‘Queer Eye’ star's haircare range now available
Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye’s expert on haircare and personal grooming, has taken his hugely successful clean haircare brand to Australia and New Zealand.
Van Ness launched JVN Hair in mid-2021 in US Sephora stores, partnering with biotechnology company Amyris to create the range of 11 haircare products that aren’t gendered and can be mixed and matched.
The Netflix star, who has worked as a hairstylist for 15 years, told news.com.au that he used his experience to create a product for “everyone” that targets common hair concerns over types of hair.
“I’ve got a huge passion for education and understanding product, it’s really important to achieving hairstyle - especially achieving and maintaining healthy hair,” Van Ness explained.
“So whether you’re someone who has really fine hair or you’re someone who has thick, coarse, kinky coily hair, all of our products are going to work for you.”
Van Ness said the range, which cost between $28 (NZ 32) and $43 (NZ 49), features a “hero” ingredient called Hemisqualane, an alternative to silicone that’s synthesised from sugar cane that he says is superior for helping protect and repair hair.
“Silicones coat the hair and prevent any of the benefits of other ingredients from being absorbed into the hair, whereas Hemisqualane penetrates the hair’s core better to repair, protect and smooth your hair immediately and over time,” Van Ness said in an interview with Sephora.
“It’s an amazing, clean, sustainable ingredient that works wonders on hair,” he told news.com.au.
“It’s also silicone free and sulphate free which is also good for the environment as well as your hair, so we just love Hemisqualane.”
Van Ness also stressed that the products were “non gendered” and that the messaging - including the tagline “come as you are” - were designed to be inclusive.
“For so long the beauty industry has been very exclusive in who it caters to,” he explained.
“It’s always been trying to make certain people feel more welcome.
“I was assigned male at birth and I always felt like I wasn’t supposed to want to play with my hair and I wasn’t supposed to want to feel beautiful. So I always felt unwelcome in the beauty space.
“So I just want everyone to know, no matter who you are, your gender, your age, your race, you’re allowed to play with your hair and feel beautiful while doing it.”
The range of JVN Hair are available to purchase online or in Sephora stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Image: @jvnhair (Instagram)