People & Planet: amika Spreads The Love With B Corp Certification

It’s Official: amika Receives B Corp Accreditation

The Esperanto name “Amika” means friend. It couldn’t be a more fitting name. In brand and practice, amika is a friend to hair, hairstylists, people and the planet. Now, the brand is furthering its commitment to the community with B Corp certification.

B Corp certification requires all-around brand excellence.

B Corp certification is a high standard of excellence achieved by social and environmental responsibility. To qualify, companies are evaluated across five categories:

1. Environment. amika uses PCR plastics, partners with recycling program TerraCycle®, is certified Climate Neutral, has pledged to be Net Zero by 2030, and is vegan and cruelty-free.   
2. Workers. Employees of amika are offered 401k matching, paid parental leave (including for miscarriage and abortion), competitive PTO and healthcare benefits.
3. Community. amika partners with HairToStay, an organization that raises awareness and funds for scalp-cooling treatments, which significantly reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.  
4. Customers. amika has implemented privacy data settings, warranties, feedback and quality control to ensure the best possible experiences for its community.
5. Governance. A.k.a. “transparency.” amika shares the results of clinical and safety testing, and protects investments and initiatives with strong mission drivers and ethical concerns.

    

To be B Corp certified, companies need at least 80 points combined across each category. (The average score is 50.9.) amika exceeds industry expectations with a score of 99.2 points. amika is also one of only five professional haircare brands to receive this certification, and the only Sephora brand.

amika embraces B Corp certification as a way to continue to serve the hairdressing community:

B Corp is the seal of approval on amika’s “friendly” promise.

“We’ve transformed amika in a matter of a few years, from the beginning of our CSR journey in 2018 to achieving one of the greatest validations of becoming a certified B Corp brand,” says Brand President Chelsea Riggs. “In 2022, we qualified for the highly respected ‘Clean at Sephora’ seal, further confirming our safe, responsible and efficacious approach to formulating products. This progress is remarkable and a huge testament to our entire organization’s commitment and passion on this journey. We hope to inspire more hair companies to become B Corp certified and shift the industry as a whole.”

“For amika, B Corp certification felt like a natural path to move forward,” adds CSR and Sustainability Lead Jamie Richards. “While often associated with sustainability, B Corp certification goes beyond that and measures our ethics and morals to our workers, community, customers and higher governance structure. So many of B Corp’s principles were already in practice at amika, and the certification acts as the seal of approval that we are in fact a friend to her, him, them and the planet.” 

To learn more about B Corp at amika, visit www.loveamika.com.