Authentic Beauty Concept

Authentic Beauty Concept is a German professional haircare brand owned by the consumer-goods company Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, headquartered in Düsseldorf [4]. Rather than buy an existing label, Henkel built the brand from scratch, launching it in Europe in July 2019 [8] and positioning it for a market the company saw moving toward wellness, mindfulness, sustainability and vegan, cruelty-free formulas.

The brand is sold through professional salons and retail partners rather than directly to consumers, and it presents itself as a holistic premium line co-created with a collective of hairdressers. Its products are vegan and free from silicones, sulfates, parabens, mineral oil and artificial colourants.

Henkel developed Authentic Beauty Concept internally, choosing to incubate it instead of acquiring or rebranding one of its existing hair lines [8]. According to the company, the aim was to create a brand that fit how the market was shifting — toward wellness, mindfulness, sustainability, veganism and cruelty-free products. The line was co-created with what the brand calls a "unique hairdresser collective," and it draws on professional and artisan hairdressers who share its values. Public sources name no individual founders; the brand's own pages describe the collective but list no names.

After its European debut, the brand entered the United States on 14 April 2020, sold through Ulta.com and SalonCentric.com [8]. One trade report gives a later European launch of July 2021 [9]; this conflicts with the documented 2020 US launch, which could not have preceded the European introduction, and the July 2019 date from beauty trade press is the one used here.

Authentic Beauty Concept is operated by Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, a German company based at Henkelstrasse 67 in Düsseldorf, as confirmed by the brand's legal imprint [4]. Henkel also lists it among its consumer brands [10]. Within Henkel's hair portfolio, it sits alongside salon and retail names including Schwarzkopf Professional, Indola, Joico, Alterna and DevaCurl.

The brand frames haircare as a "mindful experience" that extends beyond the hair to what it describes as body and soul. Its stated values centre on authenticity, honesty, transparency, mindfulness, sustainability and inclusivity, summed up in the tagline "We believe in Authentic Beauty." Marketing has used unretouched models, and the company emphasises making haircare more inclusive, including Braille and NaviLens accessibility features on its packaging. The brand organises its range around problem-specific lines — Hydrate, Glow, Amplify and Replenish, alongside styling and "Beyond Hair" products.

The line leans on plant-derived ingredients in place of conventional ones. Among the ingredients the brand highlights are bakuchiol, described as a natural alternative to retinol; murumuru butter from the Amazon; jojoba oil, shea butter and coconut oil; rice water and rice protein; and a blend of adaptogens drawn from kombucha, ginseng and ginger. It also uses what it calls a vegan superfood keratin alternative — a plant-based, gluten-free ingredient meant to mimic the composition of keratin.

The Glow range is among the brand's signature collections, aimed at coloured hair. It includes the Glow Spray Serum, the Glow Mask — which the company says offers up to ten weeks of colour protection — and the Cool Glow Cleanser, intended to counter yellow and brassy tones.

Sustainability is central to how the brand presents itself, stating that "authenticity, honesty and transparency are part of our core DNA." Its products are vegan and registered with the Vegan Society, and the company says it does not test on animals [2]. It runs a refill programme it calls "the refillution," and in May 2022 Henkel announced a new generation of the brand's Refill Bar for salons [11]. On climate, the brand cites a Net-Zero target of 2045 and reports meeting a goal to cut carbon emissions by 65 percent per ton of product in 2023, since raised to 70 percent [2].

Authentic Beauty Concept remains active. Its website is maintained with current product ranges and sustainability targets, and it continues to be distributed through salons and retail partners in Europe and the United States, backed by Henkel. The most recent dated company activity confirmed through available sources is the May 2022 Refill Bar relaunch [11].