Brazilian brand Maria Natureza has become a part of this movement, providing a range of hair care solutions targeting Afro American women that combine natural ingredients and formulation, all packaged and marketed in a fun and humorous manner.
Cosmetics Design spoke to Amila Fonseca, Maria Natureza marketing manager, to find out about the brand’s approach to meeting the natural hair care trend, and how it has set about launching and targeting its product range for this category.
How and when did you start the business?
Maria Natureza is a Salon Line brand and it was launched in September 2017. Salon Line is a family company focused on Afro American women and its first products were launched in 1996. Nowadays, Salon Line has more than 15 brands, and they are all hair care, coloring, relaxers and hair tools brands.
What is the philosophy behind the business?
Maria Natureza is the result of a lot of trips to other countries to check the trends and our customers needs and wishes were what we really wanted to do. We know that our customers are increasingly interested in what they are consuming, They want to know what is inside and the composition. Is this natural? Is this vegan? Is this cruelty free? Maria Natureza is just one of the Salon Line`brands, the newest one, and for sure it is the one that brings more substance and principles to our customers.
Which type of Latin American consumer are you targeting and why?
When we talk about the whole company, Salon Line, we talk about women, specifically the ones that need a brand that is like a friend that encourage her to be better, to be more, and yet to be herself. Our brand signature is Salon Line – Transforme-Ss Em Você, which means, Salon Line, Become Yourself. So, each of our brands are designed to be a best friend of a specific women. Maria Natureza is the best friend of that woman that is not necessarily vegan, but likes to consume vegan products and feels great about that. #TodeCacho is another of our brands that is the very best friend of that woman who loves her curls with volume, that do not care about frizz and has attitude, and so it is….
Why did the company choose to focus on natural hair care specifically?
We never tested on animals and most of our products are vegan, but the decision to launch a new hair care brand focused on “free from everything”, like Maria Natureza, came from the insight that a group of women, still a niche, are, day by day, looking for products that are more than just products. They need to have a reason to be and a purpose. If Maria Natureza were a woman, she would be independent, with attitude but still kind, worried about her well being and the planet and very connected to everything that happens around her.
What is your approach to both the packaging and formulation of your branded products?
Our packages are mostly in green because takes the brand to the naturals environment. You see the shampoo and you think about nature. We explore the natural ingredients a lot on the label. Our formulations are all free from: animal ingredients, sulfate, silicone, mineral oil, parabens and preservatives. Maria Natureza is not necessarily 100% natural, but it is certainly vegan and free from many elements considered to be harmful
What have been the main challenges in getting the business to where it is today?
We are recruiting a whole new group of customers. Before Maria Natureza, even if we had vegan products, we were not seen as a brand that could be an ally for this kind of 'Maria Natureza`woman.
What are your ambitions for the future of the brand?
In the future, we want to expand more into skin care.
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