When Augustinus Bader launched in 2018, we were all blown away by the skin-care brand’s innovative formulas, which yielded beautiful results — aka gorgeous skin. The Rich Cream, in particular, quickly became an award-winning best seller and fan-favorite. I, too, count myself a Bader stan — the same Rich Cream, plus the lip balm and face oil are staples in my skin-care routine. So, once the brand announced that it would be launching a hair-care range, I was keen to try it out for myself.
The timing for this collection couldn’t be more perfect — we’re living in the “skinification of hair” era, and scalp care is top of mind, no pun intended. After all, your scalp is skin, and it needs to be tended to accordingly. It makes sense, then, that a celebrated skin-care brand would take on this sector of the market.
“I have observed many similarities between the complexion and the specialized cells that make up the scalp and hair follicles,” brand founder Augustinus Bader shares with Allure. “Just like the skin, hair is governed by natural forces that slow over time.” The notion that the scalp is just an extension of the skin on our face is what drives the range’s formulations, which include ingredients that we would typically see in skin care. Starting with the brand’s patented TCF8 technology (a cocktail of amino acids and vitamins), Bader hair-care harnesses the powers of ingredients like vitamin E, baobab oil, biotin, argan oil, and more.
For now, the range includes The Shampoo, a hydrating and strengthening cleanser ($55), The Conditioner, an intensely moisturizing treat for your strands ($55), The Leave-In Hair Treatment, a smoothing and softening serum ($50), The Scalp Treatment, a renewing and balancing concentrate ($80) and The Hair Oil, a restorative elixir ($50). All are 100 percent vegan and free of gluten, GMOs, parabens, silicones, SLS, SLES, and fragrances.
The collection aims to “support the hair, scalp, and follicle — in the highest individual manner,” Bader explains. “Beautiful and healthy-looking hair is not possible without a healthy condition of the scalp.” According to Bader, having healthy cells on the scalp that can support the growth cycle of the hair root is of utmost importance.
The collection was intended for all hair types, but I find you never really know if that’s true until you actually try it for yourself. Products that are truly universal need to be moisturizing enough for Afro-textured hair, but still light enough not to weigh down fine hair. Cosmetic chemist Ginger King took a look at the ingredients for us, noting that the conditioning products, in particular, appear to be “formulated toward dry/damaged hair, so it may not be suitable for thin/fine [textures].”