Nutrafol Enters Strand Care With $54 Strand Serum
Nutrafol's first clinically tested strand serum, priced at $54, cut breakage by up to 83 percent in trials. It launches on the brand's app before reaching Ulta Beauty on Oct. 11.
Updated
The takeaway
- Strand Serum is priced at $54 and reduced breakage by up to 83 percent in clinical testing.
- The DualFusion Complex is a bi-phase system: a water phase penetrates the cortex while an oil phase supports the cuticle and lipid barrier.
- The serum launches exclusively on the Nutrafol app Wednesday; a 30-ml serum and brush kit hits Ulta Beauty on Oct. 11.
Nutrafol's new Strand Serum reduced breakage by up to 83 percent in clinical testing and delivered six times stronger hair, according to the brand. The $54 serum is the Unilever-owned company's first clinically tested product dedicated to strand health, extending a portfolio built on ingestibles and scalp care.
Cindy Gustafson, chief executive officer at Nutrafol, framed the launch as the next step in the brand's holistic system. "It extends our approach from supporting healthy growth from within, to the scalp environment where hair grows, to now strengthening and protecting the strand itself," she said. "Strand Serum addresses that next unmet need by helping consumers protect and reduce breakage of the healthy hair they've worked to grow."
The formula targets porosity — the hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. High-porosity hair has a lifted, damaged cuticle that leaves strands more vulnerable to breakage, frizz, dryness and split ends. Rather than treating breakage as an isolated concern, Strand Serum seals damaged, porous areas along the strand to smooth the hair.
The active technology is the DualFusion Complex, a bi-phase system. Dr. Heather Woolery-Lloyd, board-certified dermatologist and chief medical adviser at Nutrafol, explained how it works: "A strengthening water phase is designed to penetrate the cortex while the oil phase supports the outer cuticle and lipid barrier. This allows us to approach strand health from cortex to cuticle, rather than primarily conditioning or coating the surface."
The rollout strategy rewards Nutrafol's most engaged customers first. Strand Serum launches exclusively on the Nutrafol app on Wednesday, ahead of a wider launch the following Tuesday. A 30-ml Strand Serum and brush kit, priced at $54, will be available exclusively at Ulta Beauty starting Oct. 11.
The app-first approach reflects the scale of Nutrafol's direct community. The brand launched its app about a year and a half ago to guide users through their hair health routines, and it now counts over 100,000 active users, Gustafson said. "They are so committed to their hair health journey. So we are launching for our app customers, which is a little bit of a 'you made the commitment to us, we want to make an extra commitment to you,'" she said.
With Strand Serum, Nutrafol now covers the full hair lifecycle — growth from within, the scalp environment and the strand itself — and the Ulta Beauty rollout puts the new SKU in front of mass-prestige shoppers just as the retailer's beauty segment heads into the holiday season.
Source: WWD
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Staff writer covering media and advertising at Eurasian Beauty Journal.
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