It’s no secret one’s hairstyle speaks volumes about their personality.

Brands agree it is an extension of self-expression.

For “clean” hair care brand California Naturals, it’s all about “west coast cool.” This means adopting an attitude of caring only about the things that truly matter in life: one’s health, family, quality time outdoors and spending less time stressing about the things that are beyond one’s control.

For the brand, launched in 2024 by beauty industry veteran and entrepreneur Shelby Wild, no one embraces the “best coast” ethos better than actor Owen Wilson. Known for his shaggy blonde hair and mellow persona, he’s also the brand’s CSO (Chief Shampoo Officer).

“Owen’s got iconic hair and a laid back, loveable personality that fits our brand so well,” Wild told HAPPI. “He genuinely loves the product, and his cool, casual vibe makes him the perfect ‘Chief Shampoo Officer.’ The role was truly made for him!”

Wilson was tasked with conjuring up a tagline for the brand’s latest marketing campaign. Wild says California Naturals aims to make safe, efficacious products that take the fuss out of morning routines with “fun twists” that the brand hopes to put a smile on the user’s face.

In the brand’s latest campaign, Wilson is wearing a bathrobe emblazoned with the words, “Chief Shampoo Officer” racking his brain as he’s drumming up the perfect slogan, when he’s hit with the simplicity of three words: “It’s all good.” He gets this message across by assuming the role of Dude with Sign, comedically holding up signs on Los Angeles street-corners with a straight face and sunglasses.

“This was a fun little nod to culture with little ‘easter eggs’ sprinkled throughout—imagining ‘It’s all good’ showing up everywhere—from billboards, and cardboard signs, to the side of a bus,” noted Wild.

Bringing Joy to Cleaning Rituals

For the brand, bath-time should be downtime, not down time stressing if what they’re putting on their skin is safe instead of enjoying the act of self-care.

“At the root of it, we want to take out the stress of identifying if what you are using is safe or ‘good for you’ and make the shower experience fun,” Wild told HAPPI.

Bestselling hair care products – available in Target stores nationwide, select CVS stores and on TheCaliforniaNaturals.com – include beach-friendly options like Super Moisture and Classic Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner, which are 99% naturally derived. Super Moisture is formulated with marula fruit and guava extracts for maximum rejuvenation. Argan oil helps keep strands “cool and relaxed” while chlorophyll delivers green nutrients. Products are also infused with food-grade fragrance, in this one – Sweet Grass, which gives the pleasant aroma of running through a sweet spring meadow.

“To me, fragrance is really the sticking point with natural products. I find that most people want that sensorial experience, but as an industry, we had not really figured out a way to make it natural,” said Wild.

For a name like California Naturals, experimentation is always on the table.

Wild added the brand ideated taking a flavor they were using for a lip balm and putting it in its Moisture Shampoo to perked ears (and nostrils!)

“Food grade fragrance is a smell that is actually a natural flavor – it’s safe enough to be ingested, though we wouldn’t recommend eating shampoo!” she said.

Wild insists bath- and shower-time with the California Naturals is just as delightful as the products smell. One customer light-heartedly referred to the Moisture line’s green packaging as “Hulk Wash.”

“I’m a mom myself, so I try to design our products for busy lifestyles by adding multifunctional components,” she explained. “Our Glow Oil Body Wash is a good example of this: my skin is always dry, but I never have time to moisturize, so this product foams and cleans while leaving behind a really nice moisture barrier. It gives my skin this radiance that kind of feels like I just spent a day on a tropical vacation, when in reality, I’ve been running errands and managing school drop off.”

Speaking of daily stress, for those worried about hair loss, California Naturals’ Re:Gro Anti-Thinning Shampoo and Conditioner contains a scalp stimulating blend of castor oil, saw palmetto, rosemary oil topical probiotics to bolster follicles for growth while mitigating flakes. Its vitamin-biotin blend strengthens roots and strands for reduced breakage with a food-grade scent experience of Fresh Herbs. According to market research firm Spate, the hashtag scalpcare saw a +149.3% month-over-month growth on TikTok two summers ago, with scalp serums and oils drenching the market. After conducting a thorough search of the most-searched ingredients alongside hair and scalp treatments in the US, consumers have been putting their faith in rosemary oil to achieve fuller hair. While rosemary oil was once dismissed as a passing fad, Google search data tells a different story. With an average of 119K monthly searches and a year-over-year growth of +26.0%, rosemary oil is proving to be highly sought-after.

Natural Ingredients Sow the Seeds for Success

Naturally, California Naturals’ chemists reside in The Golden State. The brands head chemist and contract manufacturer were recommended by a mentor who headed up a few successful natural beauty brands in northern California.

Long before the seed for California Naturals was planted in 2020, Wild, who grew up in south Mississippi, noticed that natural ingredients for products were listed on the front of the bottle, but didn’t live up to their “clean” label. Flashforward to present day, doing away with greenwashing was the first step in creating a brand that promises high-quality, good-for-you formulas with safe surfactant systems, natural ingredients and no silicones.

“We use Yuka as our ‘safety’ barometer, and my 4-year-old daughter and I vigorously test all samples before they hit shelves to make sure they work better than anything in our shower, smell great, and feel good on your skin!” she said.

Prior to California Naturals, Wild’s first major venture was Playa, a prestige hair care brand, born in her early 20s from trial-and-error and fueled by her desire to make things. Despite her dismissive attitude toward the effort, which she sold in 2020, (i.e. her ignorance about employee management, profit and loss statement and providing chemists with kitchen items covered in Post-Its), it was customers’ positive feedback on these “novelty items” not her naiveté, that mattered.

“They were telling us through social and CS that Playa products had become novelty items in their showers – reserved for special occasions,” she recalled. “I had my daughter in 2020, and also realized that I didn’t have products in our home that could matriculate through the household. Products that were safe enough, and enjoyable, for everyone to use. I grew up without a lot of money, so I also wanted to make something that was affordable, that anyone could have access to. I wanted to be able to grab the products where I was already shopping for our home: the shelves of Target and CVS. That was kind of my ah-ha moment.”

California Naturals was born from Wild’s 15 years’ experience building beauty brands and is what she says is “clean and confident in every way.” The brand has a strong operating team that even surfs together (talk about team building!) and a robust natural lab outputting top-quality formulas.

“Our supply chain also feels like a work of art born out of true passion, thanks to our COO: all of our bottles are sourced in the USA,” said Wild. “I couldn’t be more proud of this brand, and we are just getting started!”

As the brand celebrates its second birthday this summer, California Naturals has big plans in the works, from new franchises to marketing campaigns and scaling into new retailers such as CVS and Ulta.

As for the next 10?

“My dream for California Naturals is to create the best-performing, best-smelling, safest versions of the products me and my family use every day,” said Wild. “We are taking our time, but that’s the plan!”