Honoring Horst Rechelbacher

"What's good for the earth is good for us. With advances in plant chemistry, there's simply no reason to make products any other way." - Horst Rechelbacher

hand holding plant

Our story began with Horst Rechelbacher, influenced by his mother’s herbalist traditions. Horst began his career as a hairstylist at the age of 14. In his 20’s he continued to pursue his passion for wellness, traveling to India where he studied Ayurveda and its holistic healing methods. In 1978, Rechelbacher founded Aveda, one of the world’s first natural cosmetics companies. From then on, he was known as the “father of safe cosmetics.”

Horst Rechelbacher


Horst shared his passion for the healing power of plants with his daughter Nicole Rechelbacher and longtime partner Kiran Stordalen as they worked together building Aveda. After Aveda’s sale to Estée Lauder, Nicole and Kiran knew they wanted to continue their family’s tradition of creating luxurious, effective and environmentally responsible beauty products. In 2008, they launched the world's first USDA-certified organic hair care line, thus beginning I-N.

Intelligent I-N product group shot

MOTIVATED BY A MISSION.

Today, co-owners Kiran Stordalen and Nicole Rechelbacher lead I-N while maintaining the same rigorous standards for wildly effective, super-natural hair, skin, and body care. Our meticulous selection of plant-derived, clinically proven, active ingredients are always cruelty-free and responsibly produced to minimize impact on the environment. We strive to exceed the standards of our certifiers, and aspire to make every component of our packaging recyclable. We're devoted to doing the best we can—until we can do better.

I-N co-founders Nicole Rechelbacher Thomas & Kiran Stordalen