Sustainability is fueling innovation in both packaging and formulation in 2025.

Globe-trotting celebrity hairstylist Michael Dueñas – clients of which include Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Hilary Duff and Jamie Lee Curtis – knows all about the challenges that can present with liquid content limitation and waste accumulation that come with hauling beauty products overseas. In fact, according to the Natural History Museum, as high as 95% of personal care packaging is discarded, contributing to as much as 12.7 million tons of plastic that enter the ocean annually.

“With plastic use on the rise, chemicals running rampant in beauty, massive waste and diminishing water supplies over the world, it felt like now or never,” said Dueñas, who has styled campaigns for L’Oréal and collaborated with Oscar de la Renta and Victoria’s Secret.

Cognizant of respect for people going hand-in-hand with planet, Dueñas sought to apply his beauty skills to extend beyond the maintenance of gorgeous manes to the upkeep of green pastures with the introduction of a water-free haircare line; his first product-focused entrepreneurial endeavor. 

“As a celebrity hairstylist, I was traveling constantly and producing a ton of waste with my beauty products,” he told Happi. “My clients are also traveling everywhere, and most products on the market had water that did not allow us to travel with them. I wanted to create something better, something that had better efficacy, better packaging, reduced plastic, reduced carbon emission, a better formula than what was currently offered – something that can go anywhere, and most importantly, a clean, highly-effective product. I didn’t just want to be a travel product; I wanted to be the best hair care you could have.”

Introducing Arove, a ‘New Era’ of Haircare

To address hair health while preserving the environment, Dueñas created his “win-win” hair care line, Arove. Arove takes its name from a seldom used form of the word “arrived” typically spelled “arrove,” and with it, what Dueñas hopes to usher in a “new era” of haircare. The water-free haircare line increases ingredient absorption to the hair, offering “faster and better hair health,” he said. The concentrated products, which include a self-emulsifying shampoo and conditioner duo, allow users to adjust the product to their personal needs. 

“Need a stronger shampoo to deeply cleanse? Use less water,” he explained. “Need a lighter weight conditioner? Adjust the amount of Aerious conditioner you use to allow the spread of a thinner product, and vice versa for a thicker, more treatment-like experience.”

The Aerious Moisture and Shine Boosting shampoo and conditioner duo plus the brand’s forthcoming Illuminous Ultra-Hydrating Hair Oil are essentials to healthy hair, he said. They work to deliver “immense” frizz control and detangling. 

“These products are key staples in a routine: an incredibly hydrating shampoo and conditioner to keep your hair healthier than ever, and a hair oil for heat-stressed, environmentally damaged or extremely coarse hair to add additional benefits and mirror-like shine,” he said. “It is three products to give you your dream.”

LumiLok Technology 

Just how do the products yield this dream hair? 

The answer lies in Encapsulated Powder with LumiLok Technology, designed to optimize the stability and efficacy of active ingredients. It does this by forming nanoparticle complexes that are the optimal size for delivery deep inside the hair follicle. Beneficial oils and conditioning agents are encapsulated within uniform hydrophilic polymeric shells effectively shielding them from environmental degradation while increasing membrane permeability. 

“This targeted delivery mechanism enhances absorption to the hair, reduces product waste and promotes superior outcomes in hair hydration, structural reinforcement and luminosity when compared to conventional formulations,” he said. 

Offering a light, uplifting fragrance that’s delicately floral, slightly herbal with a crisp of clean finish, the products are free from sulfates, silicones, phthalates, fillers, gums and parabens. Arove’s naturally derived silicone alternative complex provides the same feeling and benefits of artificial silicones, like dimethicone, but without build-up on the hair. Plus, its complex degrades and dissolves in the environment in contrast to other silicones. 

The line’s oil blend helps to reduce scalp inflammation, contains antimicrobial properties, adds sheen to hair while protecting strands and boosting collagen to fortify hair follicles. It also works to stimulate scalp circulation for hair growth. 

Other ingredients include hyaluronic acid, broccoli, pomegranate, watermelon and carrot seed oils, frankincense, moringa, evening primrose, rosehip, lavender and marula oils and vitamin E. The pH-balanced system protects color-treated hair.

Sustainability Components 

Arove’s packaging is 100% recycled plastic, including the bottle and cap. Arove’s 2.3-ounce travel-sized bottle equals the same amount as a 32-ounce liquid shampoo and conditioner. Its bottles tout a weight of 34 grams, compared to 297 grams for traditional 32-ounce bottles. 

“This reduces your plastic waste and also helps reduce the overall carbon footprint of our product and your product usage,” said Dueñas.

Moreover, the brand says its over 90% reduction in product weight and volume leads to an estimated 60% decrease in carbon emissions from transportation given lighter shipments. The formulations’ water-free component saves nearly two gallons of water per person annually and the line’s energy-efficient production supports a smaller carbon footprint from production to disposal, says the brand. •