Product claims make for strange bedfellows. Just when you thought the sulfate-free furor had died down, one of the world's biggest players in the hair care space has reignited the issue. Procter & Gamble's Herbal Essences lineup is expanding with two new sulfate-free botanical shampoos. The formulas are said to meet the Environmental Working Group's  EWG Verifed stamp of approval. To be authorized to use the EWG Verified mark, Herbal Essences meets the rigorous criterion, and provides additional information not typically found on the product label—an effort to drive greater ingredient transparency and informed choices. With this credential, Herbal Essences is the first mass hair care brand in mass retailers to meet the strict clean beauty standards set by EWG. According to P&G, EWG Verified goes beyond basic ingredient labels to hold companies on the cutting edge of making products to an even higher standard.


"The mark will make shopping even easier for overwhelmed consumers who want to quickly find a bottle of shampoo and other personal care products that meet our rigorous standards," says Jocelyn Lyle, VP-development, EWG.


Over the past few years, Herbal Essences has shared more information about ingredients used and ingredients not used in the bio:renew lineup to meet the consumer demand for more transparency. However, the EWG Verified process was the first time Herbal Essences was ever required to disclose this amount of detail about product composition, safety testing and quality control steps.


"For almost 50 years, Herbal Essences has been committed to the safety of the people that use our products," states Lynn Hicks, brand manager, Herbal Essences. "Now more than ever, consumers are demanding transparency with their beauty products and with this partnership, we can provide consumers with the reassurance that our products are clean, safe and verified by a trusted group like EWG."