“The Rachel” may hold a special place as the most popular hairstyle of our generation, but it is the spirit and of course strands behind the style that has made Jennifer Aniston a beauty and pop culture icon. It’s no surprise (or small feat) that the actress has created a curated, inclusive and meticulously crafted hair care line that essentially bottles the years of learning about and trying various ingredients to get an ideal formula that works on all hair types. LolaVie utilizes plant-based botanicals, niacinamide, biotin and the power of chia seeds to create award winning products from restorative shampoo to glossing detangler.
Honing the right product that works for, and amplifies one’s true style and texture has been at the heart of LolaVie. It’s the reason they only release a new product once it’s perfect and primed to break through the rest of the beauty market making everyone take notice.
Here, Aniston shares the impetus to create her own hair care line and what sets LolaVie apart both in product and point of view.
What does allyship mean to you?
It means we are committed to contributing to help promote, support and advocate for beauty brands created by and for people of color. It’s important we help reshape industry perceptions for a more inclusive future.
What was the impetus to start your brand?
Over the years of trying to style my own hair, I was using this cream, that leave-in, combining a serum – doing all sorts of things to achieve a certain look. I would always say, "We should just bottle something." Then I ended up working with another beauty brand, and that experience gave me the bug to get behind the scenes of product development. I wanted to be a part of the creation of something and to understand the science behind it. Like anything, when you get to go behind the curtain, you often feel inspired and excited to create.
How has your background (growing up, culture) influenced your work and products?
My wavy, often hard-to-tame hair is all thanks to my Greek heritage. My mom let me do whatever I wanted to do with it. At 13 years old, my hair was long, down to my butt, and I cut it off. I've been paying for that ever since to get it to grow. As I got older, I’ve realized the wear and tear I, and so many women, put our hair through — going to work, hair color, straighteners, curling irons — everything over time is going to have an effect. That's why it was important to me to create products that can re-nourish our hair and bring it back to life.
Has inclusivity always been a priority for you as a brand founder?
Absolutely yes. Creating a product line that can be used by all hair types was one of the most challenging parts of launching LolaVie, especially as we only release products when they’re ‘just right.’ Everybody's different and has a different routine. Our product development and testing is done in such a way, and often in many iterations, to ensure that we have a very wide variety of hair types and textures as part of the process.
What excites and inspires you about the beauty industry today?
Overall, it really boils down to a well-rounded wellness and self-care routine. I’m inspired by scientific advancements and combining them with naturally-derived, plant-based ingredients to create better-for-you products that make your life simpler. I also love that more and more brands center around inclusivity and diversity from the beginning.
