Sustainable Hair Care, At Last, From Sándor

Over the last few years, there's been a noticeable increase in green skincare and makeup options—and those who claim to be. Natural and low-waste haircare, on the other hand, is still rare. "There have been a lot of natural skincare brands, but the haircare industry has really been behind," reflects third-generation hairstylist Sabrina Szinay, known for her work with Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and celebrities like Winona Rider. "I didn't really feel and see any products out there that were really thoroughly sustainable, where you see the packaging is sustainable and the ingredients are also matching up and also the identity. There was a big gap."

In 2019, after the passing of her grandfather, Szinay set out to change this. When she realized model Taja Feistner, whom she had worked with several times on set, was also a sustainability policy student, she found her perfect business partner. "So we met and later in summer 2019 we started," says Szinay. The result is Sándor, a range of zero-waste, ultra-luxe hair products named for Szinay’s grandfather. "I really wanted to continue the spirit of always having a center of something that could almost balance," says Szinay. "Wherever we would go on the journey of the brand, it would still really be true to us, a personal thing."

Sándor's core offerings, its Grounding Shampoo and Conditioner, are truly conscious products, made with entirely biodegradable natural ingredients like aloe vera, chamomile, and Calendula, selected for quality, minimal environmental imprint, and sourced entirely in North America. The bottles are post-industrial aluminum (i.e. infinitely recyclable) and the mushroom packaging decomposes naturally. The carbon footprint is traceable and kept as small as possible. The scent is calming, luxurious, and very organic.

"All of those natural ingredients really have thousands of years [of use], if not more," muses Szinay. The shampoo's pH value matches the scalp ("It's like a plant, you need to have the right soil to grow a healthy plant," says Szinay) and the products are sulfate free—meaning they don't foam and do not damage the water supply and harm marine life in the process. It's a perfect set of products to end scalp irritation.

“I'm a sustainability nerd, so for me it was like, if it's not all the way and pushed as far as it can go, then I don't even want to put it out there," says Feister. “​"Having a business partner who is actually picking sustainability over profits as well, it's just the perfect combination."

For more information, please visit Sandor.earth.