Dive Brief:
- Being, a hair care brand for all hair textures and types, launched on Tuesday, per a press release.
- The brand, part of the Monday International Limited cohort, debuted exclusively at Walmart. Being offers customized shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments based on hair type, all priced under $7. The products are available online and in-stores.
- Being was selected for Walmart’s mentorship and accelerator program for emerging beauty brands. Walmart Start gave the brand the opportunity to launch at the retailer.
Dive Insight:
Being said it wants to satisfy customers' hair care needs and offer clarity on which products they should be using for their hair type and why. The brand conducted an independent study and found that more than half surveyed couldn’t identify their hair type. Seventy-nine percent reported difficulty in finding products tailored for their specific hair type and needs.
This is founder Jaimee Lupton’s third brand debuting in the U.S. The New Zealand entrepreneur launched Monday Haircare, her first brand, in February 2020. Osāna Naturals, a skin, hair and fragrance brand, entered U.S Target’s and Walmarts in February.
When creating Being, Lupton in a statement said she didn’t “want cost or usability to be hurdles for shoppers,” per the release. Conscious of price and packaging accessibility, Lupton said “At Being, we want everyone to feel welcome, celebrated and seen.”
In line with its inclusive brand image, Being created its products to match universal design applications, such as a soft squeeze tube for one-handed use and a lipped-lid design for customers with limited dexterity.
“For Being, true inclusivity means packaging that is created as consciously as its formulas,” the brand said in the release. Being included high-contrast labels, large typography, and tactile indicators on its bottles for those with visual impairments or colorblindness.
The brand additionally said it used ethically sourced and natural ingredients. Being is cruelty-free as well as Leaping Bunny certified.
Being was developed with trichologists alongside the brand’s advisory board of various leaders in hair care and beauty. The board consists of Akili King, a beauty expert and founder of Texture Diaries; celebrity hair stylist Alyx Liu; Emily Flores, founder and editor in chief of Cripple Media, as well as lifestyle creator Shahd Batal. For its brand campaign and launch, Being partnered with celebrity hair stylist and artist Sky Kim.
Monday International Limited reported expectations of finishing 2024 with $300 million in sales through its ten personal care brands in the U.S. and Australasian markets.
Customized hair care - as with all things personalization - is a trend from beauty brands aiming to cater all customers. Brands like Curology, a personalized skin care brand, and Function of Beauty, a personalized hair care brand, have expanded to retailers like Amazon, Sephora and Target.
Earlier this year, personalized skin care brand Curology entered the hair category with prescription hair growth treatment. Additionally, Oddity in 2022 launched SpoiledChild, its own personalized skin and hair care brand.
Additionally, Perfect Corp, a beauty tech brand using AI and AR, released a hair-identifying tool for personalization. With AI, its tech can indicate a customer’s hair texture, thickness and curl patterns in seconds, allowing brands to give their own advice online and in-store.
