‘The right time’: L’Oréal bets on Redken to satisfy Indian consumers’ need for individualisation and experimentation

The French beauty conglomerate launched the American salon brand in India this August after observing a major demand for new hair care brands in India.

This is being driven by the growth of young affluent consumers.

“The young consumer of India, with a high propensity to spend on self-care, is now looking for brands that aren’t mainstream and bring something new on the table,” ​said DP Sharma, director, professional products division, L’Oréal India.

“They are fuelling demand for non-traditional brands that offer them specialised solutions for their very specific problems. They are now looking up to experts who can help them pick professionals products that are curated to best suit them,”​

Sharma told CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ that these consumers valued individuality and had a strong desire to experiment.

“[Young Indian consumers] are willing to spend on specialised products and services best suited to their specific needs. We feel that this is the right time to bring a global brand like Redken to India which offers a performance driven, comprehensive portfolio, along with the expertise of our professionals, to this evolved cohort.”​

Care, colour, and style

Similar to other markets, Indian consumers are steadily prioritising hair care and Redken is ready to tap into this trend with its range of products.

“In hair care category, consumers are now looking for specialised solutions to preserve the health of their hair. We are bringing elevated bonding repair technology for the Indian consumer. In addition, we also have solutions for other hair concerns like damage, frizz, colour protection and more,”​ said Sharma.

However, it is also seeing more consumer interest in hair dyes and colours.

“People in India are really warming up to hair colour. We are launching India’s first ever liquid hair colour with permanent and demi-permanent technologies that cater to both base and fashion coverage,” said Sharma.​

Additionally, there has been a spike in demand for styling products in India because of global influence.

“We are launching an advanced styling range that help our professionals to deliver avant-garde styles as well as consumer friendly styling products so that the consumer feels empowered to style confidently at home,” ​said Sharma.

The company is also confident that Redken’s portfolio will be able to meet the unique needs of Indian hair.

“Globally, the brand has a vast and comprehensive portfolio with specialised solutions for almost all hair concerns that consumers face. The strategy for us is then to bring the right solutions to India depending on the needs and asks of an Indian consumer,”​ he said.

“Our unique pH-balanced formulas are suitable for all hair types and textures. Furthermore, thorough testing is done by our experts in India to ensure that the products we launch are compatible with Indian hair and show effective visible results.”​

Omnichannel mix​

Redken’s launched in India across multiple channels, including salons and online.

“The consumer today is omnichannel. They seek sensorial and brand-immersive experiences offline but at the same time seek the convenience of shopping online. Redken will be the first professional brand of L’Oréal to be omnichannel from day one,” ​said Sharma.

“Offline, we are working with salon partners to create state-of-the-art, digital-savvy Redken flagship salons in the top metro cities. These salons will be true destination hubs that offer the most valorised hair coloration experience. Online, our scientific, innovative hair care and styling range will be available exclusively with one of the biggest beauty platforms, Nykaa.”​