Ocoa brings Dominican Republic-rooted luxury hair care for curls to Urban Outfitters

02 Sep 2024 --- Ocoa, a luxury curly hair care brand inspired by ingredients from the Dominican Republic, says it is the the first curly hair care product line to be featured at Urban Outfitters.

The company is based in Pennsylvania, US, but sources ingredients from the Dominican Republic and around the world to honor its cultural heritage and “end hair assimilation.”

To give curls intense hydration and definition, Ocoa’s flagship collection includes the Hydrating Curl Cream, Defining Styling Gel, Curl Care Shampoo and Curl Care Conditioner.

The brand says the products are crafted with natural ingredients like mango butter, marula oil, avocado oil and aloe vera, which are known for their moisturizing and nourishing properties.

“We are incredibly proud to partner with Urban Outfitters for our first major online distribution expansion,” says Nicol Varona Cancelmo, co-founder of Ocoa.

“This collaboration represents an opportunity to bring our Dominican-inspired curly hair care products to a wider audience, especially as we enter the back-to-school season. It’s a perfect time for students and families to discover products that truly understand and cater to the needs of curly hair.”

Ocoa says it strives to celebrate diversity and is committed to inclusivity. It believes its presence at Urban Outfitters highlights the increasing demand for products that address the particular requirements of people with curly hair.

Diverse personal care

New launches targeting diverse needs include Myavana, a brand specializing in AI-driven personalized hair care. It just closed a US$5.9 million seed round led by Ulta Beauty’s Digital Innovation Fund.

Still, there are calls to improve representation with the nonprofit Kauffman Foundation revealing women (of all backgrounds) and Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs receive less than 3% of venture capital funding.

Personal Care Insights also spoke with Maesa CEO Piyush Jain about the lack of support for BIPOC+ beauty entrepreneurship.

Innova Market Insights data on the Top 10 Trends for the upcoming year spotlights “Age of Localization”, saying 18% of global consumers associate sustainable beauty with buying local products. This trend emphasizes that successful local brands are in tune with their country’s demographics, catering more directly to these specific consumers.

By Venya Patel

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