When Nir and Shay Kadosh founded Amika in 2007, the hair-care landscape had little room for indie brands as big players and drugstore brands dominated the category. Since then, prestige and indie hair-care have exploded, with brands like Ouai and Olaplex emerging to capitalize on the gap between professional quality and consumer-facing appeal. And Amika, while pivoting from colorful tools to product and getting a major acquisition from Bansk Group, in 2022, has remained strong.
“We just always did what we thought was right for the brand, and the professional piece has been the crux of it all,” said Amika CEO and founding member Chelsea Riggs. “It really powers this flywheel effect, because professional credibility coupled with the way we look and the way we express ourselves is really critical. Because, otherwise, you can be taken as, ‘Oh, it’s just another fun, cute brand that smells good.’”
On Thursday, Glossy hosted a panel and executive roundtable at Amika’s Williamsburg offices. Led by Glossy editor-in-chief Jill Manoff, the panel saw Riggs and Amika CMO Nilofer Vahora share the brand’s journey from tools to product to, in the months to come, a new category expansion.
Amika staked its space in the hair category by selling colorful hair tools that were positioned as accessories rather than appliances. But while the brand has pivoted to hair-care products rather than tools, Riggs said keeping true to the brand’s vision of offering hair care that feels like a “friend,” in a nod to Amika’s name, has been key to longevity in the increasingly crowded category.
But by 2025, the hair-care category faces more challenges than just a crowded aisle, however. Volatile tariffs has also meant brands need to tackle new supply chain issues. Riggs said the brand has already begun moving the production of its components from China to Mexico to offset President Trump’s aggressive tariff policy on Chinese goods.
But balancing brand messaging in a polarized social media environment is perhaps the bigger challenge.
“2025 started with a different outlook of how hair would shake out,” said Riggs. “We’ve just really stayed laser focused on what we do best. We had some incredible innovation this year, and the hardest thing is: How do you cut through in this time that we’re in, which is this constant bombardment?”
As it prepares to launch into a new category, Amika has looked to evolve its social strategy. The brand erased its Instagram feed in preparation for the launch and has reached out to fans on Reddit to try the new product. During Glossy’s executive roundtable following the panel, PR executives echoed the importance of platforms like Reddit and Substack to connect with hyper-engaged audiences.
“I don’t see it as a category expansion, I see it as an emotional expansion, because that’s what our customer wants from us,” said Vahora.
But even as new product categories and marketing platforms emerge, Amika’s team emphasized the importance of staying true to what works for brand identity.
“My team knows I like to say, ‘Don’t get distracted. No FOMO. Let’s talk about who we are and what makes sense for us to do.’ Because there’s easily shiny object syndrome,” said Riggs. “And I think that that can go into everything, like our distribution, the products that we created and the categories that we entered over the years. … You have to have that strong foundation.”
