Since its launch in the 1970s, the British Hair Institute has had responsibility for acknowledging high standards in hair care and rewarding innovation in the industry. Inclusion on our list of endorsed brands entitles manufacturers to use the trusted BHI mark on their products.

A BHI endorsement shows that a brand has produced products that are excellent in terms of results, consistency and a range of other factors. Our testing panel includes some of the UKs leading hairdressing professionals and experts who take great care only to approve brands and products that deliver to the highest of standards.

In the 1980s and 1990s the British Hair Institute was responsible for prodigious growth in the home hair colouring market as consumers became aware that a salon appointment wasn’t the only way to keep back grey hair. Between 1984 and 1997 the BHI ran an awards event celebrating the best of British hairdressing, but moved away from that model in the last years of the 20th century as the growth of the internet offered new ways to connect with the industry and with people around the country.

With the dawn of a new millennium came the opportunity to modernise the Institute and revamp its public image. Out went the blue rinse brigade and a new team of younger trustees were given the responsibility for bringing the BHI’s processes up to date. This has now been achieved and the success of our accreditation scheme shows that we are ready for whatever the future may bring.

Our motto is "Recognising Excellence" and this reflects the mission at the heart of the Institute. Identifying high quality products to offer reassurance to both hair professionals and domestic users is our primary function. Our panel of testers works tirelessly to assess products of all types for inclusion.

Our rigorous process ensures that only brands producing the highest quality products are certified. Aspects such as sustainability, environmental impact, quality of ingredients, standard of manufacture and industry feedback are used to determine which suppliers make the grade.

We only report successful assessments, so it should never be assumed that because a brand does not yet have our endorsement we consider its products below a certain standard. This is not the correct interpretation. Brands are not required to submit their products for assessment and not every product we assess has been submitted directly by the manufacturer.