Unique hair deserves unique care. And Ethiopian hair is different from the rest of the world’s. It’s curly but easily tangled, delicate but prone to dryness. So Sunsilk created a bespoke range and even built a factory to make it.
There’s a reason why the phrase ‘having a bad hair day’ exists. No one enjoys having one. And when you do find a haircare routine that keeps your locks just the way you like them, chances are you’ll wave that bad mood goodbye.
Finding products that hit the mark can be a quest at the best of times, but it can be even more of a challenge if your hair is unique – and in Ethiopia, it is.
“Ethiopian hair is different from the rest of the world’s,” explains Barbara Ryl, Beauty & Wellbeing Marketing Lead for Ethiopia. “It’s gorgeous and curly, yet it’s also delicate. It gets dry easily and tangles quite a bit. That means it needs a different kind of care. Shampoos need to be mild and not strip the scalp of natural oils. Conditioners need to also help to detangle, especially when hair is wet.”
Unique hair deserves unique care
“Across Africa there is a saying that your hair is your crown,” Barbara says. “For Ethiopians good hair equals beauty. They put a lot of importance on looking after it. There are hair salons on almost every street corner. And going to a salon is not just an occasional treat. Saturday is wash day and women will queue and wait every week to get their hair washed and cared for.”
But in the current marketplace product choice is limited. “Complex import systems mean international brands are difficult to find. And when they are, they’re very expensive,” Barbara says. “We wanted to change that by launching a haircare range of affordable shampoos and conditioners that were just right for Ethiopian hair needs.”
Sunsilk began its search for those perfect formulations by calling upon the expertise of Unilever’s global R&D team. First on the list was finding a way to make the most of curls. “We worked on formulations based on their understanding of the needs of curly hair from the Brazilian market, then we fine-tuned the product by selecting the best fragrances and oils to suit our local needs,” Barbara says.
Using nature as a cue
As nature is such an important part of life in Ethiopia, the team knew that natural ingredients and product fragrances had to be carefully picked too.
Two variants were developed. The first was Strong & Shiny with avocado oil. “This is a firm favorite with many Ethiopians who use fresh avocado in home-made hair masks,” Barbara explains.
The second was Soft & Silky with coconut oil. “Coconuts are not grown here so their properties and smell are quite new to consumers. As a fragrance, it pushes the boundaries of what they’ve experienced from a shampoo and conditioner. We called it Pina Colada, and it smells just like it. Girls here are loving it,” she says.
A formulation first for Sunsilk
Next on the team’s to-do list was ensuring their new shampoo left scalps feeling not only clean and fresh but nourished too. “We worked to create an advanced low-sulphate blend. The resulting formulation is not found in any other shampoo within Unilever. It’s gentle on the scalp and it cleans and nourishes, leaving hair fresh and soft. It’s also paraben- and dye-free. I’m very proud of that and that it launched in Ethiopia first,” says Barbara.
“For conditioner, the real torture moment is when the girls brush their wet hair, not when hair is dry. So, we worked on formulations that gave a slippery feel when hair was wet,” she adds.
In terms of product development, this meant adding silicones to help seal raised cuticles and reduce moisture loss. And the results from consumer tests were impressive. “Combs got snagged in hair a total of 12 times using our competitor system versus one time for the Sunsilk system over 1,000 combs,” she says.
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