it to comb through my hair when wet but not break it.”

Used by many sustainably-minded hair salons, Davines’ commitment to being planet-friendly has weight. The Italian-founded brand is now a B Corp and one of the most notable brands when it comes to a circular approach to creating beauty products. Its commitment to eco-friendly practices across its entire operation begins with sustainably sourced ingredients and applies right through to packaging and production, as well as the way the business is run through hiring practices and social responsibility. Most recently, the brand has advocated for regenerative organic agriculture and plans to be Net Zero by 2050. Oh, and its products are just really, really good.

Created by renowned stylist Gustav Fouché, this product started to take shape after years of research and development. If a natural formula is important to you, this is a brilliant option: silicone-free, with only natural and organic ingredients. It gently, yet effectively, cleanses without stripping the hair. Horsetail extract is used as its ‘hero’ ingredient for improving blood circulation and promoting healthy hair follicles, while natural plant collagen acacia repairs and moisturises the hair and scalp. Judge and Sustainable Salon Owner Gina Conway commented that her whole family loved this shampoo, particularly for its smell. “It did not leave a residue, nor did I feel like it over-cleansed,” she added.

Tropic, best known for its skincare offerings, also has a small-but-well-formed haircare line that consists of three wash products (two shampoos and a conditioner) as well as an oil. The collection harnesses the power of biodegradable ingredients that focus on nourishing and cleansing without stripping. These include plant butters, like Murumuru Butter, nourishing nut oils such as Babassu Extract, hydration heroes including Aloe Vera and plant protein Keratin. “I’m a big fan of Tropic’s 100% natural, pH-balanced and sulphate-free hair care range,” said judge and Marie Claire's Senior Sustainability Editor Ally Head. She added: “The products leave your hair silky soft and smelling great. Plus, I like that their ingredients are sustainably sourced and biodegradable.”

Beauty brands like REHAB. are really starting to deliver when it comes to solutions to our ‘plastic problem.’ These innovative Shampoo Sheets mean zero waste, and most importantly, no plastic bottles. The product not only honours sustainability through its packaging: the ingredients are all vegan and cruelty-free, with naturally-derived rosemary oil, olive oil and calendula oil taking centre stage. Environmental benefits aside, these deliver in efficacy, too. With an instant lather, the product feels great on the scalp and hair and offers a gentle but powerful cleanse. The sheets are also brilliant for travel, meaning more space in your luggage for the stuff that matters.

A leader in the organic haircare space, Odylique was one of the world’s first certified organic cosmetics brands, long before everyone else was doing it. In fact, not only are the products all organic, but they are also sulphate and silicone-free. There are five shampoos and three conditioners in the collection, with spotlighted ingredients including rosemary, lavender and chamomile. A lovely line to explore if organic ingredients are particularly important to you.

Good Wash Day’s eco-friendly towels aren’t made from terry or microfibre fabrics; instead created with organic jersey cotton, which is super kind and gentle to hair that’s wet and in its most vulnerable state. Reducing friction, frizz, damage and drying time, the towels are both highly absorbent and suitable for all hair types—in particular, curls. Adding to their sustainability credentials, Good Wash Day is an ethical business and also donates towels every month to those in the cancer community whose scalps can be sensitive and hair growth fragile. “I really loved this,” said Judge and Marie Claire's Social Media Editor, Dionne Brighton. “I have very long, thick hair and usually find that even towels with a tie-up don’t hold it securely, especially when it’s wet and at its heaviest. I was pleasantly surprised that this towel kept my hair in place and felt so lightweight and gentle. I also noticed it helped my hair dry quicker, which is always a bonus with thick hair.”

One of the most impressive things about the SheaMoisture + Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen is its ingredients list. Peppermint oil has been used to stimulate the scalp, leaving skin and hair feeling super refreshed and clean, while shea butter hydrates and nourishes. Jamaican Black Castor Oil has been harnessed for its strengthening benefits: used within this shampoo, it works to reduce breakage. The formula is also sulphate-free, cruelty-free and silicone-free, and ingredients used have been both ethically traded and sustainably produced, making it a brilliant all-rounder.

The perfect accompaniment to the SheaMoisture + Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo, the line’s conditioner works to soften and detangle hair with an equally impressive (and efficacious) ingredients list. Once again, Shea Butter and Jamaican Black Castor Oil work their magic to soften, detangle and moisturise on a deep level. As with its shampoo, the brand’s conditioner is also made with sustainable ingredients and is cruelty-free and sulphate/silicone-free, too.

There are plenty of brilliant hair oils on the shelves, but how many do you know that are packaged in biodegradable capsules like REHAB.’s? The super smart concept is both planet-friendly and practical; each dose offers the perfect amount of oil per use, and the capsule can then be dropped into hot water to simply dissolve away without any fuss or excess packaging waste. Judge and Beauty Journalist Madeleine Spencer also noted how this makes the product super handy for travel. The formula itself is a winner, too; with avocado, sunflower, castor, and argan oils, along with vitamin E and shea butter, curls are left soft, bouncy and defined.