Science-led brands are realizing healthy hair gains, and CEW has identified the companies fueling this growth.

On Thursday evening, May 18, beauty executives will gather at The Hearst Tower in midtown to take part in an information-packed program that includes a category deep dive presentation and a panel of science-led brands talking about how they’re winning in hair. Panelists include Sam Archer, VP, Product Development, Nutrafol; Guillaume Duez, General Manager, Kérastase; Boris Oak, Founder & CEO, EVOLVh; and Maya Smith, CEO & co-founder, The Doux. Jenny B. Fine, Executive Editor, WWD Beauty, will moderate the conversation. Kicking off the discussion will be Larissa Jensen, Vice President & Beauty Industry Analyst, Circana (the newly-formed company resulting from the merger of NPD and IRI). Larissa will discuss the trends and insights within hair care over the past 12-month period and what the future holds for the category.

By presenting such a diverse combination of brands — from professional to prestige to mass — attendees can look forward to a conversation that will cast a wide net on how science is moving the needle in all channels of retail.

Kérastase, a professional brand with its roots in salons, launched in the US in the late Nineties with the goal of becoming a leading salon brand led by science. Guillaume will speak about this, the evolution of Kérastase’s science innovations, and being a professional luxury hair care brand in today’s omni-channel world.

Nutrafol, which was born in 2016, came from a need by its founder, who was experiencing hair thinning. Sam will speak about what hair health means to the brand and the science that brought it to life.

Evolvh was founded by Boris, who comes to beauty from a family of salon owners; he fell into the hair care world after a career in tech. Boris will illuminate his founder story on creating a science-led brand after identifying a need in his clients and partnering with chemists near and far to create innovative products.

The Doux was created by Maya, a licensed cosmetologist and Textured Hair Educator, with nearly 30 years of experience. Maya also started in the salon world, owning salons and then formulating her own line to meet the needs of her customers. Maya will talk about how she blends old-school ingredients with new-school science to address textured hair.
All four panelists will discuss the importance of education to consumers and how communicating science and innovations in easy-to-digest messages is crucial to engaging and gaining loyal fans.

To be a part of the beauty audience who will learn helpful insights into the category and beyond, be sure to register to attend. This program is supported by Hearst, Nutrafol, Kerastase, Perfect Corp., Macy’s, Circana, Consultancy Media, and Moss.