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NATURAL NORDIC STYLEBased in Copenhagen, Zenz Organic Hairdressing has championedenvironmentally minded styling – yet the company’s innovations, as

found in Zenz Organic Products, are serving to help shape a new era ofresponsible, sustainable practices in the international cosmeticsindustry, as Tony White discovers from Zenz’s Marketing & Web

Director, Mrs Heidi Kauffmann. ‡

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The Danish capital of Copenhagenis renowned for its cosmopolitan culture,as well as its contributions to the Europeanfashion and beauty industries. However,as the cosmetics and personal care com-panies of the world face increasing pres-sure to employ ethical, sustainableproduction methods, many businessesare receiving growing recognition for thelaudable practices that they have beenengaged in from the outset. One suchname renowned within the city ofCopenhagen – and increasingly sobeyond – is Zenz Organic Products, currently the recipient of substantialacclaim in the fashion, cosmetics andDanish movie scenes. Zenz not only sus-tainably sources and manufactures prod-ucts utilising natural ingredients thatdiminish the health risks formerlyextended to the consumer by cosmeticchemicals – it also engages prolifically inCSR initiatives, acting as a champion toethical business practices in an increas-ingly cognisant age.

Conceiving the green salonZenz Organic Hairdressing and ZenzOrganic Products was founded by MsAnne-Sophie Villumsen who is a keenadvocate of the qualities for which hercompanies stand. The management con-sists of Ms Anne-Sophie Villumsen whoacts as Managing Director of Zenz OrganicHairdressing and Mr Jørgen Skjødt whoacts as Managing Director of Zenz OrganicProducts. Mrs Heidi Brøgger Kauffmann,Director of Marketing & Web for ZenzOrganic Hairdressing and Zenz OrganicProducts, reveals how the desire to improveexisting haircare industry practices ledto the company’s development and suc-cess. “Although she is the ManagingDirector of Zenz Organic Hairdressing,Ms Villumsen still personally performshairdressing for clients today,” Mrs‡

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Kauffmann introduces. “Our operationsare a combination of product developmentand marketing for Zenz Organic Products,and the hairdressing chain business. MsVillumsen founded the company originallyas a salon – she opened her first salon in1999 – so the organic products that wecreate today are a consequence of that.As the salon developed, she began toinvent her own treatments, as well asdevising techniques for more healthyand natural products. The motivation forthis was the fact that, during her appren-ticeship, she had rapidly developed aller-gies to the chemicals found in traditionalhair products.”At the time of the birth of Ms

Villumsen’s first child, the founder ofZenz made time to invest in her familylife, during which her allergies subsided– only to re-emerge upon her return towork, thereby enabling her to identifythe problem as the result of her contactwith cosmetics chemicals. “This cycle ofevents transpired a second time, when MsVillumsen’s second child was born,” MrsKauffmann expands. “In order to continueher own career, as well as assist those inthe industry who had been similarlyaffected, the choice was made to createbetter working conditions for those inthe sector, as well as commencing devel-opment on less harmful and more eco-friendly products.” Over the years, theportfolio of Zenz Organic Products hasexpanded, encompassing organic oils,

botanical hair dyes and mineral-basedcosmetics. Zenz Organic Hairdressinghas also grown over the years, from a singlestore to six outlets throughout Copenhagenand the surrounding metropolitan area.“Each of these salons are certified ‘greensalons’,” Mrs Kauffmann adds. “This is aconcept that is popular in Denmark, whichMs Villumsen assisted in originally set-ting up alongside Danish authorities. In total, approximately 30 salons are certified under this system today.”

Qualities of a pioneerCopenhagen’s environmentally awareoutlook is well documented, althoughthe concept of the green salon encom-passes several tenets beyond the issue ofutilised products. Eco-friendly electricitysystems, consideration for property devel-opment and other respects all form partof the movement, within which ZenzOrganic Hairdressing acts as a leadingplayer. “Within our salons, we have adoptedseveral means by which to ensure sustain-ability,” Mrs Kauffmann mentions. “For

example, the products that are used withinour outlets must be as organic and envi-ronmentally friendly as possible.Additionally, the work environment mustbe physically and mentally beneficial toour employees and customers, whilst interms of corporate structure, our logisticssolutions must be engineered to be asresource-efficient as possible. Similarly,suppliers, products and processes arebeholden to utilise as little energy aspossible.” It is a meticulously detailedmindset – even the coffee that Zenz salonsoffer to their customers originates fromethical, fair-trade sources. In alignmentwith this, company employees are trainedto act as role models for green salon incen-tives, encompassing personal develop-ment as well as effective teamwork and staff cohesion.As a consequence of this extensive and

detailed ethos, Zenz Organic Products isrenowned for its well-principled approach.“Of our 45 staff, the majority are stylistsor trainees, although we have personnelthat also work in marketing, sales and

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warehousing,” Mrs Kauffmann describes.“We frequently collaborate with other com-panies within Denmark – such as ouragreement with the luxurious spa centre,Amazing Space. That business is positionedin close proximity to one of our salons, soit is simplistic for us to send our staff tothe facility when required.” Zenz OrganicProducts also collaborates prolifically withtwo of Denmark’s leading modelling agen-cies, as well as a jeweller. Zenz oftenassists in styling performers and modelswho are participating in events for theseorganisations, with each involved companybenefiting from increased cross-marketing.“In opening six salons in Copenhagen in as many years, Ms Villumsen hasencountered numerous individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds,” MrsKauffmann continues. “Consequentially,the company has been aligned with ProjectHomeless in Copenhagen for just over ayear, which entails our provision of freehaircuts and community involvementwith these individuals.”Although proud custodians of corpo-

rate social responsibility, it is the ethicalsteps taken in developing the ZenzOrganic Products range that most amplycharacterises the day-to-day commitmentsof the company. “Depending on the cat-egory, the products used in our salons canbe manufactured in various regions,” MrsKauffmann explains. “Some are producedin Denmark, others in Italy, the UnitedKingdom and Canada. However, ourspecifically labelled Zenz products areproduced in Denmark, to the specifica-tions and recipes developed by MsVillumsen. Our suppliers are well-estab-lished companies, with whom we workclosely to ensure that our raw materialsare ethically sourced, and of the highestquality.” Prior to the launch of a newproduct, extensive testing is undertakento make certain that it matches preciserequirements and produces the desired

results. Research & development is oftenundertaken within the salons themselves– often directly by Ms Anne-SophieVillumsen herself. Furthermore, manyof Zenz Organic Products are certifiedwith the Nordic Ecolabel – the 'Swan'symbol – which is a guarantee of strictenvironmental requirements, health con-siderations and good quality. The NordicEcolabel is a voluntary ecolabellingscheme that evaluates a product's impacton the environment throughout theentire life cycle.

Stylish success storiesAlongside the six salons and corporateheadquarters in Copenhagen, ZenzOrganic Products controls a warehouse tothe north of the city, wherein the productssourced from the company’s suppliers arestored. “We would savour the opportunityto introduce our products to marketsoutside of Denmark,” Mrs Kauffmannoutlines. “To that end, our merchandiseis already present in countries such asSweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland andthe Faroe Islands, although we believethat there is an enormous market forhealthy, environmentally friendly hairproducts. We are planning to explore the potential open to us in the UnitedKingdom, Germany and Asia.” Stylistsand consumers frequently approach ZenzOrganic Products with enquiries regardingthe availability of the company’s solutionsin their regions, demonstrating the strongdesire that exists for these products in agrowing range of markets. The portfoliois continuing to expand, with regular newproduct launches enhancing the rangemarketed by Zenz Organic Products. “In September 2013, we launched a newhairspray,” Mrs Kauffmann exemplifies.“It is an Ecolabel hairspray that containsneither perfume nor silicone, designed forboth men and women. This negates thepossibility of allergies that could stem‡

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from perfume, as well as other health con-cerns.” The market has responded withtremendous positivity to this development,with Zenz Organic Products intending togain further recognition for the hairsprayby means of forthcoming industry awards.Demonstrating similarly innovative

composition, hair dyes marketed by ZenzOrganic Products have been well receivedby consumers, to the extent that the prod-ucts have been packaged in containerssuited to clients purchasing and admin-istering the colourants in their own homes.“Our botanical hair colour products areone of the best selling in our entire port-folio today, containing no harmful sub-stances,” Mrs Kauffmann says. “Ouroutlook is that our products are to bemade available to all clientele wishingfor healthy, beautiful hair, as well as styl-ists who wish to perform without the riskof adverse effects generated by workingwith chemicals. It is a recognised problem– we frequently see stylists who enjoy theirwork forced to resign, because chemicalshave instilled within them allergic reac-tions after years of consistent exposure.”This perspective is aligned with anincreasing global cognisance demon-strated by the fashion and beauty sectorsworldwide, in which ethics, theenvironment and health arebecoming ever more pronouncedconcerns. “We are fortunate thatMs Villumsen founded this com-pany in response to having per-ceived these issues years inadvance,” Mrs Kauffmannenthuses. “The fashion industry isemphasising a more healthy andnatural appearance in the trendsforming today, yet we were advo-cating these principles from the very

beginning, in 1999. As such, we enjoyexcellent degrees of customer retention asnew clients are introduced to our products.”

Imminent international initiativesZenz Organic Hairdressing actively edu-cates and develops existing stylists, culti-vating more ecologically minded outlooksand practices. These principles are seeingadoption in a growing roster of regions,proving that the beauty industry at largeis receptive to such changes. “Finnish,Swedish and Norwegian hairdressershave been motivated to develop their owngreen salon concepts,” Mrs Kauffmannimparts. “The clean, simple and classicScandinavian look is currently very pop-

ular in the fashion sector.We stand for Nordicquality and encouragingcustomers to cultivate alook that defines theirpersonalities. We con-

tinue to experiment with new solutionsand treatments that combine unprob-lematic substances and natural ingredi-ents to this end.”Looking ahead, Zenz Organic Products

intends to afford even greater considera-tion to sustainability initiatives, coupledwith an expansive outlook that will seeits pioneering products reach an increas-ingly international audience. “We areimminently launching our English-lan-guage website, to create a platform forsustainability and green salon initiativesto be discussed at the global level,” MrsKauffmann outlines. “Often, commodi-ties tagged as ‘healthy’ are perceived asuninteresting, yet we wish to continuedemonstrating that it is possible and viableto combine healthiness and trendiness.We will continue challenging harmfulchemicals in the cosmetics sector, andwelcome any partners seeking to work withus who understand what we stand for.”o

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