About PHYTO
Born From One Man's Vision A passionate man, a pioneer... Patrick Alès CREATOR AND FOUNDER OF THE BRAND 1966 Invention of the blow-dry by Patrick Alès. 1967 Invention of PHYTOTHERATHRIE, hair care by plants, from the Greek phyto=plants, thera=treatments and trix/tricos=hair. 1969 Creation of PHYTOSOLBA Laboratories. Patrick Alès never ceased working with scientists. His products are efficient. But he relies on science to prove it and lets “the plants speak” to develop new products. 1998 Creation of PHYTO SPECIFIC, a range of hair products for curly, coiled or relaxed hair; the number one high-end ethnic hair care range, distributed on the selective market. Patrick Alès' Story The story of two passions: Hair and plants PHYTO was conceived by celebrity hairdresser Patrick Alès, long before the emergence of environmental awareness and botanical hair care trends. It all started when Patrick Alès was a salon apprentice in Paris during the 1950's. He noticed that chemically-laden products were taking a serious toll on the hands of the hairdresser's and the hair of their clientele. The first seeds of his idea for a much gentler, less harmful range of hair products were quietly sown. Fascinated by nature, he decided to study the power of plants, their history of use in traditional medicine, and the role they might play to reveal hair’s natural beauty. It was finding ways to rescue his clients’ dry, bleached-out locks in the sixties that inspired his first products: HUILE D’ALÈS and PHYTO 7. In 1965, Patrick Alès presented PHYTO to the public along with the opening of his very own salon near the Champs Élysées, still open today, where his A-list clients such as Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis became beneficiaries of his new botanical hair care brand. PHYTO WAS BORN. It was an instant smash on a worldwide scale. Phytothératrie Greek: Phyto = plants, thera = care, thrie = hair As he was steadily building his reputation through his haircuts and later his “brushing” hairstyle (the French word for blow-dry) which he created in 1966, Patrick Alès was already thinking about avoiding the damage that chemicals used in professional products were causing to the hair and the hands of the hairdressers. With a motto that he will always keep: “Primum, Non-Nocere” (first, do no harm), and a conviction that if plants have cosmetics virtues for the skin, they must also have some for the hair – Patrick Alès began to study plants with the most beneficial properties for the hair and scalp. In 1967, he created PHYTOTHÉRATHRIE*, a ground-breaking concept of treating hair through plants, and to this day inseparable to the brand identity: HEALTHY & BEAUTIFUL HAIR THROUGH PLANTS. “The ecosystem of the hair and scalp is alive and precious. PHYTO’s mission is to treat them with care and respect” - Patrick Alès 50 Years of Innovations For almost 50 years, PHYTO products have left a mark on the history of hair because of their innovative character and spectacular results. - 1968. PHYTO 7. Day cream for hair. - 1969. PHYTODÉFRISANT. Anti-frizz balm with botanical active ingredients. - 1974. PHYTOPLAGE. Hair oil to protect hair from the sun. - 1979. PHYTOLAQUE. Propellant gas free hairspray. - 1988. PHYTOPHANÈRE. Dietary supplement for hair and nails. - 1992. PHYTOCYANE. Enhancing anti-thinning treatment, dedicated to women. - 2004. PHYTOCOLOR. Color-treatment enriched with botanical pigments that gives a natural color without causing aggression to the scalp. - 2006. PHYTOPROGENIUM. Probiotic shampoo. - 2010. PHYTOKÉRATINE. Hair product range with botanical keratin for a deep-down hair repair and a restoration of inner substance. - 2014. PHYTOSQUAM INTENSE. Beautifying anti-dandruff intensive treatment.