Known for its environmentally conscious beauty and home products, Love Beauty and Planet strives to make the world a better place without sacrificing the performance of our everyday staples like shampoo and body lotion. Now, the brand is launching an entirely new dry shampoo concept: Oil Absorbing Volumizing and Refreshing Dry Shampoos ($7 each) powered by nitrogen rather than liquified petroleum gas (LPG).
Though there are many eco-friendly dry shampoos on the market in the form of powders—similar to when we used baby powder on our greasy scalps prior to the advent of dry shampoo—the innovation here lies in the spray format. “We’re constantly rethinking formats to create new effective products that put the planet first, and although there was a unique set of challenges to work with compressed nitrogen, it reduces our environmental carbon footprint,” says Leon van Gorkom, senior research manager of hair care for Unilever.
Liquified petroleum gas contributes to greenhouse gas, and creates a negative cumulative effect. “Nitrogen is only one element of air, and air weighs less than gas, so at the end of the day, this dry shampoo feels weightless,” adds Elena Tash, global brand manager for Love Beauty and Planet. “But, it doesn’t skimp on any of the benefits. Natural tapioca starch soaks up oil on all hair types and doesn’t leave behind residue, even on darker hair colors. The formula also has a cooling sensation—I like to think of it like a refreshing face mist for your hair. It feels great after a workout.”
According to Love Beauty and Planet, in 2019, about 45 million units of dry shampoo were sold in the U.S., and if they were all powered by nitrogen, CO2 emissions could be reduced by 16, 200 tons. That’s the equivalent of taking 3,000 cars off the road! “It took about a year and a half for the brand to get the formula right, as well as the valve that allows it to spray effectively. “We needed to play with different proportions of nitrogen and starch to make sure it was just as effective, and even better, than other products on the market,” says van Gorkom. “I think we had 30 to 40 prototypes to get to where we are now.”
The Dry Shampoo comes in two scents: Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower and Murumuru Butter & Rose, and both work to absorb oil and volumize the hair (they smell so good!). “We want touchable, soft hair, and a lot of other dry shampoos leave the hair stiff and straw-like,” says celebrity hairstylist Ursula Stephen. “Spray it 10 to 12 inches away, let it soak in for a few seconds, and then give your hair a really good massage—that’s the self-care aspect of dry shampoo. I also like to use it on my bangs. They get really greasy and piecey really fast, but when I use this and brush them out, my bangs are back!”
