For those consumers looking for an easy way to cocktail, Chicago-based ethnic haircare products maker Namaste Laboratories has introduced the ORS™ Shealicious™ line of cocktail treatments for all ethnicities in a yogurt-style, two-chamber container with pre-measured ingredients that are mixed at the point of use.
Explains Shealicious Brand Manager Johnathan Carthon, “We looked at how people were mixing. The traditional way can be very tedious, very time consuming; you have to figure out how much oil to add, how much butter to add. It’s part of the guesswork. We decided consumers really didn’t want to have to go through this process and try to figure out the right mix. We believed we could make it simpler and easier.
“With Shealicious, we’ve given them perfectly mixed oils that we know will deliver on specific hair benefits. We’ve given them the right amount. We’ve done all the guesswork for them. All they have to do is pour it in, mix it together, and apply it to achieve the benefits of cocktailing without the mess, the time, and the hassle.”
The two-chamber, stock polypropylene cup, from a proprietary supplier, holds 2.5 oz of shea butter conditioner in one chamber and 0.5 oz of 100% pure, therapeutic oils in the other. There are three Shealicious varieties—moisture lock, scalp relief, and shine booster—each with their own mix of oils.
While Carthon says there are haircare products on the market that offer premixed solutions, a product that allows for fresh mixing “gives you a more potent, powerful conditioning experience.” He adds, “When you have a premixed product, you don’t know how long it’s been sitting on the shelf. Over time, natural oils lose their potency. With the fresh-mix experience, you actually pour in the oils at the time of use.”
The Shealicious product delivery system—the yogurt cup—was the inspiration of a Namaste brand manager, who “made the leap into haircare,” Carthon explains. “Once we got our minds set on the yogurt-style container, we were really aggressive in bringing that to life.”
The cup is decorated with a PP In Mold Label from a proprietary supplier, with graphics designed in house. Drenched in vibrant background colors of purple, cyan, and pink, depending on the formula, the labels bring to life the product ingredients with illustrations such as black currants, shea butter, Indian gooseberry, and argan nuts. “We wanted to make it very youthful and fun, while still being able to communicate the benefits of those natural ingredients,” says Carthon. Covering the cup is a foil lid printed with product usage instructions accompanied by icons.
Namaste launched ORS Shealicious in February 2015, following up with TV commercials in late June. “Consumers have just gone crazy for the product on social media,” Carthon relates. “We’ve had several consumers say that when they saw the commercial, they had to go out and find the product because it was so cool and so innovative. We’ve also done some market research and learned that one of the reasons consumers really like the brand is because the packaging is so cute; it’s so different and so unique.”
Shealicious is available in Ulta Beauty, CVS, and Walmart, as well as in selected beauty supply stores for $3.49 per cup.
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