Beauty Boss: Rachel Parsonage, Co-Founder of Noughty

Rachel Parsonage.

Our latest Beauty Boss is Rachel Parsonage, who co-founded Noughty—a line of 97% natural haircare products—along with her childhood friend, Lorna Mitchell. With the help of plant expert and beauty botanist Jennifer Hirsch, the two ladies put a great amount of time into sourcing the right ingredients and formulating products that would deliver real results.

Noughty products are free from parabens, silicones, petrochemicals and sulphates—and the brand is committed to upgrading all of its product packaging to fully recyclable sugarcane by January 2021. Their award-winning products are sourced and formulated by a team of dedicated experts with more than 80 years of combined product development experience. The product range offers a variety of solutions for any type of hair by building personalized regimes.

We chatted with Parsonage, who shared what inspired the brand’s creation, her favorite beauty and wellness tips, and more. 

When was Noughty founded and what does the name mean?

We launched Noughty in 2016 and partnered with key global retailers as well as our own website. Our main focus was to create a performance-led naturals brand which was vegan, cruelty-free and transparent in what we deemed natural. 97% natural has been important to share with customers that they can expect our products to remain consistent and transparent.

Noughty is a play on the word “naughty,” however the “no” is because we have no sulfates, silicones, parabens and petrochemicals. 

What inspired the creation of the brand?

Noughty has been influenced by many personal drivers of both Lorna's and mine. Natural performance and affordability were two key areas, along with helping educate customers on the ingredients you can do without and why. Early on in our testing process, we benchmarked professional salon brands to ensure that the performance was great from first use, and our product reviews are testament to the hard work our team and suppliers worked tirelessly to create.  It was then a question of how we could keep the price point as accessible as possible whilst achieving this great level of performance, and to top it all off we wanted to make it vegan and cruelty-free as well. 

Does Noughty have a hero product?

Our hero range and bestseller is Wave Hello, which is specifically designed for all curl types of hair. This has been a huge success and we continue to get the curly community adopting Wave Hello into their regimen. 

What are your favorite products from the brand?

My favourite products have to be To The Rescue Serum, which has wonderful heat protective enzymes from mushrooms. This product has really been my go-to since we first created it. I love our new Tough Cookie Shampoo, and my holiday must-have is the Intensive Care Leave In Conditioner—perfect for thirsty hair after a day at the beach.

Where are your products sold?

Noughty is sold in over 15 countries including the UK, USA (CVS.com) and Canada, as well as throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

Future plans for the brand?

Within our haircare offerings, there are new treatments and styling products to come in the next 12-18 months, along with more niche solutions for problems such as brassiness, hair growth and oily scalps. Our customers are defining the products of the future as we have a wonderful network of Noughty fans and we also ask them to help us test products too.

Noughty Care Taker is a soothing tonic for the scalp that instantly relieves dryness and irritation.

Who inspires you?

I take inspiration from so many people. When we set our minds to things the power of people is unstoppable.  However, my first inspiration has to be from my mom, who worked with children with terminal illnesses for many years and showed me that rather than being sad, it’s important to live in the moment and make memories no matter what hurdles you might face. As a teenager, watching her make a difference in those children’s lives really inspired me. 

Secret to success?

Keep focused and don’t get sidetracked. Be open, honest, and listen to the customer—they are your greatest source of feedback.

Beauty secrets?

Good sleep, drinking plenty of water and laughter!

Wellness tips?

In 2019, I went on a meditation retreat and learned transcendental meditation—it was one of the best things I ever have done and wished I had done it in my twenties. I suppose like we do cardio for our hearts and bodies, we need to have a healthy brain too, and I see my meditation time now as exercise for my brain. 

The other tip would be having a bath. I have always preferred a bath to a shower, and in my view it’s one of the best things you can do at the end of a day before bed. If you can add a few drops of a bath oil, even better! Bliss.

Best advice?

From a haircare point of view, I would always say my best tip is to focus on a healthy scalp. We put our hair through a lot, but often don’t stop to think about the skin on our heads—it needs some TLC, too. Get the basics right and use cool water to wash your hair. Hot water is too harsh for most people’s scalps and your scalp will thank you for it. If you’re brave, always rinse with cold water too, as it will close the hair cuticles, flattening them down—and it also helps close pores on your scalp.

How do you like to relax?

There is nothing more relaxing for me than spending time with family, my 7-year-old son and husband who always keep me smiling.

For more information, visit noughtyhaircare.com and follow on Instagram: @sogooditsnoughty

[Images courtesy of Noughty]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk