Former hairdressers Jim Markham and Alan Benfield Bush had lofty aspirations when they joined forces in 1988 and created ABBA Pure Performance Hair Care. The pair had been brainstorming ideas and began asking each other what criteria needed to exist in order to create the ideal shampoo.
 
Markham was adamant that it would have to cleanse hair of impurities without causing hair color to fade. Next, the formula would have to lather well and rinse out easily. The perfect shampoo would leave hair looking shiny, would not irritate the scalp and would be hypoallergenic. Oh, and it would have a pleasant aroma.
 
ABBA—an acronym for Achieve Balance of Business and Art—was one of the first vegan hair care lines on the market. The company also went to great lengths to be environmentally responsible, using recycled paper and soy ink in its packaging and biodegradable containers when possible.
 
Today the legacy continues. While Markham moved on to found Pureology and ColorProof Color Care, ABBA remains committed to its 30-year heritage. The latest launch from the brand this summer is an all-in-one leave-in spray crafted with natural botanicals including shine-boosting abyssinian, cconut and watermelon seed oils. Products are available at fine salons nationwide or online at http://www.pureabba.com. 
 
ABBA’s chief marketing officer Austin Baskett took time to correspond with Happi.com about the company’s­­­ milestone.
 
Happi: What makes ABBA different from other brands in the marketplace?
 
AB: ABBA has a legacy of providing “clean” products to the professional salon community for 30 years. Very few brands can say, “we were one of the first” product lines to be concerned with product ingredients and formulations, animal testing, recycling and the environment. The new improvements to our product formulas is just a continuum of what we have always done—deliver innovation while balancing purity and performance.
 
Happi: Who is your target clientele?
 
AB: Our ABBA customers cover a broad range of ages, demographics and locations. First and foremost, we service our stylist community with great products that they can use every day. Second, we know that their passion translates to their clients, who take our products home and love them. When we look at our Google analytics, we know that 66% of our female customers are age 18-34 and are interested in personal health and well-being.
 
Happi: What is your hero product and what makes it a hit?
 
AB: For stylists, we know that they love our TrueShapes Herbal Therapy Acid Wave, as well as our Detox Shampoo and Recovery Treatment Conditioner at the backbar. These products work incredibly well together to deliver waves and texture to clients in the salon without all of the nastiness associated with traditional perms. 
 
Happi: How does it feel to celebrate 30 years? Any big plans for the company?
 
AB: It feels amazing to reach this milestone. 2018 is the beginning of the next 30 years for ABBA’s evolution as a brand. We couldn’t be more proud of the new product packaging and we know that our consumers will love it based on our focus group testing and results. We have a long list of new products planned that will also create more love for the brand going forward and we can’t wait to keep innovating for our salon community.