Issue 6 / Celebrating 20 Years of Hair Care With Marc Anthony

by Rosemina Nazarali

Celebrating 20 Years of Hair Care With Marc Anthony

Jul 17, 2015

Marc Anthony is a name most Canadian women know very well. The name is a staple in the hair aisle, an unmistakable moniker that has come to define luxurious, yet affordable, hair care. And it all began 20 years ago with just six products and one Shopper’s Drug Mart location in Toronto.

After having some new life put back into my red locks followed by a lustrous blowout, I sat down with Marc Anthony at his salon in Toronto’s famed Yorkville neighbourhood to talk about his new products and how he is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his brand, Marc Anthony True Professional.

Since his humble beginning, Anthony now has a range of 75 products available in countries all over the world and a few years ago, he rid all his products of sulfates, chemicals widely used in cleansing products as a cleaning agent.

“We started to learn about how harmful sulfates are, and how much they actually deteriorate the other ingredients in the product even before you get the product into your hair,” Anthony says. “[With] sulfate-free, contrary to what some people might think, you actually get a really rich, creamy lather and you’re getting the most gentle cleansing from your product. Whereas with sulfate, you’re getting stripping and it’s very abrasive. Even the lightest forms of sulfate are very abrasive. They strip all your colour, dry out your hair, make your hair tangle, give you split ends [and] make your hair frizzy.”

As part of the anniversary celebrations, Anthony is launching three new product ranges this summer, all of which, surprisingly, are brand new concepts to his already wide array of hair products.

“I always want to make sure that each product is delivering a certain caliber, a certain standard, and it’s going to deliver the results,” he says. “But as you create more and more products over the years, and now we have such a wide variety of products, it becomes more challenging with what you’re going to innovate, what’s new, what’s next. So, I’m really excited about these collections because they actually fill a void in the areas we aren’t really focusing on so much.”

The New Products

Volumizing Collagen Bamboo

This product line is designed for people looking to strengthen their hair, while getting full, voluminous and thick locks. The range includes a shampoo, conditioner and extra volume thickening cream, at $10.99 CDN each.

“What’s so special about this, the way we designed it, is the collagen in the product — if you think about it, it’s almost like very fine bubbles or molecules of collagen that seep into the centre of the hair, beyond the cuticle, and create almost a plumping action,” Anthony says. “And then what's remarkable is the bamboo and the biotin and the silica actually strengthen the outer part of the hair so that you get this strong barrier which locks in the collagen. So each hair strand is actually being plumped up and then strengthened.”

Kinky Girls with Wild Curls

Kinky Girls, my personal favourite of Anthony’s new product lines, will give your natural curls that extra moisture, shine and softness, without weighing them down. That means your curls will bounce, be frizz-free and be nourished. The range includes a shampoo, conditioner and exotic oil treatment, at $10.99 CDN each.

“I just felt with the onset of these new exotic oils and these rich new ingredients from all over the world, that we could now create something for that really coarse, kinky curly girl. So I decided to blend all of the richest exotic oils — argan, coconut oil, avocado oil and shea butter — all together and create a superhero, super rich, super oil,” Anthony says. He adds that the exotic super oil is a “little heavier than some of our other oils, but that’s exactly what this hair type needs; you need a bit of that heaviness.”

For those that are bound to fall in love with this product range, Anthony says they are planning to add a smoothing cream and other curl creams down the line.

Moisturizing Shea Butter and Marula Oil

This is a product range for those with hair that is starting to feel a bit dry and needs an extra boost of moisture. It’s designed to nourish and moisturize your locks to ensure your hair stays healthy, luxurious, shiny, soft and manageable. The line includes a shampoo and conditioner, at $10.99 CDN each.

Anthony stresses that this product range isn’t just for those with damaged hair.

“This is for all hair types, because all hair tends to go through stages — it starts healthy and then it starts to get dry. So this is the way to really get back that moisture boost. And we’ve also infused it with almond oil so you get this super restorative moisture boost from your shampoo and conditioner.”

Marking a Milestone

In addition to the three new product lines, Anthony and his team are marking the anniversary by launching in their 20th country (Australia) and partnering with the Canadian Women’s Foundation as a national sponsor.

“With all this growth and hitting all these amazing milestones, I just wanted to find a way to thank the Canadian women, everybody I’ve worked with, whether it’s journalists or loyal customers, it’s all been about women being loyal and supporting this brand for 20 years,” Anthony says. “So we decided for our 20th anniversary to really give back and partner with the Canadian Women’s Foundation. We are now making a contribution, both financially and with our services and time.”

The foundation works with women of all ages to lend support to victims of domestic violence and single mothers, to empower young girls, and to help end human trafficking.

“It really just made so much sense to work with a foundation that worked with all of those areas,” Anthony explains. “And something that was just personal for me, I really wanted to help young girls, and when I heard that the Canadian Women’s Foundation also focused on pre-teens and teenagers, helping with self-esteem and self-confidence, that just kind of hit a corner with me and I felt like this was a good one to get on board with.”

Rosemina Nazarali

Author

Rosemina (@RoseminaN) is a writer and content strategist who has a special place in her heart for beauty. She’s always on the pulse of current trends and loves trying new products -- especially if they are brown-skin worthy! When she’s not playing with makeup, she’s travelling, going to concer...