L’Oréal spotlights sustainability with Gjosa acquisition and energy-saving hair tool

11 Jan 2024 --- L’Oréal is going all in with Gjosa, buying the outstanding shares of the Switzerland-based company that specializes in water fractioning technology.

L’Oréal took a minority stake in 2021 through its corporate venture capital fund and believes this latest move helps with its “comprehensive and science-based approach to water management, ensuring that its activities respect planetary boundaries defined by the scientific community.” 

The cosmetics giant plans to “innovate and scale multiple applications of Gjosa’s technology for beauty while protecting the precious and coveted resource of water.”

“Acquiring Gjosa further strengthens our ability to build sustainability directly into our products and services, allowing us to seamlessly integrate water-conserving technology into new formulations and Beauty Tech innovations. Together, we can rapidly scale up sustainable beauty solutions with enhanced performance that are less resource intensive and introduce them to the wider beauty ecosystem,” says Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO at L’Oréal Groupe.

Water-saving technology
In 2021, L’Oréal and Gjosa launched the L’Oréal Professionnel Water Saver professional showerhead, which was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Best Inventions of the Year.”

L’Oréal's AirLight Pro was showcased at the CES tradeshow.According to the cosmetics company, the patented water fragmentation technology in the Professionnel Water Saver by Gjosa lets hair salons reduce water consumption at the backbar by up to 69% while maintaining a “pleasurable and thorough hair washing experience.”

“By 2030, nearly 60% of the world’s population is expected to be water-stressed. Combining science and technology will play a vital role in our efforts to protect this valuable resource. Both L’Oréal and Gjosa are passionately committed to the environment, providing the best beauty experiences to people around the world while conserving the precious resources of water,” explains Barbara Lavernos, deputy chief executive officer in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology, L’Oréal Groupe. 

Since 2023, the showerhead has been used in more than 10,000 professional hair salons across Europe and the Middle East. The company says that it has helped save more than 182 million liters of water, equivalent to 72 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The plan is to continue this roll-out to over 200,000 salons worldwide in the coming years.

“Combining L’Oréal’s beauty market leadership together with Gjosa’s core expertise in water conserving technologies will contribute to transforming the beauty industry with new, sustainable Beauty Tech innovations at scale,” asserts Laurent Manca, CEO at Gjosa.

The acquisition is set to be completed in the following weeks.

Sustainable styling
L’Oréal has unveiled the AirLight Pro, a hair-drying tool designed with professional stylists for consumers at home. 

The tool uses infrared-light technology and wind to dry hair faster, with heat flow across multiple hair types while using up to less than 31% energy consumption. Designed with Zuvi, a hardware start-up company established by drone engineers and leading scientists. L’Oréal says the tool cares for hair “with visually smoother and hydrated hair.”

A team of over 100 engineers, designers, hairdressers and scientists from L’Oréal’s Research & Innovation Division and Zuvi collaborated on AirLight Pro’s industrial design to develop a professional-grade hair drying tool that “breaks through barriers of performance.” The AirLight Pro uses up to less than 31% energy compared to other hair styling tools.

According to L’Oréal, the hair tool delivers up to 33% more hydrated hair, up to 59% visually smoother hair, faster drying times and an enhanced user experience based on feedback from leading professional stylists.

“For over a decade, L’Oréal Research and Innovation has been creating a new Beauty Science powered by technology: Augmented Beauty. Technology that truly answers age-old consumer needs with unparalleled results,” says Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L’Oréal. 

“AirLight Pro, with over 150 patents filed, perfectly embodies this breakthrough in beauty by, for the first time, bringing a solution for drying while caring for the hair as well as the planet.”

Unlike conventional heating hair dryers with only heating coils, the AirLight Pro is equipped with a 17-blade, high-speed motor and patented infrared technology powered by tungsten–halogen bulbs designed for fast hair drying without excessive heat. By efficiently drying water on the hair surface, hair is left with internal moisture in the strand, resulting in smooth, shiny hair.

L’Oréal tested the dryer on 500 people across multiple hair types — it is designed to adapt to the individual user’s needs. The hardware, firmware and app allow users to customize the tool's settings for their needs.

AirLight Pro will be available this year to beauty professionals and consumers in select markets such as the US and Europe by its salon professional brand, L’Oréal Professionnel.

By Sabine Waldeck