Heritage.
“We are the earth.”
— Horst Rechelbacher
Set out by our founder Horst Rechelbacher in 1978, our mission continues to guide decision-making across the entire organization.
Our mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.
OUR FOUNDER
Horst Rechelbacher was a pioneer of holistic beauty and a champion of environmental responsibility.
Born in Austria in 1941, Horst began working in a local salon at the age of 14, and by 17 was styling international celebrities at a salon in Rome. At 20 he won the European Hairstyling Championship.
He settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota and opened his first salon, Horst & Friends, and several others, becoming a successful salon entrepreneur before the age of 30. Fast forward a few years and Horst suffered burnout and recovered thanks to herbal remedies, as well as with yoga and meditation.
Aveda was born in 1978 with the vision to bring beauty professionals botanical products that would be good for them, their guests and the earth.
His ideas would revolutionize the beauty industry. “We are the earth,” he said. “We are soil. We are water. We are everything.”