OUR BOTANICAL LOVE STORY

Gather around, gather around. It’s story time. This is a tale about one man’s love for plants and hair, and the legacy that it created.

It’s a love story that has grown stronger and more beautiful with time. It’s our story. It’s about our romance with plants and our love for hair care.

Patrick Alès had been working with hair for years. He knew the industry was packed with products that offered short term solutions for long term problems. He also knew that these short term solutions were rich with chemicals that didn’t nurture hair like it deserved to be. The idea for PHYTO came when Patrick saw how damaging these products were. Not only to his clients hair, but also to the palms of hairdressers. This was during the 50’s in Paris. Patrick was working as an apprentice at a salon, but the need to grow and contribute to the industry was already a part of him.

“Plants. Care. Hair.”

His curiosity and admiration for plants had been bolstered when he studied their history, specifically how they were used for medicinal purposes. Plants have been used to treat and nourish skin for ages. They must have similar nurturing properties for hair, right? Patrick focused on the most favorable properties for not just hair, but the scalp too. In 1967, he coined the term ‘Phytothérathrie’. The etymology for this word can be traced to the Greek definitions of ‘PHYTO’, ‘THERA’, and ‘THRIE’. Plants. Care. Hair.

We are proud to say that our products are over 95% botanical. Most of them contain no parabens, sodium laurate sulfate, synthetic fragrances, and no added water. Patrick Alès created PHYTO with the motto “Primum, Non Nocere” meaning “First, Do No Harm”. To prove that it is possible to get the hair of your dreams, without damaging it and forcing it to be something it is not. Our products are here to bring out the natural beauty within your hair.

We started doing this in Paris 1965. You can still find us there! We’re a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Champs-Élysées. This is where we caught the attention of Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Since then we’ve relied on science and nature to guide us with our inventions. We hone our formulas in our own labs, which were first set up in 1969. The creation of the PHYTOSOLBA Laboratories gave us room to develop new products and learn more than we could have ever imagined about Phytothérathrie.

HUILE D’ALÈS and PHYTO 7 were one of our first few products that were created from this train of thought. They were created to replenish dry hair. Then came PHYTODÉFRISANT, which is an anti-frizz balm. Followed by PHYTO PLAGE, which protects your hair from the sun.

For over 50 years, we have been studying the innumerable properties of plants. We’ve created so many unique products for each individual. It's a relationship that has truly stood the test of time. Hair styles change based on trends, but healthy hair is always in. We’re grateful for that, because our hair has never felt better.

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