Professional Hair Care Line for Latinas Launches in the U.S.

Déjà vu...

On June 5, 2004 I commented on "Culturally-inspired wines catering to Latinos" and just two days later (June 7, 2004) HispanicPRWire reports about Fórmula Latina, a line of hair care products "designed especially for Latina hair"... What are the odds?

Claiming to be "the first complete line of professional products designed to eliminate frizz and add shine – the top Latina hair concerns" JossClaude Products launched an extensive line of hair care products "inspired by Latinas."

Joss Ifergan, one of the company's founders, conveyed that, “For a Latina, her hair is more than an expression of how she looks, but how she feels. It’s a personal statement of who she is and who she aspires to be... Beautiful hair is part of what makes the Latina woman so alluring and captivating... In this way, Fórmula Latina not only addresses her needs, but celebrates her dynamic spirit.”

Right after that, the report goes on to say, "Though designed especially for Latinas, Fórmula Latina is an excellent choice for anyone who seek to eliminate frizz and add shine. It is appropriate for all hair types, from thick and curly to fine and straight to normal, color treated or damaged." Who knew?

Maybe the fact that I am follicular-impaired doesn't let me understand the beauty of Latinas having a product designed exclusively for them, or could it be the fact that anyone who seeks to eliminate frizz and add shine to their hair will do so by using this products... ANYONE! So these products, designed with the Latina woman in mind, work perfectly well on an "Anglo", "Asian-American", or "African-American" lady.

This goes way beyond stereotyping, this is about a line of products making unsubstantiated claims. They simply are shampoos, conditioners, and who knows what else for Pete's sake!! Maybe they are good, maybe they're not, but trying to lure the "unsuspecting" Hispanic women into buying their products because they were created specifically for them is kind of a long-shot... don't you agree?

Interestingly enough, that same day, in a completely different story posted in HispanicAd.com, it is reported that:

Marketers are realizing that more general, rather than ethnic-specific, product appeal is the key to growth in the ethnic cosmetics and beauty care market according to "The U.S. Market for Ethnic Cosmetics, Hair Care, and Beauty Products," a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts. Marketing efforts such as celebrity endorsements of general HBC products aimed at ethnic audiences is becoming more frequent in hopes of tapping the astounding $1.9 trillion spending power of U.S. Asians, Blacks, and Hispanics.

Rethinking the way health and beauty products are marketed comes after research indicates that general-use products, like Unilever's Suave shampoo, are top choices among ethnic consumers, rather than ethnic-specific brands.

Currently, the market for ethnic-specific health and beauty products is stagnate and valued at $1.5 billion, a 1.3% decrease over 2002 sales. Purchases of general-use health and beauty products by ethnic consumers are valued at $6 billion, posting a slight increase of 1.1% over 2002.

Bottom-line: People will end up buying the better product, not the one "marketed" for their specific "demographic".

Comments

[Dave Young]

Juan,
Are you saying that I should give up on trying to market my new latino spray-on hair? I was going to ask you to participate when we roll out our human testing program.
Back to the drawing board!
Dave

[Dave Young]

Oh, and another thing! I hate web sites that automatically play music.
Add JossClaude to the list.

[VirtualChicano]

Hello,

I have an Hispanic search engine and I am having a difficult time finding Hispanic / Latino beauty products and services. If anyone has any sites they'd like to add please visit http://metichi.com.. Of course, I would prefer if the companies were actually owned by Hispanics, but Hispanic owned is not a requierment.

Best Regards,
Daniel

[Kim Pearson]

One of the reasons hair care products that are not ethnically specific sell is because the major corporations marketing them have better distribution. Since the late 1960s, when major manufacturers finally realized the potential of the African American market, the competitive environment for minority-owned enterprises in this industry has been brutal.

But the idea of a Latina hair care product is as silly to me as the medication now being sold that is supposed to prevent heart attacks in blacks. Latinas have all kinds of hair, of course, just as people who are phenotypically "black" are genetically dissimilar.

[Janacis]

I don't think it's silly. I'm a young latina and I love seeing a product that is made specifically for me. Like Zalias make-up line! Plus, we need not put our own people down. We need to be supporting our people. Yeah we know there are millions of companies and products out there that work just as well. Why should we keep making the rich man richer? Support your people especially when they're trying to do something positive.

[Marco A. Paz]

Hello,
My name is Marco Paz and I owe a small hair salon with my wife Edith in San Francisco,CA. We're in a very nice part of town SOMA or South of Market, we sell our own products and we welcome new clientele all the time , we recomend appoinments, we future appoinmets online

[Zakiya Edwards]

My name is Zakiya Edwards and I am opening a salon in Conyers, GA. It is a ten chair salon and I am in need of stylist. If you are a license stylist and need a new place to work. Please contact me at zakiya64@aol.com or 404-993-7020.

[Lance Castle Corporation]

Lance Castle is an exclusive distributor of a line of 24 hair color propducts for the Hispanic market.We represent a manufacturer.We offer a very attractive line with aggressive pricing structures.
We are looking to partner with companies that realize the potential of the market, understand distribuion and have major client chain stores.
We are having difficulty identifying such Hispanic partners.
Amad Shakur
Lance Castle Corporation
Charlotte, NC
704-780-1286

[Deldelp]

Hair is a touchy subject and not one for the faint of heart. It is our crown, our pride and joy.

As a Latina who has brought back suitcases of products any time I get a chance to go to Latin-America it is nice to see a homegrown product designed for me. For a while it was impossible to find a shampoo and conditioner that "worked" with my type of hair in the U.S. I loved to troll the aisles of a Gigante, Carulla, or a Super Epsa knowing I would find my holy grail.
I often brought back products that are now available in my local CVS or Walgreens a year or two before their U.S. debut. After a while it became clear that P&G, and Uniliver was test marketing their new formulas in Latin America. If anybody can confirm this hypothesis of mine I would appreciate it.

Now with more formulas and brand on the market I don't have to fill up my bags with shampoos, and I can save some room for candy.

If they can start mass marketing some yummy dulces, we will truely be a majority.