Sustainability + Our Values
There's a lot of confusion and greenwashing in the beauty industry today. At SKH, we believe in straight talk about what "clean beauty" actually means—and what it doesn't.
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The Truth About "Clean," "Green," & "Non-Toxic" Beauty
There is no standardized, industry measurement to qualify as clean, and brands can claim it no matter what ingredients they use in their formulations. It’s really up to each brand to define what that concept means to them, and then communicate that clearly to the consumer so that they can decide if it meets their standard.
For some, clean just means “use naturally-derived ingredients.” Then the question needs to be, ok but do those ingredients actually do anything? Are they even good for skin or hair? Poison ivy is natural. So is arsenic and lead. None of these are great for skin. Just claiming to use naturally-derived ingredients may get you in the door for clean beauty, but it won’t keep you in the room unless you can demonstrate that the ingredients you’re using are actually effective.
For us, clean beauty isn't just about natural ingredients. It's about:
our values
Our Sustainability Practices
Certified Green Circle Salon
Sarah Kahn Hair is a certified Green Circle Salon.
That means we recycle and repurpose hair, foils, color-tubes, papers and plastics and divert excess hair chemicals from being rinsed down the drain. Being gentle on the environment is important to us, and we love being able to say SKH is doing just that! We have an in salon refill program you will want to check out to refill those empties. We consciously partner with B-corporations, Climate Neutral certified companies whenever possible.
Brands with Purpose
We think of each brand we bring in as a personal relationship. We are conscious about each partnership and align with brands that support sustainability and transparency in their ingredient sourcing. We also stock female founded and supporting LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC brands whenever possible. We partner consciously with B-corporations, Climate-Neutral certified companies whenever possible. Please check out our in salon sustainability program.
Sources we love for science based information on ingredients:
Interested in our full list of brands in our store?
Join our sustainability journey
Small changes add up to significant impact. Partner with us in reducing beauty waste through our refill and recycling programs—because looking good shouldn't come at the planet's expense.
Recycle your empties at SKH
The amount of plastic packaging on U.S. products (not just on personal care items) has increased by over 120 times since 1960—with almost 70 percent of that waste piling up in landfills. We want to support you in this sustainable journey and make it easy!
Sarah Kahn Hair is recycling this waste through the TerraCycle Zero Waste Box Program, a recycling platform that works to reuse, up cycle and recycle waste. Click to learn more about Terracycle.
What we accept:
- Shampoo & conditioner bottles and caps
- Hair spray bottles and pumps
- Lip balm tubes
- Face & body soap dispensers and tubes
- Lotion bottles, tubes, and jars
- Shaving foam tubes (no cans)
- Makeup packaging (mascara tubes, eyeliner pencils, foundation containers, etc.)
How to prepare empties:
- Containers must be completely clean with no residue
- An overnight soak in soap and water usually does the trick
- Limit of 10 empties per visit
faq
In order for our team to be able to recycle your products, all containers need to be completely cleaned, without any residue or left-over product in sight. An overnight soak in soap & water should do the trick!
List of Accepted Empties: Shampoo + conditioner bottles and caps, hair spray bottles and pumps, lip balm tubes, face + body soap dispensers and tubes, lotion bottles, tubes, dispensers, and jars, shaving foam tubes (no cans please), lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye liner pencils and cases, eye shadow, tubes, foundation containers, concealer tubes and sticks.*All items outside of this list will not be accepted.
In-Salon Refill Program
Each year, the beauty industry produces an enormous amount of plastic waste. Our refill program helps reduce single-use packaging:
Available for refill:
- Reverie Milk
- Select Leonor Greyl shampoos
- Christophe Robin color care conditioners
- Rahua products
- Davines products
How it works:
- Clean and dry your empty container thoroughly
- Let us know ahead of time you'll be refilling
- Bring in your container and we'll handle the rest
Questions? Contact us
fun fact
Product Expiration Awareness
All beauty products have an expiration date once opened. Check for this icon when you open a new product so you know the expiration.
Need help?
We keep records of all your purchases, and are happy to help you keep track — just ask!