The story of Less is More begins in 2005, when Hannes Trummer, hairstylist, art director and trainer at international hairdressing chains, opens a small salon with big ambitions in the centre of Vienna. His encounter with the Feldenkrais method has taught him what it means to reduce to what is essential. What is missing from the salon: honest, highly effective hair care without the usual suspects of the conventional cosmetics industry, silicones, paraffins, synthetic preservatives. The solution is born in the back room of this salon: on a hotplate, together with Dr. Doris Brandhuber.

Brandhuber is a doctorate-holding chemist, aromatherapist and specialist in biomimetics, that interdisciplinary field of research that uses the structures and mechanisms of nature as a design principle. Previously she worked as an environmental consultant at the Federal Environment Agency, and in doing so came to recognise how many conventional cosmetic products contain substances that are harmful to both people and the environment. For Less is More she declined a research fellowship at Yale University. In 2007 they found Less is More, organic haircare, as a brand that is uncompromisingly certified organic from day one.

The foundation of Less is More is a scientific claim: biomimetics means that the structures and mechanisms of nature serve as a template for product formulations, effectiveness through naturalness, not despite it. All ingredients are carefully selected for efficacy, purity and optimal skin and environmental compatibility. They are derived from renewable raw materials, from certified organic farming wherever available, and are fully and rapidly biodegradable. Pure essential oils are far more than fragrance, they actively contribute to functionality, wellbeing and care.

All Less is More products are COSMOS Organic certified and comply with the Austrian Food Code through Austria Bio Garantie. Free from silicones, paraffins and synthetic preservatives, and free from microplastics. Packaging consists of 100 percent recycled PET. Production takes place exclusively in the brand’s own manufactory in Vienna, handcrafted, controlled, transparent. Since 2017 Less is More has been B Corp certified: one of the first companies in Austria to receive this seal for social and ecological responsibility.

Less is More thinks of hair care systemically: shampoo, conditioner and treatment are coordinated and complement each other in a holistic hair care routine. The brand name itself serves as a guiding principle: concentrated products mean that less product achieves more, and consumes fewer resources. The essential oils in the formulas are far more than fragrance: they act actively on the scalp, stimulate circulation, nourish the hair follicle and create a lastingly pleasant sensory experience.

Dr. Doris Brandhuber’s approach follows the principles of biomimetics: natural actives are not altered by heating or synthesising, but used in their original, biologically active form. Forest honey and linden mead from the Mühlviertel are not merely romantic ingredients, they work as natural moisture retainers and film-formers that protect the hair without coating it like silicones. The result is hair that feels like well-cared-for hair, because it is.

Less is More is a thoroughly Austrian brand: produced in its own Viennese manufactory, inspired by the biodiversity of the Alpine region, grounded in Austrian craft tradition. The active ingredients draw on nature in and around Vienna, including forest honey and linden mead from highland beekeepers in the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel region, where bees collect honey in untouched forests. Plant extracts from calendula, hops, rosehip and alpine medicinal herbs complement the range as biologically active ingredients.

Wherever possible, Less is More works with small regional quality producers who produce the finest raw materials in certified organic quality. Fair Trade cane sugar (Mascobado), organic coconut oil and organic shea butter complete the Austrian raw material portfolio. The entire product development, from the first formulation to the finished bottle, takes place in Vienna. Packaging in 100 percent recycled PET can be disposed of in the recycling stream after use.