‘No brand like us’: Nuggela & Sulé aims to tap into hair care ‘skinification’ in APAC
Nuggela & Sulé is one of the leading hair care brands in its home market and is the top-ranking shampoo on Amazon. It is available in pharmacies and department stores with more than 5,000 touchpoints.
It has a range of shampoos and treatments targeting various hair care concerns from hair fall to dandruff to sensitive scalp.
The eight-year-old brand has made headway in two Asian markets: Singapore and China. In Singapore, it is primarily sold via beauty retail chain Novela. As for China, it is available through cross-border e-commerce on major platforms Tmall and JD.
Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia at Cosmoprof Asia 2022, export manager Anabel Ruiz Cayuela said the success and excitement it was experiencing in these markets was motivating it to expand its presence further in the region.
“Our products are ready to tackle most of the concerns you will have in the Asian market – damaged hair, greasy scalp, hair fall – it’s perfect for this region. We have interesting ingredients like our red onion extract and besides that we have marine glycogen which is the precursor to glucose that will give all the energy to our hair follicles while it’s growing,” she said.
The company believes it can tap into the increased awareness of scalp care and its importance to healthy, beautiful hair. Also known as the ‘skinification’ trend, it was encouraging consumers to spend more than they usually do on their hair care products.
“People were used to spending $100, $200 dollars on their face, but not on their scalp. That is changing. We know we have to treat our scalp the right way. A healthy scalp gives you healthy hair follicles and all that will drive beautiful hair,” said Cayuela.
Some of the markets the company hopes to penetrate include Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The company will focus equally on online and offline channels, believing it is important to be strong in both.
“We’ve been very successful online in Spain but it’s also important for us to find a place where there are beauty advisors that can talk about the products and explain what the main difference, the key differences between them and other hair care products,” said Cayuela.
Supported by clinical data
One of the brand’s strengths is that it is able to back up its claims with clinical data, which is becoming increasingly important for APAC consumers.
Nuggela & Sulé’s F11 Hair growth Accelerator Treatment has been proven to increase hair length by 41.2%. Its Hair Regenerator Ampoule, which contains Andean Maca root is said to increase hair its thickness and density by up to 30%.
Speaking on the APAC market, Cayuela. expressed that it was underserved with not many brands offering differing propositions. “In the market there are no brands like us. We have the right products so the opportunities for us here in this market are big.”