The beauty industry in South Africa has grown tremendously in the last 10 years, making local products that cater to their natural hair. Stores used to stock imported hair products that could not handle the complexity of natural hair that most South Africans have, then slowly but surely people who were struggling with maintaining their natural hair with foreign products started creating and sharing their own mixtures and concoctions that made it easier for their natural hair maintenance. A few South Africans started producing locally made hair products; brands like KaylaKimKay’s AfroCurl are among the proudly South African brands that have grown from a home-based experiment to a household brand popularly used by South Africans.
It is possible to build your own hair care brand starting from home in South Africa as long as you have experience, understand the dynamics, and are committed to producing quality. We will talk about what it takes to build your own hair care brand, tips on making it in the industry, and real examples of people who made it in the industry.
What It Takes To Make It In The Industry
Selling a local product in South Africa needs to tell a relatable story that resonates with its clients. Brands like KaylaKimKay have become famous because of the founder’s authentic story. KaylaKimKay was not only about selling products, but it started because of her fixing the struggle she was having with finding the right products for her natural hair.
South African founders are famously known for starting small experiments in their kitchens and testing out the formulas on themselves first. They start these experiments because of the frustrations of hair breakage, dryness, shrinkage, and product build-up. They share their journey, trials, and failures up to the success of the product.
Sharing your story with the consumers builds trust, and trust is a necessity in the cosmetic industry. Consumers buy products they relate to and a story of your journey combined with the honesty and drive to create a solution sells products easily.
Considering Product Formulation
As much as most people skip this stage, it’s necessary to understand that different products react differently to individuals even when you are experimenting from home. If you are formulating products with the intention to sell them, you need to do so responsibly.
Real founders learn this on early stages;
1. There are specific ingredients that respond better on African hair.
Ingredients like shea butter, mango butter, aloe juice, avocado oil, black castor oil, glycerine, and panthenol are specifically chosen because they moisturize and soften African hair.
2. Durability is important.
If your products start separating or growing mould after a few weeks, then customers will not return to that product. A good product stays consistent.
3. You need to involve a cosmetic chemist to protect your brand.
After a successful experimenting process, invest in professional formulation to avoid risks of allergic reactions, spoilage, unstable products, and a risk of non-compliance with the local cosmetic laws. A cosmetic chemist elevates your product from homemade to a trusted product.
South African Cosmetic Regulations
If you want your hair product line to be trusted by retailers, certain South African cosmetic guidelines must be followed:
• A legally required ingredient list in INCI format.
• Safe preservatives that prevent bacterial growth.
• Proper product testing
Your product must be tested in labs for stability, microbial safety, pH balance, and shelf life.
- Labelling the products correctly; this entails:
- Writing directions on how to use the product and allergen warnings
- A batch number
- Your product manufacturing location and storage instructions
A product with all this shows professionalism and trustworthiness.
The Power Of Branding
Some products become very popular not because of their magic but because branding becomes a deciding factor in a crowded market. KaylaKimKay’s AfroCurl thrived because their branding is clean, modern, and youthful. Great branding builds trust.
What to consider when branding:
1. A premium-looking package, something outstanding that a customer can pick amongst other products.
2. A specific clear definition or use of the product, e.g., “Curl-defining cream for 4C hair”
3. All your representation and contact platforms should tell your story consistently, ie social media, website, and packaging must match your theme.
Process Of Manufacturing Starting From The Kitchen to a Portable Factory
Most of the successful South African founders start in the comfort of their kitchen mixing small batches until they grow to renting a cosmetically compliant workspace or outsourcing to small lab manufacturing.
You can follow the following steps:
- Small-scale manufacturing from home
- Usually for when you are starting out and experimenting.
- Renting cosmetic lab facilities
- This is where you pay or rent out a space and equipment to manufacture your products, which usually works for small brands.
- Outsourced manufacturing
- Suitable for large productions that potentially supply retail, where you supply formulas to the manufacturers for a big order. You can easily scale without a huge amount of money as long as you plan well.
Possible Success for a First-Time Entrepreneur
KaylaKimKay’s AfroCurl has proven that you can build your own hairline brand from scratch as long as you have passion and an authentic storyline. Even though it’s challenging, it has proven that South Africans appreciate a product that is built from experience and is solution-based instead of textbook products. To survive in the hair care industry, make sure you create a stable formula, follow regulations, build a strong brand identity, share an authentic story, and build a loyal community that relates to your story.
Conclusion
It is possible for South Africa to create a local natural hair brand because there is high demand, and consumers would choose a locally made hair product that relates to real experience when it comes to African hair, rather than foreign products that are researched from textbooks. Afrocurl is one proof that shows that not only can your natural hair product be successful, but it can also become a household brand loved by South Africans. As long as you are willing to close a gap in the market, solve a problem in the community, and follow the South African regulations in your experiments, then you are on your way to building a hair care brand that South Africans can trust.