First thing’s first: the introduction Crolles deserves. As with most things, the identity of Crolles is defined by what it does differently, so this chapter will run through the Crolles character-defining differences. What they amount to? Restrictions, worries, overthinking stripped away from textured hair care; simplicity, empowerment, quality restored.
Difference #1: unscented.
When it comes to your personal hair care routine, Crolles isn’t looking to be the star of the show. From research we’ve conducted, insights derived through conversational interviews and quite simply our own personal experience, hair care consumers are bombarded with heavily scented products that overwhelm, complicate and interrupt each personal self-care routine and opportunity for expression.
Accessories are for stacking, not scents.
Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, hair oil, styling product, moisturiser, deodorant, perfume – if you don’t happen to have the same scent for each, they can cancel each other out and compromise the distinctive fragrance expression you’re after.
Of course, the scents you choose to pair with each other is a question of personal choice. But Crolles exists to add simplicity to a complex equation. It’s our philosophy of base layer beauty: shampoo is there to deep clean and nourish; to provide a quality foundation for any scented products or fragrances you choose to layer on top.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the textured hair care market in particular where the strong scent agenda is amped up to the full. Based on the products out there, it often feels as though potent, island-girl, coconut is the only viable scent option for curly & coily heads. Crolles loves a coconut fragrance as much as any other, but we’re just a little tired of the somewhat restrictive, somewhat cliche scents targeted at us. Crolles isn’t anti-scent, just in support of subtle, personal preferences.
For us, part of the thrill of launching an unscented bar lies in imagining the rich variety of people who might come to love and use Crolles as an integral part of their hair care routine. No scent means no bias, and 100% adaptability.
Difference #2: convenient.
As with difference #1, the ‘convenience’ value of Crolles is born from our desire to restore the elements of choice and freedom in textured hair care, removing those old, familiar restraints and limitations that bleed into other areas of life.
Recently, one of our product testers, Sarah, was prepping for a trip to Morocco. She was packing, and as she was packing she was thinking—how nice not to have to worry.
Not to have to worry about leakages in my luggage.
Not to have to worry about transferring liquid shampoo to travel size bottles.
Nothing to do but zip my palm sized bar in my wash bag. Which makes for one less worry: no need for that thorough, pre-flight wash (to try and last the duration of the trip, even though I know it won’t) — because I’ll have my Crolles with me.
Crolles, you might have noticed, is about less of this so you can have more of that. Less faff and overthinking; more simplicity, quality and carefree hair care. These not-have-to-worries have been generated with our philosophy of simplicity in mind. It’s hard (and unnecessary) to complicate it further than that.
Sarah’s travel experience put into practice what we’d dreamed up for Crolles from its inception: a travelable, convenient bar. But of course, the Crolles convenience value extends beyond the context of holidays. Compared to your average bottled product, Crolles is 3x longer lasting (again: less cash, less stock up reminders) AND the bar form ensures full product usage — no shaking, cutting or general shower bottle butchery.
Difference #3: sustainable.
Most hair care products won’t survive on today’s market without some sustainability effort, and this is as it should be. But Crolles does things a little differently: our sustainability efforts for the planet are directly mirrored by our sustainability efforts for hair. Crolles recognises both as Nature, and is designed to protect and preserve accordingly.
For example, Crolles ensures chemical and plastic freedom for the benefit of both planet and hair. We (and our testers) have found that too many products are sustainably ambiguous, meaning users are required to comb through fine print to select a product. Crolles guarantees 0 silicones, parabens, sulphates or sodium chloride, so you can wash out both hair and environment damage worries with your rinse.
Our worry less sustainability is further rooted in our emphasis on locality. Given the lack of high quality textured hair products in European markets, with textured hair individuals often ordering favourite brands from overseas, Crolles steps forward to provide quality on your doorstep, easing both your environmental conscience and the dent that high shipping fees will put in your bank account.
We’re proudly produced and sold in the Netherlands and sold in other countries, such as, France and Belgium.
