Seven Wonders – Moroccan Style

When Moroccan Oil hit the Australian hair care market last year it became  an overnight sensation, everyone’s must-have and the ONLY thing to use if you possessed both a frizz problem AND a desire for natural.   It wasn’t long before people like me came along, read the ingredients label and said ‘OMG, this is a triumph of marketing over substance’ as while this product range clearly worked, smelled appealing and looked the part it certainly wasn’t all Argan Oil (the REAL Moroccan oil).  I imagine that the formulators briefing session went something like this:

Moroccan Hair Co:  “We want a hair styling range that REALLY WORKS, it has to cost XX and it has to be up to a professional standard We want SHINE, heaps of shine and we want no-frizz OK? We don’t care how you do it as long as has a good story behind it AND it has to contain Argan oil because we have bought loads of it”

Formulator: ” Well, if you want shine and no frizz I can thoroughly recommend a blend of silicones. Cyclomethicones also help it to dry quicker on the hair”

MO “Sounds great but silicones are sooooooo yesterday and some people don’t like them. Give me a story”

Formulator: “Well, being as though you are called the Moroccan Oil Co we need to focus on the fact that the berries containing Argan oil grow on trees that live for up to 300 years under the harsh desert sun. This must mean that the Argan Oil is tough and protective against UV light.  Also the oil  is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants which could be said to ‘feed’ the hair AND being an oil it will give you the shine you desire”

MO: “Wow I’m loving the Argan angle but won’t it look like an oil slick if I just use this Argan oil, tell me more about the silicones as we have to be able to claim quick drying?

Formulator:  “We can make a silicone blend so it works and add just enough argan oil to get the benefits without the oil slick effect AND that will ensure it dries quickly”

MO ” PERFECT.  Can you do that by tomorrow”

Formulator: ”  We will try our best”

MO “Fantastic, I’ll get my massive marketing team onto it straight away. We don’t even have to think of a new name, we’ll launch Moroccan Oil next week, everyone will think it is totally natural because of our exotic oil so  it is sure to make millions……….”

And the rest is history.

BUT this blog post isn’t about Moroccan Oil, this blog is about Seven Wonders so what happened between their formulators and the marketing team?  I don’t know but the result is a range that works, smells and feels as good as the above product.

Seven Wonders contains ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED Argan Oil  which while not unique (there are many products on the Argan oil band-wagon) is nice.  Otherwise the treatment oil is pretty similar to that seen before with a similar blend of silicones and a familiar smell. THe shampoo and conditioner are high performing but this is due to the fact that while they don’t contain sulphates or parabens  (the free-from claim on the front which I am not a big fan of but this is marketing) they do contain functional polyquaterniums most of which are not natural.

Moroccan Oil from Seven Wonders

Overall I have to say that Seven Wonders range looks good, feels good and works well but it is neither unique or all-natural. I don’t have a problem with that personally as the products look well-made and professionally put together which has as much to do with safety as the ingredients in my mind (a poorly formulated natural or organic formulation can easily break down or become contaminated by microbes and that won’t help anyone). However,  I do find it a bit annoying when products emphasise one or two natural or organic ingredients without then informing the public as to the overall percentage of the ingredients that comply to a natural or organic standard.

This range make for a great new addition to the Seven Wonders family and I’m sure that they will do well but to avoid the ‘greenwash’ we must remember that while the Argan oil matters, this is still a mainstream range and there is nothing wrong with that.

To read more about Argan Oil see our blog post from 2009 and to read more about Moroccan Oil read this 2010 post.