EXCLUSIVE: Olaplex’s Biggest Innovation in 10 Years Is for Curly Hair
Olaplex is taking on new hair types in its home channel.
The hair care brand is debuting a salon treatment, and a complementary retail product, with its Bond Shaping Technology – a new innovation that focuses on curly, wavy and coily hair textures.
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It’s the first major launch for Amanda Baldwin, the brand’s chief executive officer, who joined at the end of 2023. It’s part of her larger efforts to double down on both new technologies, as well as the professional channel, where the brand started.
“Our history, and our future, are all about being pro-first. That’s the philosophy. The pros are our most powerful muse,” Baldwin said in an interview. “The brand’s destiny starts at its origins.”
In the first quarter, the hair care brand’s net sales fell 13.1 percent to $98.9 million, as reported. At that time, Baldwin said on a call with Wall Street analysts that 2024 would be focused on stabilizing the business, noting that those sales were slightly above guidance and that Olaplex makes four of the five top-selling hair care products in the U.S. prestige market.
This month, Baldwin named Catherine Dunleavy its chief operating office and chief financial officer, and Katie Gohman its new chief marketing officer. Reigniting the business, once the darling of prestige hair care, starts with Baldwin triangulating the path forward between scientific advancements, consumer needs and the brand’s salon heritage.
“Curly hair has a huge unmet need, but we wanted to be sure we’re not just doing it for the sake of having a curl product. There’s a lot of people who have been using our products that have curly hair,” Baldwin said. “With this, we began with the science, and it’s a symbol of our approach.”
The in-salon treatment, called the Bond Shaper Curl Rebuilding Treatment, is a three-step service that incorporates bond-building technology to enhance curl definition, and it includes 23 amino acids, as well as peptides.
The product, which is launching on Olaplex’s website for $30, is dubbed the No. 10 Bond Shaper Curl Defining Gel, and boasts clinical backing, such as 72-hour frizz control, and improvements in both curl retention and frizz reduction by 52 percent and 85 percent, respectively.
“As we think about the brand going forward, where it began was with a molecule that did something amazing, and went from the lab to the chair,” Baldwin said. “When your hair is curly, it’s actually more delicate, and often goes through more treatment.
“When we think about it from the stylist’s perspective, learning to treat curly hair and knowing how to handle it is a unique skill, and there’s an opportunity to broaden that skillset,” Baldwin continued. “There’s also a macro-movement and a lot of interest in embracing natural hair, and creating the best version of that. For us, ‘best’ means healthiest.”
Though Baldwin is doubling down on the professional side of the business, she’s not taking a one-size-fits-all approach to future innovation.
“Does this mean every product is going to be a salon service? No, that wouldn’t actually serve the broadest consumer base possible, and even a stylist can send the end consumer home with a product,” she said. “It’s a cycle between going in-salon for treatments, and home care. It’s all of these worlds connecting, and how we tie those together is important.”
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