Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your weekly roundup of the launches, campaigns and expansions driving the industry forward.
In this edition: Chanel, Bondiboost, Merit, Miu Miu Beauty, Kiko Milano and Starface.
But first…
It’s hard to remember a time before bond building.
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The salon-imported technology, developed for repairing hair, is now commonplace on shampoo shelves, but K18 have pushed the concept even further with its “biomimetic” technology, which claims to penetrate deeper into the hair follicle. A professional line unleashed from the salon in 2020, K18 landed at Sephora a year later, when hair health was becoming top of mind.
In August, it wants to transform the market yet again with its Hair Longevity Serum, the hero product for its brand new Future IQ franchise. “The beauty industry is seeing one of the biggest shifts it has ever experienced, moving from cosmetic care to biological care,” Suveen Sahib, the brand’s co-founder, told The Business of Beauty. “Biotechnologies will help us understand what’s happening beneath the surface, and intervene earlier.”
The Hair Longevity Serum, Sahib added, is the brand’s biggest launch in years. A campaign for the serum will feature large-scale billboards across New York, alongside a commercial satirising the 20-step hair care routines now commonplace across TikTok tutorials. The product rolls out widely on August 5, followed by the campaign on August 11.
It’s a new direction for the label best known for its bond-building Molecular Repair Hair Mask. “So far, we’ve been focused on repair,” said Sahib. “All of our products — the mask, Air Wash — are very sensorial, and you see the results quickly. This is a bit of a shift.”
It’s a shift the market is ready for. According to data from Spate’s Popularity Index, which combines Google Searches, TikTok views and Instagram posts, searches for hair shedding are up by 115 percent year over year, with queries for solutions — shampoos, serums and supplements — all skyrocketing. Yet beyond over-the-counter options like Rogaine and pharmaceutical-leaning subscription services like Hims, it’s an area a hair-care label is yet to crack.
“Hair longevity” itself is a rising topic (up in searches by 1460 percent YoY according to Spate), but still fairly nascent. It’s a clear opportunity for K18 to create — and truly own — the category, but only if the brand exercises restraint. “We realised everyone is slapping a longevity label on, and it’s abstract. I’m talking about longevity, but yet I don’t really understand what longevity means,” said Sahib. “The most important thing is to have transparency and define the expectations. That’s something K18 has done from day one.” After three months of daily use, 100 percent of testers in a third-party trial felt a reduction in hair shedding, with the brand claiming the rescue of as many as 19,000 strands in the same timeframe — about as much as a skinny pigtail.
The consumer product rolls out along with a scanner-like device called the Hair + Scalp Bioscope. Designed with professionals and developed for salons, the scanner-like device uses imaging and machine learning to look for signs of premature hair aging.
But results require patience, a virtue at odds with the instant-gratification nature of the current beauty industry — think of Alix Earle and her gone-off Pantene. Throughout the launch, influencers will be tapped “not to talk about advocacy, but to actually feel the journey,” said Sahib.
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What else is new…
Makeup
Who: Kiko Milano
What: Just Cavalli collection ($16-$26)
When: July 16
Why: Kiko is on a tear. After tapping Madonna, it teamed up with fellow Italian line Just Cavalli on a party-ready glam collection. The bedazzled, cheetah print drop includes metallic mascaras, neon glosses and marbled bronzers. Is makeup… fun again?
Skincare
Who: Starface
What: Hydro-Star microdart pimple patches with salicylic acid ($15 for 12)
When: July 14
Why: If the point of Starface is to be eye-catching, its transparent stickers might not make sense on paper. But its new microdart pimple patches — the best kind of patch, which penetrate your pimple before it has time to erupt — are really very good from my own experience. And it’s always more fun to wear something star-shaped to work.
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Fragrance
Who: Miu Miu Beauty
What: Little Simz announced as ambassador
When: July 13
Why: Miu Miu’s cool younger sister vibe has been reaffirmed with its latest signing, the rapper, actor and Mercury Prize winner Little Simz. Her first outing is to front the label’s latest scent, a summery Fleur de Lait.
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Who: Chanel
What: Gracie Abrams announced as ambassador
When: July 15
Why: I am, personally, less moved by Gracie Abrams for Chanel, but I suppose the appointment of the singer, nepo baby and current Vogue US cover star makes perfect marketing sense. Per the brand, Abrams is the egerie (or muse) of the new Coco Mademoiselle flanker, Crush Absolo. Where is Alexa Demie’s contract?
Hair care
Who: Bondiboost
What: Strawberry Gum Grip Styling Stick ($29)
When: July 16
Why: Bondiboost is another brand on the hair wellness wave. Its hero strawberry gum extract is now available in a styling stick for a slick back that’s less painful to achieve.
Other
Who: Merit
What: Ritz-Carlton partnership
When: July 14
Why: Merit’s limited-edition collaboration with the Ritz-Carlton is fittingly chic, and marks the brand’s first hospitality partnership. Guests at participating properties will be able to browse a branded beauty cart, receive co-branded turndown amenities, or purchase a signature “Minimalist Martini” drink.
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