Charles Sternberg, Assistant Editor02.11.21
Kao USA Inc. is trying to revolutionize the natural hair care industry with the launch of Wakati, a product line designed for natural hair textures—a first for the company.
A brand five years in the making, Wakati was developed to answer one question, “Why are there not more effective hair care formulas specifically designed for natural, Black hair?” The result is the Wakati patented hair care innovation for natural, textured hair that provides optimum moisture for finger detangling.
Born out of the research and development team at Kao USA, known for the Jergens, Bioré and John Frieda brands, the patented Wakati Water-Activated Advanced Conditioner formula, the first product in the collection, was developed to address three key consumer concerns: high tendency to tangle, difficulty gaining curl alignment (which helps with achieving curl definition), and difficulty maintaining curl alignment. The formula spreads evenly through the hair to deliver moisture and “slip” to each hair strand, prevents tangling from the start, and results in consistent curl bundles once hair dries.
“We knew we had a stellar formula, one that would deliver against the needs of modern women who embrace the natural hair movement,” says Kenya Foy, U.S. Marketing, Wakati. “For an audience traditionally overlooked by mainstream brands/products, we asked ourselves how we could create a product collection that would truly enhance the lives of our consumers and decided the best way was to go to the source –consumers with highly textured hair.”
While conceptualizing the brand, Kao USA also enlisted the help of business students from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, known to most as Florida A&M or FAMU, to collaborate on the brand ideation, marketing and packaging design. This first of its kind partnership for Kao USA proved invaluable to the creation of the Wakati brand.
The Wakati line features four products:
With the Wakati range, natural hair is overall more manageable, so naturalistas can spend less time styling and more time enjoying their kinks, curls and coils.
The four product line will debut in Target and on Target.com, Walgreens and Walgreens.com, and on Walmart.com January 2021, and Rite-Aid May 2021.
A brand five years in the making, Wakati was developed to answer one question, “Why are there not more effective hair care formulas specifically designed for natural, Black hair?” The result is the Wakati patented hair care innovation for natural, textured hair that provides optimum moisture for finger detangling.
Born out of the research and development team at Kao USA, known for the Jergens, Bioré and John Frieda brands, the patented Wakati Water-Activated Advanced Conditioner formula, the first product in the collection, was developed to address three key consumer concerns: high tendency to tangle, difficulty gaining curl alignment (which helps with achieving curl definition), and difficulty maintaining curl alignment. The formula spreads evenly through the hair to deliver moisture and “slip” to each hair strand, prevents tangling from the start, and results in consistent curl bundles once hair dries.
“We knew we had a stellar formula, one that would deliver against the needs of modern women who embrace the natural hair movement,” says Kenya Foy, U.S. Marketing, Wakati. “For an audience traditionally overlooked by mainstream brands/products, we asked ourselves how we could create a product collection that would truly enhance the lives of our consumers and decided the best way was to go to the source –consumers with highly textured hair.”
While conceptualizing the brand, Kao USA also enlisted the help of business students from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, known to most as Florida A&M or FAMU, to collaborate on the brand ideation, marketing and packaging design. This first of its kind partnership for Kao USA proved invaluable to the creation of the Wakati brand.
The Wakati line features four products:
- Wakati Water-Activated Advanced Conditioner
- Wakati Sulfate-Free Shampoo
- Wakati Oil-Infused Cream
- Wakati Re-Activating Conditioning Mist
With the Wakati range, natural hair is overall more manageable, so naturalistas can spend less time styling and more time enjoying their kinks, curls and coils.
The four product line will debut in Target and on Target.com, Walgreens and Walgreens.com, and on Walmart.com January 2021, and Rite-Aid May 2021.
