In a world where celebrity beauty brands shutter as fast as they launch, Isima is different.
“There’s a lot of celebrity fatigue out there, so it was important for us to start from a place that puts the consumer first,” Isima CEO Sid Katari told Glossy. “It’s not about selling products, it’s about serving a consumer need. And if you create something that really is dialed in, serves the consumer and delivers the performance and the benefit, then the success of the brand follows.”
Isima, the highly-anticipated hair-care range from Colombian pop superstar Shakira Mebarak, launched in July with an exclusive partnership with Ulta Beauty that includes the full product range in every door. It’s also well-funded, including a $12 million series A raise announced in June, stacked with powerhouse execs from Oribe and L’Oréal, and currently leading sales in Ulta Beauty Mexico, Katari told Glossy.
“We’re the No. 1 hair brand and No. 3 brand overall within [Ulta Beauty Mexico] to date since launch, which is exciting for us. And it’s indicative of the power of what we can bring to consumers in different markets,” he said.
Isima also sells through a DTC site that ships to more than 40 countries, including the whole of Latin America, its target audience outside the U.S.
Katari spent a decade at Oribe prior to joining the Isima team. He spent five years as CFO and oversaw its acquisition by Kao Group, then another five years post-acquisition as GM. Industry sources estimate the sale to have been between $400 million and $441 million. Katari’s CV also includes executive roles at the skin-care brand Jurlique, the leather goods company Coach and Circa, the now-defunct drugstore makeup line launched through a partnership between actress Eva Mendes, incubator Maesa and Walgreens in 2015.
Isima is designed for all hair textures and types, but it leans heavily into formulas and routines well-suited for wavy and curly hair, not unlike Shakira’s hair texture. “The full range of hair diversity lives in that Latin community, in the Latin diaspora, but it’s also a microcosm of a greater global consumer base,” Katari said. “Isima fits really well into so many global markets.”
Anthony Potin, Isima’s chief science officer, spent two decades at L’Oréal Group prior to joining Isima’s founding team in 2022. “We devoted years of exhaustive research and clinical testing to addressing the specific diversity of needs harnessed by this expansive community,” he said.
His last role at L’Oréal was vp and head of hair care, working over brands like Redken, Matrix, Pureology, L’Oréal Paris, Garnier and Carol’s Daughter.
Potin’s NPD team at Isima includes a combination of trichologists, stylists and formulators, including renowned hairstylist Mirna Jose, certified trichologists Johanna Amarante and Iain Sallis, and dermatologist Dr. Annie Gonzalez.
So far, Isima’s hero products include a peptide-powered hair mask, a curl cream, a clarifying shampoo, a hydrating shampoo and a conditioner. Its launch included eight products.
The line was also developed with feedback from Ulta Beauty and has won four media awards since June: An Allure Best of Beauty Award, a Harper’s Bazaar Icon Award, an Oprah Beauty O-ward and a New Beauty 100 award.
The formulas range in price from $32-$42, and are all Leaping Bunny, The Vegan Society and Halal certified.
The line’s marketing leans into its clinical testing and ingredient formulation. It’s overseen by Andreea Diaconescu, a former Coty, LVMH, Oribe and L’Oréal exec with more than two decades of experience.
Isima’s $12 million series A raise includes Stelac Capital Partners LLC, LMDV Capital, Northstar VC and WME talent agency.
“We have a really robust expansion strategy,” Katari told Glossy. “But we want to be very careful and methodical to do it properly to bring the brand to consumers the right way, so they can see the benefit.”
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