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STAMFORD, Conn. — Cantu has unveiled its new brand identity designed in partnership with its community of ‘curlfriends’ to differentiate one of the world’s leading textured hair care brands on shelf and screen.
Cantu’s new look.
Cantu reached out to consumers and asked them what they wanted to see reflected in its new imagery, typography, structure and color palette. This collaborative exercise comes shortly after the reformulation of the brand’s best-selling Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner, prompted by the request for more moisture voiced by the natural hair community. The transformation was conducted in partnership with cosmetic chemist and beauty industry expert Erica Douglas, also known as Sister Scientist.
“When the team at Cantu heard that there were a few consumers that wanted to make some changes to the award-winning Shea Butter leave-in conditioner, they listened,” Douglas said. “We immediately started strategizing through the reformulation to remove alcohols and silicones to ensure that people who have sensitivities or objections to these ingredients can also enjoy the benefits of Cantu’s most popular leave-in conditioner. We also ramped up moisturizing and conditioning properties and worked on improving absorption especially for type 4 curls.”
Additional results from customer feedback also led Cantu to design and build more customer-centric artwork and visuals tailored to consumers’ desired style, hair type, and texture. Led by Design Bridge’s creative director Jessica Marie, the core product packaging updates include a color-code that indicates the specific product type i.e. style products (maroon bar), conditioning (green bar), and detailed information on the best uses of each product. Bolder colors and contemporary structures have also been introduced for better impact and findability in retail stores, both online and offline.
“Cantu hair care is synonymous with orange. We wanted to embrace this vibrant color, and confidently own it for the new modernized look,” Marie said. “The product formulas are curated for all curl types, and we highlight this with an energetic graphic representation of coils, curls and waves that can be used on and off the packaging. The design refresh makes Cantu a beacon in the hair care aisle – the go-to brand that celebrates all curls.”
The brand’s new packaging will make its debut in the new omni-channel campaign “As You Are”, produced by award-winning culture and lifestyle agency, Cashmere, which champions women and men with all curl types to embrace every stage of their style evolution. Whether a big chop or blowout, Cantu is declaring ‘beauty is freedom’ to rock any style they want – in any way – as celebrated in the campaign that aims to redefine standard beauty norms.
“Our goal is always to evolve our brand just as our consumers evolve but in a way that still remains true to our core identity that our loyal consumer base knows and loves,” says Dametria Kinsley, vice president of global marketing at Cantu.
