Let me set the scene…
We had been working on our shampoo and conditioner launch for almost 20 months. Our packaging and ingredients finally arrived, and production was ready to go for the first pilot run. At the very last minute, I made a call to not move forward with launching cocokind haircare in 2021.
Here was the problem. We were only ever prepared to launch one shampoo and conditioner for all hair types. The formula was meant to target scalp health, which we believe is a universal need for healthy hair. However, it dawned on me what it means to release one product for “all hair types.” I reflected on how much I’ve learned about how we can advance inclusivity in beauty, and how much more I have to learn.
Our hair, just like skin, has unique stories, cultures, racial identities, and heritage behind it. Having only one product to cover all hair types did not feel like our presence in haircare would be meaningful and comprehensive for all people. And that was enough to stop production just days before it was slated.
We are constantly learning and challenging ourselves to “grow better” every day. Your favorite companies are not perfect; sometimes, we’ll have to discontinue a product, or we’ll go out of stock of a fan favorite, or we will have to update our packaging to be more reflective of our values. Sometimes, that means that a product that I approved two years ago feels outdated. Ultimately, no matter what amount of money has already gone to waste, we will walk away or improve a product when it does not feel 100%. To that end, we won’t be launching haircare in 2021 and I’m not sure we’ll be ready to appropriately invest in this category anytime in the near future. I know many of you are still searching for better haircare; our team will work on compiling recommendations for brands and products over the coming months.
We will not always get it right, like in the case of haircare, and we will occasionally fail. Without these experiences, we won’t be able to keep evolving and getting better - and that’s worth every lost dollar. When we do decide to launch a product, you’ll know that we’ve applied all of our previous learnings to bring forth a product that we believe in with our whole hearts.
Thank you for allowing us to fail sometimes.
-Priscilla
P.S. Don’t worry - we won’t be throwing anything away! We’ll be using the packaging that we already bought for the sake body lotion (a slightly different color) and saving the ingredients for more research and development.