Act + Acre Is Pioneering The Scalp Care Industry

The billion-dollar hair care industry has capitalized on a plethora of hair care products for consumers but has failed to create space around the most important aspect of hair care: scalp health. Helen Reavey began her career as a hairstylist in Ireland then moved to New York to work alongside the world’s leading hair care professionals. After working on everyone from Bella Hadid to Alicia Keyes, Harry Styles and Mark Ronson to Sam McKnight and with brands like Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, she realized the number one problem most people faced when it came to the quality of their hair was the health of their scalp. But Reavey couldn’t find any products that were dedicated to scalp health. Having consistently seen the negative effects of over styling and bad products on the scalp which affected overall hair health, Reavey took matters into her own hands and began developing, now patented, Cold Processed® methodology with Stanford scientists.  

Reavey launched hair care and scalp wellness brand Act+Acre in January of 2019 encouraging consumers to treat their scalp like they treat their skin. “When we first launched Act+Acre, the overall category of hair wellness that incorporates scalp care was not a top priority for consumers. In fact, it wasn’t even a conversation piece. We’ve seen decades of legacy hair care brands promote bad hair practices and ultimately cultivate hair myths. That’s why we created the Act+Acre  brand—to help consumers understand the importance of prioritizing scalp care in their hair wellness regime. By putting education first, we’re inviting consumers on a journey of unlearning and curiosity for what it means to create an environment for their hair to thrive and express its natural texture. Over the past few years, we’ve seen so much disruption in stagnant spaces like skincare, and are proud to have helped create this new category,” she shared.

Education has been a big priority for Act+Acre especially in the last year as the CDC has noted that hair loss due to Covid-19 is potential long term side effect. Beyond the side effects of the pandemic, the scalp ages six times faster than the skin on our face and 50% of consumers suffer some type or hair loss or scalp issue but often times do not address it. “Without education, there is no demand. As consumers have become more interested and invested in what they put onto their hair, in part influenced by the clean beauty movement, scalp health quickly became the “hot topic.” Traditionally, the scalp has never been an alluring subject—it’s in a similar space as the gut flora and the skin microbiome—yet as the benefits of focusing on the unseen prove to be crucial, scalp care has become the industry darling. And for good reason…by starting at the literal roots, it’s easier to positively influence the microbiome and natural cycles of hair growth,” Reavey added. “A clean and supported scalp sans excess build-up promotes healthy cell turnover and creates a healthy environment for hair growth, as well as ensures stronger and more resilient strands.”

Reavey observed that among consumers there was a general consensus that clean hair products didn’t have the same efficacy as their salon and drugstore competitors and didn’t yield the same results or performance. As a new entrant, she knew she needed to ensure that the products were not only effective but high performing. “We chose to pioneer the Cold Processed® method for hair care because of its ability to ensure that active ingredients remain fresh and highly potent, retaining 97% of their efficacy. While formulating our products, we selected ingredients that directly target the scalp and hair—whether that’s through the rebalancing properties of calendula or rosemary’s ability to nourish follicles. Fully realizing and retaining each ingredient’s benefits through the cold processing approach allows for a well-rounded product that doesn’t require additional and unnatural additives, and most importantly drives performance,” she explained. 

The Cold Processed® Method uses ice-cold water at high pressure to combine the essential oils and ingredients. As Reavey mentioned, clinical tests have shown the products retain 97% of the efficacy of the ingredients unlike the industry average of 3%. By not using heat, the brand saves 90% energy. A clinical study by Princeton Lab shows the Act + Acre regiment removes 95% of buildup from scalp and hair. “Traditional manufacturing processes boil ingredients at temperatures up to 350°F for up to four hours at a time. They use a huge amount of energy in the heat-based manufacturing process. On average, only 3% of the efficacy of the ingredients is left in the formula and generally, silicones, sulfates, and parabens are added to make up for the loss of nutrients,” added Reavey. “The Cold processed manufacturing method never exceeds the ambient level of 68°F. Drawing parallels to cold-pressed juice, cold processing allows for the nutrients to express their full potential. Traditional processing depends on chemicals like sulfates, parabens, and silicones to improve product performance to fill the gaps where nutrients evaporate during the high heat production process. While this approach is cheaper and allows for a faster manufacturing process, it doesn’t prioritize long-term hair health.”

All of Act+Acre’s products are geared to focus on scalp care first. The current assortment of products includes The Hair Cleanse and Conditioner, Cold Processed Scalp Renew Mask, Stem Cell Serum, Restorative Hair mask and Plant-Based Dry Shampoo. In 2020, the company saw a surge in growth with year-over-year sales spiking by 432%, cementing its position as a market leader in the clean hair wellness category. Reavey plans on continuing to expand their product offering to support different scalp and hair types.