Nancy Jeffries, Contributing Editor08.17.12
The peripatetic founder of the Yes To brand, which includes Yes To Carrots, Yes To Baby Carrots, Yes To Cucumbers, Yes To Tomatoes, and Yes To Blueberries, celebrated the launch of its newest line, the Yes To Hair Care Collection at a breakfast soiree held at Rosemary’s in New York’s Greenwich Village in August. Ido Leffler, co-founder of the brand, took attendees through the history and goals of the company, noting its commitment to combining high quality fruits and vegetables with efficacious ingredients to nourish and hydrate hair and skin and help people find their own recipe of products naturally.
Leffler, who was born in Israel, grew up in Australia, and now calls Mill Valley, CA home, is simultaneously passionate and incredulous when describing the brand’s global growth.
“This is our fifth anniversary in the US. We launched in Israel six years ago, and we wanted to create the ‘Apple’ of the beauty world with a natural beauty brand that is about fair, guilt-free pricing, and great ingredients.”
Leffler, who will travel to 28 different countries this year to promote the hair care line, beams with familial pride as he recounts the journey of the brand.
“Today, we are the second largest naturals beauty brand in mass retailers in the country, available in 25,000 stores in 24 different countries, and offer a range of incredible products,” said Leffler.
Ido Leffler, co-founder, Yes To Carrots, with the new Hair Care collection. |
To get the word out about its products, Yes To relies on social media such as My Space, Facebook, and continues to tap into Twitter, where Twitter parties are regularly held for the brand. After such successes as Yes To Cucumbers Wipes, Yes To Tomatoes Spot Stick, Yes To Cucumbers Gentle Milk Cleanser, and Yes To Blueberries Serum, Leffler contends that response to the products, none of which retail for more than $20, has exceeded expectations.
The new hair care collection, which, according to Leffler, is on par with high-end salon brands, took care and effort to create.
“One of the most difficult things with naturals is with hair care. We got the best formulators in the world to refine oils, sourced high quality ingredients, and now we have the scale to make millions of products. So, we can get the best quality and still get products that cost $7.99,” he said. “We want natural to be there for our customers. We want the Yes To lifestyle to be embodied in our products, and we are taking natural to a whole new level.”
Celebrity Hair Stylist Joins Yes To Team
Celebrity hair stylist Gretta Monahan recently joined the Yes To family to promote the hair care collection. Monahan, who launched Grettacole, an intimate salon and spa, additional beauty hubs and fashion boutiques, known as Gretta Luxe, and the Grettastyle Studio in New York, is a contributor to the Rachael Ray Show, Today Show, and The View, and honed her entrepreneurial spirit at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. She called the Yes To lineup a “natural, results driven collection.”
The Yes To Carrots Scalp Relief Shampoo, she said, is a positive solution for both men and women. The product is designed for those experiencing dry scalp, is pH balanced, and combines amino acids and niacinamide to protect against irritation, while salicylic acid helps reduce flaking. It contains cypress oils, lightweight oils that won’t weigh hair down, and features a combination of Tea Tree oil, a mild germicide, which is antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-infection, to penetrate the scalp, accelerate the healing of skin disorders, and is effective against dandruff. Organic carrots, rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A, stimulate healthy hair follicles and aid in preventing flakiness, while sage leaf helps stimulate healthy blood flow to the scalp, encourages new hair growth, and nourishes the scalp and hair follicles. It is designed to work well with Yes To Carrots Scalp Relief Conditioner, which features lemon oil in the formulation, to provide antioxidants, vitamin C, and fruit acids, which aid in the shedding of dead skin cells and stimulate healthy blood flow to the scalp. Each product is 99% natural, free of parabens, petroleum, and SLS, and retails for $7.99, per 11.5 fl oz.
Gretta Monahan, celebrity hair stylist and newest member of the Yes To family. |
Yes To Carrots Anti-Frizz Serum contains avocado oil to moisturize and protect hair from frizz and damage, mango butter to improve the texture of dry, unruly hair, by adding moisture and softness, and organic beta-carotene-rich carrots, for healthy, hydrated hair.
“The product is perfect for frizzy hair types seeking a nourishing serum to lock in moisture and shine, and will not leave hair hard or heavy,” obsered Monahan. It retails for $7.99, 3 fl oz.
Yes To Carrots Leave-In Conditioner blends proteins and amino acids, delivering them into the hair cuticle for restructuring and rejuvenating benefits. This 98% natural formula is said to deliver an intense level of benefit for hair with argan oil and keratin proteins that get to the roots of each hair strand. In addition, sea kelp extract, rich in zinc, magnesium, and iodine, stimulates hair growth and strengthens the hair. The conditioner is to be massaged with the fingertips and combed through the hair, with no need to rinse. It retails for $8.99, 6 fl oz.
The Color Protection line, beginning with Yes To Cucumbers Color Protection Shampoo for color-treated hair, is sulfate-free and formulated with apricot, to strengthen hair follicles for vibrant color. It also includes aloe to moisturize, sunflower, with fatty acids to nourish hair and protect against breakage, grapeseed oil, with antioxidant and rejuvenating properties, sage leaf, to stimulate healthy blood flow to the scalp and nourish hair follicles, silica, to support healthy hair follicles, and organic cucumber, a gentle cleanser, rich in water and essential nutrients, including vitamins A and C, to strengthen hair and keep color intact. Retail is $7.99, 11.5 fl oz.
Yes To Cucumbers Color Protection Conditioner, also free of sulfates, parabens, petroleum and SLS, offers green tea, with vitamin C to guard against damage from UV radiation, aloe, to nourish and moisturize for thick, shiny hair, plus vitamin E to restore dry or damaged hair. It also retails for $7.99, 11.5 fl oz. “All of the formulas in the line are really mixable, which is something we like,” added Monahan.
The Yes To lineup of hair care products. |
The Healthy Repair Line offers Yes To Blueberries Healthy Hair Repair Shampoo, said to be a natural solution for users of heat styling and chemical processing treatments. The formula features clover flower, with healing properties to mend damaged hair, and sunflower, with fatty acids to protect against breakage. Blueberries, a super food for healthy skin and hair, provides antioxidants to protect against free radicals and keep hair shiny, healthy looking, and damage free.
Leffler cited the Asian custom of formulating hair masks individually created for each person’s need, noting that the Healthy Repair line products lend themselves to feeding the hair and scalp. Both Yes To Blueberries Healthy Hair Repair Shampoo and Healthy Hair Repair Conditioner, retail for $7.99.
Leffler and the Yes To team will continue on its worldwide tour promoting the Hair Care Collection, leaving soon for Australia, New Zealand, and Tokyo. Yes To Carrots, Yes To Blueberries, and the other Yes To collections, are available at www.yestocarrots.com, Target, Walgreens, and Safeway, and a portion of the proceeds of all Yes To products is dedicated to the Yes To Carrots Seed Fund, a non-profit organization helping to make a difference in children’s lives through school gardens.