Vegan Haircare Brand Amika is B Corp Certified

Brooklyn-based hair care brand Amika has achieved B Corp accreditation. 

 

B Corp certification is a high standard of excellence for social and environmental responsibility. As brand is currently the only haircare brand at Sephora to receive this certification. 

 

“We've transformed Amika in a matter of a few years, from the beginning of our CSR journey in 2018 to achieving one of the greatest validations of becoming a certified B Corp brand,” said Chelsea Riggs, Amika’s brand president. “In 2022, we qualified for the highly respected Clean at Sephora seal, further confirming our safe, responsible, and efficacious approach to formulating products. This progress is remarkable and a huge testament to our entire organization's commitment and passion on this journey. We hope to inspire more hair companies to become B Corp certified and shift the industry as a whole.” 

 

To qualify for B Corp certification, companies are evaluated across five categories, and need at least 80 points combined from all five categories to be applicable for certification; an average score is 50.9. Amika earned a score of 99.2 points—exceeding the industry expected scores due to incorporating all five B Corp facets into the brand’s DNA and investing equally in these categories across the brand.  

Categories in B Corp certification include environment, workers, community, customers and governance. 

 

Amika uses PCR plastics, partners with recycling program TerraCycle, is certified Climate Neutral, has pledged to be Net Zero by 2030 and is vegan and cruelty-free.   

 

In regards to workers, Amika offers 401k matching, paid parental leave (including for miscarriage and abortion), and competitive PTO and healthcare benefits. For community, which entails the relationships with vendors, suppliers and the community the company is based in, Amika partners with HairToStay, an organization that raises awareness and funds for scalp-cooling treatment, which significantly reduces hair loss during chemotherapy.  

 

In the customers category, Amika has implemented privacy data settings, warranties, feedback, and quality control to ensure the best possible experiences for its community.   

 

For governance, Amika emphasizes transparency both with its customers and within the organization. For example, sharing the results of its clinical and safety testing. The brand also protects investments and initiatives with strong mission drivers and ethical concerns. 

 

“For Amika, B Corp certification felt like a natural path to move forward,” said Jamie Richards, CSR and sustainability lead for Amika. “While often associated with sustainability, B Corp certification goes beyond that and measures our ethics and morals to our workers, community, customers, and higher governance structure. So many of B Corp’s principles were already in practice at Amika, and the certification acts as the seal of approval that we are in fact a friend to her, him, them and the planet.”