Olaplex has rolled out No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo. It is billed as a weekly deep cleansing shampoo formulated with a broad-spectrum clarifying system to remove impurities that weigh down hair and cause damage without stripping hair. At the same time, Olaplex’s bond-building technology maintains strong hair bonds. The result, say officials, is purified hair that looks and feels healthier and receives reparative treatments more effectively.

Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo removes more than just hard water minerals, buildup and oil. It is said to pull a wider array of impurities out of the hair including heavy metals, chlorine and pollutants.

It is described by the company as elevated clarifying experience.

“The new clarifying system in Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo targets specifically minerals, and metals without taking out the lipids from the hair so it does not strip the hair,” said Lavinia Popescu, chief scientist for Olaplex. “It also contains Olaplex’s patented bond building technology to repair and strengthen the hair by relinking the bonds for healthier hair.”

The formulation, like all others in the Olaplex stable, contains bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. It penetrates the hair shaft working on the entire hair structure to rebuild the hair throughout  as it builds a permanent bridge between the disulfide bonds. At the same time, it reduces and/or eliminates damage caused by molecules that eat protein from the hair by working faster than the damage can occur, the firm says.

According to CEO JuE Wong, the new SKU is a natural progression for Olaplex. And it keeps brand users inside the brand.

Wong was appointed CEO in 2020.

“Clarifying shampoo was another most asked for product by our community of hair care professionals and end consumers. They were going off brand to use a clarifying shampoo Wong told Happi.

To use, consumers apply to wet hair, concentrate on the scalp and work through to ends. After lathering fully, it should process of up to five minutes then rinse, according to Olaplex. It can be followed with Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner or Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask for extra moisture.

Successful Strategy

This fast-rising haircare brand and 2022 Happi Top 50 company (see our report next month), continues to delight consumers. FY21 sales rose 112% to nearly $600 million, according to reports.

To keep that momentum, Wong says the company “will continue to implement and execute against our disruptive business model.”

That means investing in innovation.

“Giving ourselves access to research Institutes/research scientists and bio-tech companies to help us maintain our cutting edge innovation platform,” Wong told Happi.

Approximately 10% of Olaplex’s 130 employees are in R&D and the company has also invested in a 10,000-sq.ft. operating laboratory on the Pfizer campus in New York.

Additionally, Wong said Olaplex will continue to bolster its “community building efforts to reach mind share, wallet share and eyeballs.”

She continued, “Such branding activities is more long lasting as evidenced by our No.1 ranking in EMV [earned media value]  as tracked by Tribe Dynamics. Our EMV is 20% of our net revenue, which is what most consumer companies spent in marketing—but we are able to get the same marketing impact by supporting activations and programs in community building.”

Further, Olaplex will continue its omnichannel approach.

“We have a reinforcing and synergistic omni channel strategy that acts as a flywheel of our success,” said Wong.

According to Wong, 35% of Olaplex customers are referred to buy at off-line and on-line retailers, and 50% of the brand’s DTC customers also buy at salons and brick and mortar.

“While most companies claim to be omni channel they are actually managing channel conflict. As you can see, each of our channel reinforces the other,” Wong told Happi.

Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo will launch exclusively on June 27 online at www.olaplex.com.