Keune Haircosmetics

Keune Haircosmetics is a Dutch manufacturer of professional hair products, based in Soest in the Netherlands. The company traces its origins to a small Amsterdam pharmacy, where Jan Keune, a pharmacist, and his partner Cornelia began making hair products for salons. It remains family-owned and independent, and sells its shampoos, styling products and salon colour lines in more than 90 countries.

The brand dates its founding to 1922, the year Jan Keune began developing the formulas — including an early Dutch permanent-wave treatment — that the company credits as the start of the business [4]. A separate, often-cited date is 1947, when Keune publicly committed to making products for hair professionals only; the company treats this as a milestone rather than its founding [1]. Keune marked its centenary in 2022.

According to the company, Keune began in "a curious little pharmacy in Amsterdam," where Jan Keune, described as a chemist, worked with Cornelia, his partner in both life and business. Their stated aim was to create products for professionals only. The company's careers materials credit Jan Keune with developing the first Dutch permanent wave, summarising the moment as: "The first Dutch perm conquered the world, and Keune Haircosmetics was born."

In 1947, during an interview, Jan Keune made what the company calls a lasting promise: to create only for hair professionals. Keune frames this commitment in absolute terms — "No wholesalers. No retailers. No e-tailers. Just the hair professional behind the chair" — and presents it as a defining principle a century later.

The second generation entered the business in the early 1950s. George Keune Senior joined the company and, according to Keune, introduced the "Mousse" product and drove an export strategy that expanded the brand into roughly 50 countries. Sources differ by a year on when he joined: the company's careers page gives 1951 [7], while a separate keune.com heritage article states 1952 [6]. By the company's account, George Keune Senior pushed international exports as the route to securing the brand's future — a direction his father had initially not shared.

In 1995, George Keune Senior designed a roughly 30,000-square-metre facility in Soest, where the company consolidated its operations. In 2022, coinciding with the 100th anniversary, King Willem-Alexander granted Keune the Dutch Royal Predicate, an honour for companies of national importance that have operated for more than a century [7]. The following year, in 2023, Keune became a Certified B Corporation [3].

Keune is family-owned and describes itself as "still delightfully independent" [1], with the founding family retaining ownership rather than the company belonging to a larger cosmetics group. Leadership has historically passed down the Keune line: founder Jan Keune, then George Keune Senior, then the third-generation Eelco Keune.

In 2025 the company changed its top management for the first time outside the family. Trade and editorial coverage reports that Philip Berlijn became chief executive on 1 January 2025, the first CEO from outside the founding family, while Eelco Keune moved to the role of president and to the supervisory board [8]. Some of the company's own pages still carry the earlier description of Eelco Keune as CEO [5], reflecting the transition. In a 2025 interview, Berlijn was quoted saying, "the products that we make are the best in the market" [8].

Keune positions itself as a partner to salons rather than a retail brand, telling stylists it is "your exclusive partner" and arguing that "beautiful hair doesn't come from box dyes." The company says everything is handled "under one roof" at Soest — concept, formulation, testing and production — and gives a plain reason for not outsourcing: "quality does not outsource well."

The company also frames itself in family terms internally, citing values such as "We treat each other like family" and "We show character." Alongside its salon products, Keune runs in-person and online training through what it calls the Keune Academy.

The company's range spans hair care, styling and professional colour. Its salon colour lines include Tinta Color, a permanent colour, and So Pure Color, described as ammonia-free and formulated with organic argan, jasmine and sandalwood oils, with up to 100 percent grey coverage [5]. The So Pure line is positioned as the brand's vegan offering.

The men's grooming line, 1922 by J.M. Keune, takes its name from the founding year and is presented as a continuation of Jan Keune's work by "his son and grandsons" [4]. It covers shampoos, styling products, beard care and grooming items, with formulations the company says use ingredients such as creatine and Provitamin B5.

More recent development has focused on a densifying routine called Long & Strong, comprising a strengthening shampoo and conditioner, a Super Serum and a densifying leave-in treatment. The company highlights ingredients it calls Marine Density Infusion and Biomimetic Peptides, along with Centella Asiatica. Citing independent clinical testing, the head of the Keune Laboratory, Ewa Grygorowicz, reported that "94 per cent of participants were losing less hair," that 94 percent "had more new hairs growing in," and an immediate increase in shine of up to 76 percent [8].

Keune's sustainability programme, branded Keune Cares, is organised around four areas it labels People, Production, Product and Processes, covering employee wellbeing, emissions and energy, water and waste at the Soest site, ingredient selection, and packaging. The company says it has increased its use of recyclable, reusable, recycled and renewable packaging materials, and that its products are made cruelty-free. On its 2023 B Corp certification, the company states that "being a B Corp is more than a label; it is a promise to create positive impact for people, planet, and communities" [3].

In December 2025, Vogue Scandinavia published a review of Keune's Long & Strong routine, in which the writer used the products for 60 days and reported that her hair appeared "much healthier, bouncier and fuller" [8]. The same article restates the brand's Dutch origins, its 1922 founding and its 2023 B Corp certification.

Keune is active. It remains a family-owned, independent Dutch company headquartered in Soest, selling professional hair products in more than 90 countries. Recent signals of activity include the 2025 leadership change, the December 2025 launch coverage of the Long & Strong line, and a current copyright notice on its website.