Our story

join us on this trip down memory lane

Where it started

It all began in 2008, when Horst Rechelbacher became an environmental activist after selling his hair care line AVEDA to the ELCO Group in 1997. Horst, who believed you should practice what you preach, thought it was the perfect opportunity to develop a new beauty brand that he could fully identify
with and breathe life into. A brand that would be in line with society's
standards and would be the first ever to be fully U.S.D.A. certified. So it happened, I-N was born under the name Intelligent Nutrients.

When Horst passed away in 2014, his life partner Kiran Stordalen and his
daughter Nicole Rechelbacher took over. They would continue Horst's life's work. They chose to re-examine the entire I-N range and see where they could get the products even better. The range became more compact, the design was modernised and in March 2021 they relaunched under the name I-N, Intelligent™️.

Plant-powered, science-based products - good for you and our planet

Our I-N gredients

It is most likely important to you that the food you eat is safe and healthy, so that your stomach and liver do not have to put up with too much. This should be at least as important for the products you apply to your skin and hair, since your skin is the largest and heaviest organ and therefore deserves the same amount of love and attention!

So, we select over 225 plant-based active ingredients from around the world, and we take equal care in how we process them - we would not want to limit or diminish their natural potency. That means carefully selecting only non-toxic preservatives that ensure we get the most out of every precious ingredient, extending the shelf life of our products without compromising safety.

We are keen to source all our ingredients ethically. Some of the plant-based ingredients that are omnipresent in consumer products can have a devastating impact on our planet or have been linked to unfair treatment of workers. That is why we go to great lengths to ensure that Intelligent™ products are never "part of the problem".

Our suppliers are expected to meet certain requirements, with a view to obtaining the best ingredients. All this, with the best result for you and our planet.

You can find out which ingredients are used on each product, along with what science serves as the backbone.

Our scientific formulas

We developed 6 sciences (formulas) - which in turn form the crucial backbone (or complement) of our products.

These formulas are carefully crafted and contain a unique blend of ingredients. You can recognize the formulas by the color of our packaging or by the icon.

Our mission

You may have heard Greta Thurnberg proclaim it a few years ago, and we too are not afraid to repeat her same words. There is no planet B. Change in thinking and action now is urgently needed.

In a beauty industry that is largely self-regulating, we choose to have our products certified and regulated by third-party organisations with the highest standards (and we tend to go beyond their standards). Transparency is in our DNA, as is our commitment to sustainability and our eternal sense of responsibility for the planet.

Our goal is to have a minimum of 85% natural content in each product
formula with only rare exceptions. Our average across the board is 96.2% natural. This percentage can also be found on all our products.

Our certifications

All our products, except the Tousled Texture Matte Paste, are vegan. (The Tousled Texture Matte Paste contains honey wax - which also falls under animal ingredients). Furthermore, all our products are leaping bunny certified, which officially designates us as a cruelty-free brand. You can also find the following logos on our products. We are happy to explain what they mean.

100% CERTIFIED GREEN ENERGY
Green-e® is a renewable energy programme of the Center for Resource Solutions. I-N participates in the Green-e® Marketplace program. I-Nternational headquarters purchases wind energy through the local utility company. I-N Global also purchases wind renewable energy certificates (RECs) for the energy used on our behalf by our manufacturing partners.

COSMOS ORGANIC
This internationally recognised standard for organic and natural cosmetics requires that 95% of the product's agro-ingredients be produced organically. The remaining ingredients must meet strict criteria to ensure they are not harmful to our health or the environment. This standard also bans GMO, nano-ingredients, irradiation and animal testing.

COSMOS NATURAL
This certification applies when some plant ingredients or essential oils are not available as certified organic, such as the beloved jasmine. Although it is not compulsory, the percentage of organic is shown on the product label. We aim for a minimum of 65%.

U.S.D.A CERTIFIED
The United States Department of Agriculture awards its seal to products whose total content is certified 100% organic, or whose total content is certified 95% organic, with the remaining 5% of the content coming from a small, select number of ingredients that have not been organically grown, and pose no known risk to health or the environment.

Our words

Have you ever wondered what organic or tocopherols mean? There is sometimes difficult or confusing vocabulary involved. Therefore, we would like to take you through our I-N wiki page, your source with clear
definitions and marketing myths debunked.

I-N a nutshell