L’Oréal bolsters professional hair care with Color Wow acquisition

L’Oréal has signed an agreement to acquire viral hair care brand Color Wow. The personal care corporation calls Color Wow one of the world’s fastest-growing professional hair care brands. 

L’Oréal says the brand has gained a loyal following among stylists, media, and consumers. 

Color Wow’s growth can be largely attributed to its online community and presence on social media. It originated in the hair professional space and is now omnichannel — distributed in salons, selective distribution, and through e-commerce platforms.

The planned acquisition strengthens L’Oréal’s Professional products portfolio, which includes brands such as Kérastase, L’Oréal Professionnel, and Redken. The group reported that its Professional division posted a like-for-like increase of 5.3% to €4.8 billion (US$5.65 billion), supported by e-commerce momentum and selective salon distribution.

“As a premium hair care brand, with high levels of proven efficacy at an accessible price point, this acquisition will give us an increased foothold in haircare and in the styling category,” says Omar Hajeri, president of L’Oréal’s Professional Products Division.

“Convinced of its strong potential, our ambition is to make Color Wow a powerful brand worldwide.”

Meanwhile, L’Oréal Paris has launched an AI-powered personalized skin assistant. The tool works to empower women by enabling them to ask personal questions related to their beauty goals in a discreet and comfortable fashion.

Into innovation

Color Wow was founded in 2013 by Gail Federici and is based in the US and the UK. It offers a range of products targeting frizz-control, thickening, and volumizing. The brand’s most notable products include XL Bombshell Volumizer and Dream Coat.

Gail Federici, founder and CEO of Color Wow, says, “Becoming part of the world’s number one beauty company will set the stage for Color Wow’s continued success and help drive our innovation to new heights.” 

L’Oréal strengthens salon offerings.The hair care brand has won over 130 beauty awards. 

The deal will close following the closing conditions, including the standard regulatory approvals. L’Oréal did not disclose the purchase amount.

Personalized AI-tool

In other moves for the multinational group, yesterday, L’Oréal Paris launched Beauty Genius, a Gen AI-powered personal beauty assistant. 

The tool leverages L’Oréal Paris’ proprietary knowledge on beauty in hair care, hair color, makeup, and skin care. It is also powered by information from clinical studies, ingredients, routines, and the brand’s product catalog to guide consumers.

It will offer its users personalized diagnostics based on their inputs, which can vary from prompt answers to selfies. 

Beauty Genius provides personalized recommendations for hair care, hair color, skin care, and makeup. It gives personalized solutions for over 750 skin care, makeup, and hair color L’Oréal Paris products. 

A personalized Q&A poses questions about intimate topics like skin concerns or hair loss. L’Oréal Paris says this can mitigate uncomfortable or intimidating situations, avoiding having to speak to a “real person.”

Beauty Genius is available on smartphones to give consumers easy accessibility.