I'm writing this from Portugal. I'm here doing makeup on the new Innersense Organic Beauty campaign, half way through the shoot I sat down with the founder, Joanne Starkman.
Joanne is a hairdresser first. She's been behind the chair since the late 80s. She co-founded Innersense with her husband Greg, and they've built it into a brand with close to 100 staff. No investors. No white label. Just more than 20 years of hard work.
Here's her story, then the products she brought along.
It started with Morgan
Joanne and Greg's first child, Morgan, was diagnosed with Williams syndrome at 22 months. She wanted to be the healthiest mum she could be. So she cleaned up the chemicals at home, starting with the laundry detergent and the cleaning products. Then she looked at the products she used on Morgan's hair and in the salon. Silicones. Resins. Petrochemicals. Synthetic fragrances.
She tried hair care from the health food store. It didn't perform like salon products. That gap started the conversation that became Innersense.
The shea butter problem
This was the eye-opener for me. Joanne explained that in the US, the ingredient list doesn't tell you the whole story. It also matters how each ingredient is sourced and processed.
Take shea butter. One version can be synthesised with petrochemicals for around $5 a pound. Another costs around $30 a pound. Both say "shea butter" on the label. As a consumer, you can't tell the difference.
Caring for the caregiver
When Morgan was diagnosed, Joanne feared she'd be a caregiver for the rest of her life. Then she realised she already was one. Every client who sat in her chair was someone she cared for.
So she built the brand to care for the people doing the caring. Stylists use these products all day, every day. Joanne wanted them to feel healthy using them.
That's why hair colour matters so much to her. A client comes in every six weeks. The hairdresser breathes in the fumes day after day. It hit home for me.
Synthetic fragrance is a non-negotiable
Joanne says the biggest offender is synthetic fragrance. Innersense uses only natural fragrancing. She says some hairdressers who'd had contact dermatitis for years told her it cleared up after switching to Innersense.
Bootstrapped from the salon chair
They launched in 2005 after years of research and development. Salons weren't interested at first. Hairdressers told them, "I already have a product that does that." So they pivoted to health food stores for a while, including Whole Foods.
Joanne went back to hairdressing full time to fund the business. Greg knocked on doors. One massage room in her studio became a pick and pack space. At one point they filled bottles in their garage. She didn't come off the tools until around 2016.
Then two things changed it. The curly hair community found them around 2016. In 2020, people stayed home and got into their hair routines, and Innersense already had e-commerce set up.
The Innersense products Joanne talked through
Hydrating Cream Hairbath
This is the one Joanne gives people who say clean hair care doesn't work. It's their most luxurious shampoo, with shea butter, coconut oil and a sage fragrance. It's rich, so it suits thick, coarse hair best.
The lather comes from a coconut base, not sulfates.
Hydrating Cream Conditioner
The partner to the Hairbath. Joanne recommends it for anyone starting their clean hair care journey.
She also made a point I loved. Most people think they have dry hair. They don't. Silicones, resins and plastics coat the hair and stop moisture getting in, so the hair feels dry.
Detox Hair Mask
Joanne calls it the ultimate hair reset. It has charcoal, kaolin clay and organic white vinegar. It lifts product buildup, hard water and environmental buildup. She says it also helps when you've been sick or on medication.
Her analogy: it's like switching to an electric toothbrush. You thought your teeth were clean. Then you realise what clean actually feels like.
Here's the bit I got wrong. It's a pre-treatment for the hair, not the scalp. And yes, I'm a hairdresser.
How to use it:
Wet your hair.
Apply the mask from roots to ends and comb it through.
Leave it on for about five minutes.
While it sits, massage the scalp scrub into your scalp.
Rinse.
Shampoo twice. Joanne uses Pure Harmony Hairbath.
Condition as normal.
How often: If you use a lot of gels and styling products, like many curly girls, you can use it every time you shampoo. Joanne suggests around twice a month for finer hair like mine.
The scalp scrub
It's pink and smells like peppermint. This is the one to use for your scalp. Joanne's tip: use it while the Detox Hair Mask sits on your lengths.
True Enlightenment Scalp Scrub
Hydrating Hair Mask
This is one of their two new repair products. It contains hydrolysed moringa seed oil, which acts as a natural bond builder. It gives strength to finer hair and to hair that's coloured a lot.
Use it after shampoo, then rinse. It's creamy and rich, with a spa-style fragrance that isn't synthetic.
Overnight Repair Serum
It has the same moringa natural bond builder, plus lavandin to relax your mood and settle your nervous system. Use it on wet or dry hair. Warm it in your hands first, then apply.
Joanne recorded a five-minute meditation on her podcast, Trust Your Inner Sense, to go with it. Put the serum on at night, do the meditation, sleep well.
Sweet Spirit Leave-In Conditioner
Joanne calls this a hero product because it suits all hair types. It's lightweight but still creamy, with aloe vera and a lavender fragrance. Use it on wet or dry hair.
Fine hair: spray it into your hands, then apply where you need it.
Thick, coarse hair: spray it straight on.
Tangles: your comb or brush glides through, which makes it great for kids.
Swimming: Joanne puts it on before she goes in chlorine.
I'm testing this one on set for refreshing curly hair when I've got no time.
Sweet Spirit Leave-In Conditioner
Harmonic Treatment Oil
Joanne didn't bring this one, but it started it all. Greg read about tamanu oil in National Geographic. Innersense uses tamanu throughout the line. The oil is cold pressed, so you can use it on your skin, scalp and hair.
Fun fact: it launched as Harmonic Healing Oil. They had to change the name because "healing" counts as a claim.
Color Purity
Innersense hair colour is fume-free and fragrance-free. Joanne says it uses a buffered technology, like the shell on a coated lolly, so it doesn't sit on the scalp straight away. It took two to three years to bring to market.
Read the bottle
Every bottle carries its own Interflection. That's Joanne's word for an affirmation. Sweet Spirit says, "I allow my life to flow with ease." Others say "My inner strength is limitless" and "I willingly release what no longer serves me."
It comes from her years behind the chair, listening to clients pick themselves apart in the mirror. Her belief: what we focus on grows.
Coming in 2027
This campaign shoot covers the 2027 launches:
A new detox product
A dry shampoo in a new eco-friendly aerosol. I've tried it on set. It doesn't feel like dry shampoo. Hair felt refreshed and clean, and I couldn't feel it when I ran my hands through.
A mahogany colour shade
Pastel shades
Where to buy Innersense in Australia
You can buy Innersense through Adore Beauty in Australia, Adore Beauty Innersense. In the US, try Ulta Beauty. In London, try John Bell Croydon. You can also find a salon with the salon locator on the Innersense website.
Listen to the full episode
Joanne's full story is on Episode 126 of The Makeup Insider. You'll hear about wanting to quit, the 2016 turning point, and her advice for anyone starting a brand.
Episode 126
Follow Joanne: @joannestarkman
Follow me: @the.makeupinsider