Aveda

Aveda Corporation is a company headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, that manufactures skin care, cosmetics, perfume and hair care products, and trains students in cosmetology, esthiology, and massage at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, New York City, Washington, DC, and many other cities.

The company was founded by Horst Rechelbacher in 1978. Today it is part of Estée Lauder Companies Inc., based in New York. Rechelbacher sold Aveda to Estee Lauder in 1997 for $300 million, although Aveda continues to be run as a separate entity. Aveda still formulates its own products; Estee Lauder funds them.


 * "Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility- not just in the world of beauty, but around the world."

Aveda was one of the first beauty companies to endorse a set of environmental principles designed to encourage greater environmental responsibility in business known as The Ceres Principles.

Salon/Spa Partnerships
There are three levels of ownership when it comes to running an Aveda-based business. There is the Experience Center, which is product-only and does not include salon or spa services, commonly found in malls or in large cities. The second is a Concept Salon/Spa, which uses and sells Aveda exclusively in their services. The third and highest level is a Lifestyle business, which carries and uses Aveda products exclusively. Although service obviously varies between individual shops, Aveda generally applies strict rules to the businesses carrying its products, from quality of service to appearance. These regulations make it possible for Aveda to keep track of product movement and popularity in certain regions.

Aveda Education
Courses with names such as "Men's Start to Finish" and "Pure Form" are a few classes that employees of Aveda Salons/Spas can opt to take. These courses are generally offered in salons; meaning, an educator will come to a specific salon/spa and stylists and therapists from other shops will attend these sessions for a fee. Most shops offer an allowance for their employees, since some classes can be over $300.00.

Aveda treatments
Aveda offers different treatments that are unique to them. The Aveda Hydrotherm massage, a massage which takes place on heated, water-filled cushions, is a trademark for the company. All Aveda certified treatments include the exclusive usage of the Aveda made/approved products.

Global partnerships
Aveda has an on-going partnership with the Yawanawa Tribe of the Brazilian Amazon. This tribe uses a red seed called "uruku", derived from the Urukum Palm, to paint their bodies for different rituals. This partnership has helped to sustain the Yawanawa Tribe while helping to bring attention to the plight of their disappearing rainforest home.

In 1995, Aveda partnered with a community collective that the babassu nut breakers of the Brazilian Amazon had formed. Aveda began sourcing certified organic babssu to use as a starting point in the creation of a foaming cleansing element known as "babassu betaine", which makes the product smoother. Aveda has financed the construction of and training for a babassu processing facility, a soap-making facility and a paper press for processing babassu fibers. Aveda is able to buy babassu oil from the local collectives, and in turn know exactly where the certified organic babassu is coming from, making it easier to track integrity.

Aveda's Rose and Lavender oils are sustainable and certified organic. These flowers are harvested from Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains, from a hidden and protected valley that is known for its array of flowers. In the nearby village of Tarmichene, home of the Enio Bonchev rose and lavender essential oil distillery, these oils are made. One hundred years ago, deep in the "Valley of the Roses", a valley protected by mountains, were vast fields of rare and undiscovered roses. Made extra sweet by botanicals in the soil, these roses, including the rare white rose, were (and still are) considered the most precious roses in the world. In 1909, a man by the name of Enio Bonchev discovered this treasure and built a small, local distillery to make essential oil from the land's precious roses. Bonchev ran the distillery for 37 years until it was stolen by Bulgaria's then communist regime. Distillation stopped, workers were without work, and the land's flower blossomed unseen and untouched for 50 years. To the complete devastation of the local community, the communist regime had turned the thriving business into a museum and a site for private parties. In 1992, Dimitri Lissicharov, Enio Bonche's son-in-law, re-purchased the distillery with his son, Filipe. With the business back in their hands, Dimitri and Filipe created economic independence and sustainablity for their local communities. In 1997, the distillery expanded and began working with the rich and fragrant lavender that had been growing abundantly alongside the farm's roses.

Products
Aveda sells products ranging from skin care to hair care, and are organic where possible.

Aveda and the environment
Aveda set an industry precedent by introducing an aerosol hairspray that has a net-zero impact on the Earth's climate and an award-winning low 35% VOC formula. Through their partnership with NativeEnergy, an organization that supports and builds renewable energy products, Aveda has helped fund wind turbines, an alternative energy resource.

Soil to Bottle
Aveda's Soil to Bottle traceability system allows the corporation to follow and document the precise origin of their essential oils. This system was implemented only recently, and is a way for Aveda to keep track of the oil purity and integrity.