Organic Colour Systems

Organic Colour Systems is a British hair-colour brand founded in 1990 and based in the New Forest in Hampshire, England [2]. It makes ammonia-free permanent, demi-permanent and semi-permanent colour alongside shampoo, conditioner, treatments and styling products, all aimed at the salon-professional market. The brand is the flagship line of Herb UK Ltd, the manufacturer that grew out of it, and it sells across more than 40 countries [7]. It is sometimes listed by retailers simply as "Organic"; its full name is Organic Colour Systems.

The company built its identity around lower-toxicity hair colour: formulas it describes as largely plant-derived, free from ammonia and several other conventional additives, and made for stylists rather than home users. It remains active, with a live e-commerce operation, recent B Corp re-certification and a change of leadership at the parent company.

Organic Colour Systems began with a hairdresser who could no longer do the job. According to the parent company, it was co-founded in 1990 by Stephen Landreth, "a hairdresser who was forced to give up the career he loved due to a severe allergy to conventional hair colour" [6]. Unable to find a natural alternative on the market, he set out to develop an ammonia-free professional colour of his own. Independent clean-beauty retailer AILLEA tells the same origin story, describing how Landreth "developed a severe allergy to conventional hair colour" and created his own solution when none existed.

Sources spell the founder's name in two ways: most, including the Herb UK homepage and AILLEA, use "Stephen Landreth" [8], while a Herb UK search snippet renders it "Steven Landreth" [7]. The variation appears to be a spelling difference for the same person. The brand's own account also credits two founders — a hairdresser and a herbologist — and refers to a co-founder named Raoul as remaining integral to the company, though it does not give his surname.

Organic Colour Systems is owned by Herb UK Ltd, which the parent describes as "Britain's leading manufacturer of natural plant-based hair colour, care and styling cosmetics since 1990" [7]. Within the group it is positioned as the "flagship salon professional brand" and the line where the company "first began." Herb UK manufactures several other brands, including the retail hair-colour line Tints of Nature, the perming brand Pin-up Perm, Bio-Health and Oiamiga. Products are made in-house in the New Forest, Hampshire.

The brand positions itself as a low-tox, salon-professional alternative to conventional hair dye, summed up in the taglines "transforming hair since 1990" and "made by hairdressers, for hairdressers." According to the company, it exists to "inspire a path forward where stylists can work at their best," which it frames as "a movement in conscious hairdressing." Its stated values centre on sustainability, ethical practice, innovation and collaboration. Marketing describes a space "where luxury and sustainability coexist," and the intended audience is people seeking reduced-toxicity colour — including those with sensitivities to conventional dyes — and eco-conscious customers.

The core of the range is intermixable hair colour: the parent company cites 64 permanent and demi-permanent shades plus 12 semi-permanent shades that are free of the dye compounds PPD and PTD [7]. Rather than using ammonia to open the hair shaft, the colour is said to use a base of alkaline oil and heat, a formula the company reports took four years to develop. Herb UK states the system is "95% naturally derived and 60% certified organic," and free from ammonia, parabens, resorcinol, gluten and GMO ingredients [7]. Formulas draw on nourishing oils such as avocado, coconut, argan and macadamia, along with herb and oat extracts including rosemary, nettle and horsetail.

The brand is candid about its use of permanent-dye chemistry. It retains the dyes PPD and PTD in its permanent shades but says it keeps them at the lowest practical levels, with its semi-permanent options free of both. An independent reviewer for Living Safe noted this transparency directly, writing that the company "honestly disclosed that they did use PPD, but at the lowest levels possible" [9].

Organic Colour Systems has been a certified B Corporation since 2020, and reports an improved impact score of 87.7 at a recent re-certification [4]. It also lists Made in Britain and Vegan Society certification, and describes its products as vegan and cruelty-free [1].

Packaging is a stated focus. The company says its 300 ml bottles are made from 100% recycled Prevented Ocean Plastic, capped with an infinitely recyclable aluminium lid [5]. It sources post-consumer recycled plastic both from kerbside collection and from the Prevented Ocean Plastic programme, which it says stops coastal and riverbank plastic before it reaches the sea. Pumps and sprays are sold separately rather than bundled, on the grounds that their small parts are hard to recycle. As a B Corporation, the brand says it prioritises recycled plastic over glass because it requires less energy to produce and transport.

Coverage of the brand comes largely from clean-beauty and low-tox outlets. AILLEA profiled it in a "Founder Friday" feature as a salon-professional organic hair colour and a cleaner alternative to conventional permanent dyes, noting its B Corp certification and 60% certified-organic content [8]. In a 2020 review, Living Safe's Nicole Groch characterised it as "one very ethical, upfront company," while observing that permanent colour on dark hair still depends on chemical dyes [9].

Organic Colour Systems is active. It runs a live UK e-commerce site with current specialist ranges covering menopause, hair loss, scalp health and detox, alongside a separate US site, and Herb UK reports exports to more than 40 countries. The parent company recently appointed two Co-Managing Directors, Vicki Borley and Katharine Crew, and completed a B Corp re-certification [6].