Henkel-owned Schwarzkopf Professional Haircare knows a thing or two about engaging with popular culture.
Just this month, the 128-year-old German hair-care brand was revealed to be used for actress Sarah Pidgeon’s Carolyn Bessette Kennedy transformation for FX’s “Love Story,” as well as Alysa Liu’s “halo hair” refresh ahead of her Olympics win.
“We’re taking big bets on authentic partnerships that connect us to pop culture — those transformations and red carpets — and really plugging into, and leveraging, our Los Angeles home,” Schwarzkopf Professional general manager Michelle Chandler told Glossy.
The company is owned by German consumer goods company Henkel, parent company to DevaCurl, Joico, got2be and Altena, among others. In 2018, Henkel moved its professional hair-care headquarters to Los Angeles.
“Immersing ourselves into [hair-industry] talent [is] not just for the celebrity association,” Chandler said. “[It’s] for that strategic signal that we want to be in that L.A. conversation, where the biggest heads of Hollywood are being touched every day.”
Schwarzkopf does not have an official relationship with Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story” for FX and Hulu. Instead, the brand is showing up through a business partnership with the profressional behind Pidgeon’s newly-blonde hair: celebrity hair colorist Kari Hill.
Hill was hired by Murphy’s team ahead of filming the limited series to turn Pidgeon’s dark brown bob into CBK’s iconic ‘90s-era long blonde style.
Hill’s client roster includes Lisa Kudrow, Ali Larter and Shailene Woodley, among others. She has also worked with Julia Roberts, Renee Zellweger, Zooey Deschanel and Anna Faris. During the 2010s, Hill was a hair ambassador for L’Oréal Paris.
Alongside hairstylist Barry Lee Moe and extension artist Alex Pardoe, Hill nailed her part by developing a unique foiling and glossing technique to capture a ‘90s look. The transformation took 12-plus hours, with Hill traveling to NYC from L.A. for upkeep and the subtle evolution of the character’s color as time passes in the show.
“In the ‘90s, hair color was very different from how it is today. Highlights were more vibrant and bolder; it was bold and gold,” Hill said. “As the decade progressed, it became more sophisticated. Her palette became lighter, until it almost became platinum.”
This is in stark contrast to many trends today, including subtle balayage and cool-toned highlights, the latter of which are achieved using bond-repair technology that maintains hair structure during bleaching and was not yet available 30 years ago.
Schwarzkopf has since leveraged Hill’s artistry for educational opportunities and marketing campaigns. The company named the specific technique she used on Pidgeon “foiled cashmere” and “Bessette blonde,” and parlayed it into a variety of activations. They have included a free digital education series for professional stylists, which is uncommon in the industry — most classes come with fees. Then there was an in-person masterclass, called “love fest,” where Hill taught her step-by-step approach to influential licensed stylists in Los Angeles.
“So many people wanted to be like them — I did,” Hill said, referring to John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. “And I love that we can tell this story over again.”
To amplify its products being used, Schwarzkopf flooded Pinterest with CBK and Pidgeon images with a swipe to reveal Hill’s exact color recipe. The goal is simple: Arm stylists with the know-how, confidence and product picks to service a growing cohort of CBK style devotees, simultaneously upskilling them for free while increasing its in-salon brand advocates.
“That way, when that Pinterest picture comes into their salon [on a client’s cell phone screen], they can nail it with confidence. This is really the role that we play,” Chandler said. “But we also need to speak to the consumer and educate them on what to ask for, why they’re asking for it and how they can seek the [Bessette] looks they’re trying to describe in a few words.”
It’s a playbook Schwarzkopf has used before: The brand tapped Jacob Schwartz, hair colorist to actress Margot Robbie, ahead of the “Barbie” press tour in 2023 to earn organic press placements.
Schwarzkopf also works with Tracey Cunningham, colorist to a who’s who of Hollywood stars, which is how the brand accessed Lindsay Lohan during her “Freakier Friday” press tour in 2025. The organic relationship between Lohan and Cunningham led to a paid partnership in which Lohan promoted Schwarzkopf through the “soft gloss blonde” shade created by Cunningham using the line’s Igora Vibrance and BlondMe products.
Similarly, many of Schwarzkopf’s connections have come through the tight-knit celebrity hair colorist community in Los Angeles. To wit: Hill, Schwartz and Pardoe work alongside Cunningham at her Beverly Hills salon, Meché.
Schwarzkopf also has a partnership with Chris Appleton, stylist to Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian.
“This relationship between client and hairdresser — we play [within this world] very much in our evolved marketing strategy, specifically with the core [team of Cunningham, Hill, Schwartz and Appleton],” said Chandler. “These are real hairdressers who are working with real clients every day. They just happen to be really famous hairdressers doing really famous heads of hair.”
Chandler stepped into the gm role for Schwarzkopf three years ago after running another Henkel-owned brand, Pravana hair color, for 16 years. She joined the Henkel team during Prava’s acquisition in 2017.
Schwarzkopf was founded in 1898 and launched its first product, a powder shampoo, in 1903. It was acquired by Henkel in 1995.
Henkel’s annual revenue was $23 billion in its fiscal 2024, the last full year for which its financial data was available, with year-over-year sales growth of 2.6%.
“I like to take bold decisions, and most importantly, I like to build things,” Chandler said. “Certainly with 125 years of legacy and heritage Schwarzkopf was built on, [it is] certainly a very relevant, powerful brand in the U.S. market, but there was a lot of room for opportunity to grow [when I entered as gm].”
Being in the right place at the right time is an important pillar of Chandler’s vision, but it also requires a certain level of letting go and allowing pop culture moments to come in organically.
For example, earlier this month, internet sleuths discovered that Olympic gold medalist Amy Liu’s signature hair color — three blonde, halo-like rings in her brown hair — was created by St. Louis-based hairstylist Kelsey Miller using Schwarzkopf products.
“Ironically, it kind of fell into our laps, … which is an example of something that keeps happening to us,” Chandler said. “We found out her hairdresser does use Schwarzkopf, … [so now] there is discussion around a potential partnership.” Chandler told Glossy that both Miller and Liu are “incredibly intriguing” for the brand, and her team “looks forward to seeing what this may turn into.”
