ASP

ASP, marketed as ASP Expert Haircare, is a British professional hair-colour and haircare brand based in Romsey, Hampshire. It operates as a trademark of International Hair Cosmetics Ltd. (IHC UK Ltd) and has been family-owned since it was founded in 1996 [1]. The company makes products intended for salon use rather than direct retail, spanning permanent and semi-permanent colour, lighteners, treatments and styling lines.

The brand began life under a different name. According to UK hair-trade sources, International Hair Cosmetics launched a professional colour brand called Affinage Salon Professional in 1996, which was later rebranded to its current identity [2]. Some retailers and trade publications still refer to the range as Affinage or A.S.P Affinage, and parts of the catalogue carry forward names established under the earlier brand.

ASP was founded in 1996 by Eric Bailey, who together with his family continues to own the business; the company describes a "family run culture" as central to how it operates [1]. The parent company, International Hair Cosmetics Ltd., is listed as IHC UK Ltd in the brand's own copyright and contact details.

The original brand, Affinage Salon Professional, was positioned as a premium professional colour line. Following the rebrand it became known as ASP Expert Haircare, also styled as ASP Luxury Haircare. The FAQ on the company's own site does not narrate this rebrand directly; the Affinage-to-ASP history is documented chiefly through third-party trade and distributor sources.

ASP describes its products as researched, developed and designed by an in-house team in the UK and Europe, working with chemists based in Italy. Aggregated trade sources locate a research and development laboratory in Bologna, Italy, alongside the UK head office and a base in California, USA [4]. Manufacturing takes place primarily in Italy, while the company emphasises its British origins from its Hampshire headquarters near Southampton.

On its LinkedIn page the company calls itself an "Independent Professional Colour House Since 1996" and states that it operates in more than 50 countries, with a workforce of 51 to 200 employees [5]. Its website is offered in 18 languages, consistent with that international distribution.

ASP's portfolio is built around professional colour. Its permanent-colour system is sold as ELIXIR, marked "Professional Only" and supplied with technical manuals and shade charts for salon use. Other colour lines include PURETONE, the semi-permanent and fashion range Colour Dynamics, the lightening line System Blonde, and Infiniti toners. A salon review describes Infiniti as the range the brand is probably best known for, praising its reds and coppers and its grey coverage [7].

Beyond colour, the KITOKO line takes a botanical approach to hair and scalp care, drawing on ingredients such as baobab extract, argan oil, shea (karité) butter, hyaluronic acid and Procapil. The VITAPLEX bond treatment is built around what the company calls the RAV-19 COMPLEX, described as a biomimetic technology that, in the brand's words, "actively reconstructs damaged areas of the keratin structure by replicating & replacing the 19 amino acids" lost during chemical and heat services [9]. Other named technologies include Enviro-Shield, a claimed protection against free-radical damage, and a low-ammonia colour technology branded DATEM Plus, which a trade reviewer credited with deeper colour penetration at lower developer volumes.

The company frames its identity around a "DNA" statement: "Every decision we make is based on our commitment to making the world a more beautiful place." Under this heading it sets out a "Defend Nature Always" position, stating that it does not conduct or commission animal testing, that its products are vegan-friendly, and that at least 92% of its ingredients are naturally derived [10]. ASP also says it is working towards compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation for commodities such as palm oil, soy, cocoa and wood.

Positioning is consistently salon-first. The brand presents itself as made "for hair professionals, BY hair professionals," and pairs its products with education programmes, including the biennial Colour Rebels initiative that showcases selected stylists. The first Colour Rebels cohort ran in 2017–19, with later groups following through to a 2024–26 cohort.

ASP has limited mainstream consumer press but is covered in UK hair-trade media. Concept Hair Magazine reported on the 2019/20 Colour Rebels team, quoting the brand's then Global Ambassador Tracey Devine Smith and UK Technical Manager Sara Solomon-Jones [12]. A long-form salon review by Revive Hair Artists, which says it has used the range for more than a decade, called it "a genuinely excellent professional colour brand that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves" [7].

ASP is active. The company maintains an operational website with a full product catalogue, an ongoing ambassador roster, and education programmes that include a current 2024–26 Colour Rebels cohort [11]. It has remained family-owned and independent for roughly three decades.