Leland Hirsch knows hair color.  He started ARTec in 1989/1990 when he discovered a process to add direct dyes to shampoo that would deposit color while cleansing. The long-time hair color expert been perfecting that technology ever since. 
 
Today, he is the CEO of No Fade Fresh, which offers a range of color  deposition shampoos and conditioners with improved characteristics and formulations that meet the demands of today’s clean beauty consumers.
 
The category has come a long way in the past 33 years, Hirsch said.
 
“The first shampoos were formulated in my bathtub.  Within a year, I had developed the first color-depositing conditioner too. Since this was an innovative novel technology, I hit the road for three years traveling around the country from salon to salon to demonstrate how the technology worked,” he told Happi.  
 
Hirsch sold ARTec to L’Oréal in 2002 “after having a lot of firsts in the industry, including making bright hair colors which no one was doing at the time,” he said.
 
No Fade Fresh was launched in 2020.  
 
No Fade Fresh’s color-depositing shampoo is a multi-patented formula, he told Happi.  
 

Silver Streak

The brand’s newest product is a metallic silver. But this isn’t just another purple shampoo, according to Hirsch.
 
“Many purple shampoos are topical, meaning they just mask unwanted yellow or brassiness. They cannot truly fix or correct unwanted yellow or brassiness. Not only does No Fade Fresh Metallic Silver Color-Depositing Shampoo and Conditioner fix brassiness, it also deposits the most beautiful true and rich silver tone,” he told Happi. 
 
Both the shampoo and conditioner have a built-in bond rebuilder, another differentiator.
 
“This is important because the coloring and bleaching process can break down the bonds in the hair. If you choose a product that does not address these bonds, the end result will not be as good, and hair becomes dry and brittle,” Hirsch explained. “With No Fade Fresh Metallic Silver Color-Depositing Shampoo and Conditioner you will get a beautiful rich silver that does not have brassiness along with clean hair color that leaves your hair stronger and more moisturized.”
 
The formulas deposit new color and refresh hair color in just five minutes. 
 
“It solves the number one problem with hair color which is fading, and that’s why after I invented it—it revolutionized the industry,” he said.
 
Hirsch told Happi that It took more than two years of salon testing to develop No Fade Fresh Metallic Silver Color-Depositing Shampoo and Conditioner.
 
“I was looking for a true neutral silver shade that does not shift to blue or purple. Most purple shampoos work on the surface but this product removes the brassiness. Not only that, it lathers to clean the hair so you get color deposition while getting rid of dirt and oil at the same time. That’s not easy to formulate,” he said.
 

Success in FDM

 
Metallic Silver, and the rest of the No Fade Fresh’s range is sold on brand’s website as well through retailers including Amazon, Rite Aid and CVS. 
 
According to Hirsch, he has always had great success with professional colorists and salons. This new venture with No Fade Fresh into the food, drug, mass (FDM) channel proves that he’s providing a product that consumers want and are excited to use.  
 
“Now more than ever, consumers seek products for DIY color that are quick, easy, and fun to use. They want to be able to create new color or refresh and maintain their hair color at-home,” he said.
 
What’s more, the new line fits with today’s clean and plant-based beauty trends. Hirsch says No Fade Fresh is the only on-shelf hair color brand with a built-in bond rebuilder technology that can make the following claims: 100% Vegan, No Gluten, No Sulfates, No PPD, No Parabens, No Mineral Oil. Formulas are PETA-Certified/Cruelty Free, too.
 
The products are formulated at No Fade Fresh’s in-house lab in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
 
Additionally, the company created a “smart label for smarter color choices,” with color swatches on the front of the packaging. The directions on the back label provide a precise salon color consultation. The label folds open showing a video on how the product is used. The QR code allows for changing videos and messaging to continuously share product knowledge. 
 
“We want to extend the consumer’s hair color investment,” said Hirsch.