Show Your Locks Some Plant-Based Love

Sudsing up your locks should be a pampering experience. That’s our philosophy at Pharmacopia. And it’s why all our ingredients are not only plant-based, they’re also filled with heady natural scents. You get all the hair-nourishing benefits of our ingredients plus a beneficial aromatherapy mood boost…and that’s all before you shut off the shower!

But why is plant based so important? Plants contain powerful natural components that are not only effective but they’re better for you—and your hair. Unlike chemical or synthetic ingredients, plant-based ingredients get the results that you want—healthy, hydrated hair—without any potential side effects. And these natural ingredients help to nourish the skin on the scalp, too.

That’s why all of our Pharmacopia Shampoos and Conditioners, including our Hyatt Hotels Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, are filled with only natural and organic vegan and cruelty-free ingredients. What’s more, all of our hair care products are made from biodegradable formulas. That means the suds that go down the drain will naturally decompose and won’t persist in the environment for years to come. 

Plant-based ingredients with better-for-you results

The first Pharmacopia products were created with organic plants from my garden. And while my garden (which is still thriving!) isn’t big enough to produce everything we need today, our ingredients are still straight-from-the-garden. We use only the freshest plant components for our products. These include: 

Aloe vera comes straight from the spiny, green aloe plant. It boasts more than 75 different healing plant-based compounds. These include vitamins A, C, and E, along with minerals like zinc, fatty acids, and amino acids. 

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and it’s protein—or keratin—that makes up the hair shaft, the part of hair that you see. It makes sense then that aloe vera is soothing for both the hair and the scalp. It helps reduce scalp irritation and makes hair shiny. That’s why it’s found in our Shampoos and Conditioners. 

Argan oil comes from the kernels of the argan tree fruit—a greenish, golden berry. It’s high in oleic acid and linoleic acid. These fatty acids help to hydrate and strengthen hair strands—leaving hair smooth, glossy, and shiny (i.e., healthy and healthy looking!). 

Argan oil is also chock-full of healing antioxidants like vitamin E, which are good for reducing inflammation—that is, redness, dryness, and itchiness—on the scalp. Antioxidants are molecules that help to neutralize damage to the skin and body from things like pollution and the sun’s UV rays. That’s why it’s a key ingredient in our Hyatt Hotels Collection Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner. (For more on why we love argan oil, click here.)

Chamomile plays a starring role in all our hair-care products for good reason. This extract comes from a daisy-like Chamaemelum nobile plant and is a potent anti-inflammatory. This is a result of its high concentration of flavonoids or antioxidants and terpenoids—powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. 

When used in plant-based hair care products, chamomile helps to soothe the scalp, which is why we always recommend massaging in our products for a few extra seconds—or minutes, if you have the time—for full soothing benefits.

Coconut oil is rich in a fatty acid called lauric acid. The beauty of coconut oil, found in our Citrus Shampoo and Verbena Shampoo, is that it’s quickly absorbed into the hair shaft sans any greasiness. This is why coconut oil helps to keep locks soft and shiny. And because it is so nourishing, coconut oil—which is made from pressing the inside of a coconut—helps prevent breakage and frizz, too. One study found that coconut oil helped nourish hair so much that it helped to prevent protein loss from hair strands. 

Jojoba oil is derived from the seeds of the Simmondsia chinensis shrub that grows in desert-like areas. It’s an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, and so much more. That’s why it plays a healing role for the scalp when used in our Citrus and Verbena Shampoos and Conditioners. Why jojoba oil is so important for hair: it resembles the natural oils produced by the scalp, helping it to be absorbed easily—without a greasy feeling.

Olive leaf extract comes from the leaves of the olive tree. These leaves are high in a compound called oleuropein, an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that’s also found in extra virgin olive oil. Some studies have also found this plant-based compound to be antibacterial and antifungal. This ingredient, which helps to reduce redness and irritation on the scalp, is found in our Hyatt Hotels Argan Oil Conditioner.

Shea butter is a fat that comes from the nuts and seeds of the shea tree. It’s high in nutrients like vitamins A and E, along with fatty acids, making it an effective natural moisturizer for both hair and the scalp. 

Because of its fatty nature, shea butter acts as a sealant, keeping moisture in the hair strands and helping to reduce dryness and split ends. And because it’s chock-full of antioxidants, it’s also good for the scalp, too. These antioxidants help reduce inflammation, which may help relieve conditions like dandruff. These are all reasons shea butter plays a starring role in our Citrus and Verbena Conditioners.

And last, but not least, there are all the wonderful essential oils in our hair care products. Essential oils, or plant extracts, can help lift your mood. When inhaled, these aromatherapy scents travel to the brain and amygdala, or emotional hub of the brain, where they have their effect. What you’ll find in our products:

• Energizing essences of orange, bergamot, and grapefruit in our Citrus Collection
• Invigorating lemon, orange, mint, basil, litsea cubeba, lemongrass, and cedarwood in our Verbena Collection
• Soothing green tea and melon that are hallmarks of our Hyatt Hotels Argan Oil Collection

Synthetic ingredients to skip

When you read all the benefits of plant-based hair care, it’s hard to imagine why you would want to use anything else on your hair! But there are plenty of products on the market today with synthetic and chemical-based ingredients. These are a few to avoid (and these are ingredients you’ll never see in any Pharmacopia products):

Parabens are synthetic preservatives used to prevent products from spoiling. (All products, even Pharmacopia’s hair care products, have an expiration date. To find out more, read Do Shampoos and Conditioners Expire?) But these parabens don’t just rinse down the drain; they can get absorbed through the skin. And who wants these in their body? Research shows that parabens may disrupt the body’s endocrine or hormonal systems.

Silicones are synthetic ingredients that can work to smooth the hair superficially, building up on locks over time. This can weigh down hair strands, making them lackluster. One study found that plant-based oils were indeed more effective than silicone in hair care products. A sure sign a product includes silicone is if anything on the label ends with “-siloxane” or “cone” (e.g., dimethicone is a common synthetic silicone used in hair care products). 

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a harsh chemical surfactant or sudsing agent. It’s what grabs the grime on hair strands to  rinse dirt down the drain. But sodium lauryl sulfate can be so harsh that it also strips hair of its natural oils, which can leave locks dry, frizzy, and flyaway. It can also leave the scalp dry and irritated.

Synthetic fragrances and dyes can be irritating to sensitive skin—and we’ve found there’s really no need for them. The essential oils, found in all our hair care products, give off invigorating scents straight from nature, not from a lab.

When it comes to your hair, what you put on it makes all the difference in how it looks and feels. And if you’re using better-for-you plant-based ingredients, it can make a big difference in how you feel, too.