The hairdresser who changed the beauty industry

25 Years as a Pioneer in Sustainable Beauty

The story of ZENZ, is the story of the hairdresser who changed the beauty industry

During her apprenticeship as a hairdresser, Anne-Sophie Skjødt Villumsen developed an allergy to traditional chemical hair products, which sparked the creation of ZENZ. In September 2024, Anne-Sophie and ZENZ celebrate their 25th anniversary, marking 25 years as pioneers in sustainable beauty.

In 1999, she opened her first hair salon under the name ZENZ Organic Hairdressing, which was the beginning of ZENZ, where natural health and sustainability were the core values. As Anne-Sophie developed an allergy to traditional hair products during her apprenticeship, the selection of professional products free from unwanted chemicals was very limited, which made her work as a hairdresser difficult. For Anne-Sophie, it was the beginning of a long battle where the mission to contribute to a healthier and more sustainable hairdressing industry was established.

In 2005, Anne-Sophie was a part of the establishment of Green Salon. It is a certification given to hair salons that use healthier products and actively work to reduce their environmental and climate footprint.

By the summer of 2007, Anne-Sophie had been running her business for several years, and it was steadily growing. She realized that she had reached a point where she needed help with the further development and management of ZENZ. In her search for assistance, she met Jørgen Skjødt, who worked as a business developer and business angel. The meeting between Anne-Sophie and Jørgen turned out to be a fateful meeting. They fell for each other and shared a passion for a healthier and more sustainable beauty industry. In 2008, the couple became partners both personally and professionally, and a new dream for the further development of ZENZ was born. They set their own eight goals for sustainable development.

The first ZENZ products were ready in 2010 and were certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and AllergyCertified. It was a small exclusive line of professional hair products that have been continuously expanded and today includes everything from haircare, styling, henna hair colours to makeup, oils, face creams, and sun protection. In 2015, Anne-Sophie won the award Hairdresser of the Year at Danish Beauty Award.

"What we put in our hair and on our skin is absorbed into the body, just like what we eat. It makes no sense that beauty products contain allergenic, carcinogenic and environmentally harmful ingredients."

Anne-Sophie Skjødt Villumsen

The entrepreneurial couple's skills matched so well that in 2017, Jørgen decided to fully commit to ZENZ alongside Anne-Sophie. It was also the beginning of ZENZ's transformation towards new ambitious goals. Every branch of the company was to strive to support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals while creating ZENZ Version 2.0 through a relaunch of the company and ZENZ Organic Products as result.

ZENZ has won awards both nationally and internationally and has been recognized for its products, hairdressers, and concept. In 2021, after the launch of ZENZ Version 2.0, Anne-Sophie and Jørgen Skjødt won the honorary award Fiery Soul at Danish Beauty Award. This award is given to people in the industry who have made a difference and serve as role models for others. Read more about awards here.

Today, ZENZ ApS is a global company represented in more than 20 countries, with its own salons, franchise salons, and product lines available in most parts of the world.

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ZENZ is B Corp Certified

ZENZ has been B Corp certified since December 2022. The company certification is for the entire ZENZ company, both our hairdressing chain and product line, ZENZ Organic Products. We are proud to be B Corp certified, which means that we as a company live up to the highest standards regarding responsibility, transparency and our social and environmental footprint.

Meet Our Experts: ZENZ Founder Anne-Sophie

Anne-Sophie knew ever since she was in fifth grade that she wanted to be a hairdresser. She was inspired when she was allowed to go with her father to work, who worked at DR, and was introduced to the work of hairdressers and stylists. Anne-Sophie studied to be a hairdresser and got an apprenticeship, where she developed an allergy towards harmful chemicals in hair products, which were undeniably a part of her everyday life as a hairdresser. After 10 years as a trained hairdresser, Anne-Sophie made a big decision to become a freelancer. Mixing her own products because she did not want to work with harmful chemicals, but exclusively with natural ingredients.

ZENZ IS OFFICIAL OWP+ PARTNER

At ZENZ, we strive to reuse the plastic that is already available. That's why the majority of our packaging is made from 100% recycled plastic from consumers and industries. Through our partnership with Pack Tech and their partner ReSea Project, which operates though a proven and certified collection solution, we are making a tangible and measurable effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the world's oceans. They collect plastic from the world's oceans in a 1:1 ratio to the weight of our product packaging. OWP+ is an addition to the OWP concept. With OWP+, we use the collected plastic waste to manufacture packaging.