Shaeri: Crafting a New Narrative in Natural Hair Care
*SHAERI
*SHAERI
In the vibrant tapestry of the global beauty industry, few stories resonate with the depth and authenticity of Meryem Benomar's journey with Shaeri. Meryem's narrative is a testament to the power of heritage, the richness of multicultural influences, and the transformative beauty of the Mediterranean landscape. At the heart of Shaeri's inception lies a confluence of diverse worlds - from the cosmopolitan crossroads of Morocco, Tunisia, France, the Middle East, and Spain to the scientific rigor inherited from a family of pharmacists and chemists. This unique blend of personal and professional experiences shaped Meryem's vision for a brand that transcends conventional beauty norms, offering a bridge between tradition and modernity, science and nature.
Shaeri emerges as a beacon of inclusivity and innovation in a market often polarized between luxury and mass-market offerings. Drawing inspiration from the Mediterranean's storied legacy as a cradle of cosmetics and a melting pot of cultures, Shaeri embodies the essence of this rich heritage through its thoughtfully curated product formulations and vibrant brand identity. With a commitment to clean, effective ingredients like orange blossom, Aloe Vera, and the iconic prickly pear, Shaeri not only caters to the specific needs of curly hair but also champions the broader conversation around natural hair care and acceptance.
As we delve into the story of Shaeri and its founder, we uncover not just a brand, but a movement that redefines beauty standards, celebrates diversity, and inspires a new generation to embrace their heritage with pride and confidence.
What inspired you to create Shaeri, and how does your personal background influence the brand's ethos?
The genesis of Shaeri was a long process and is tied to my family history. I come from a very cosmopolitan family living in Morocco, Tunisia, France, the Middle East, and Spain. Personally, I came to France for my post-baccalaureate studies and built my personal and professional life here. I remain straddled between two countries and two cultures, and I’ve gotten used to mixing the best of both worlds. That's how the idea to create a hybrid, multicultural brand with regional inspiration, the Mediterranean, was born.
I also come from a family of scientists, with both my mother and sister being pharmacists. My aunt was a doctor of chemistry and conducted the first fundamental and applied research on vegetable oils in Morocco: particularly argan, olive, and prickly pear oils and their applications in pharmacopeia. So, I grew up in this environment and when I finished my studies a very long time ago, I already had the idea of creating a cosmetics brand in the back of my mind and it never left me!
Finally, I have hair that requires a lot of care and for a very long time, I couldn’t find anything in France for my hair: the market was organized between luxury brands on one side, mass-market on the other, and professional brands. There was a lack of good quality products at an affordable price.
How does Shaeri's Mediterranean influence manifest in your product formulations and brand identity?
I wanted to create a brand with an “inclusive” vision of the Mediterranean, both European, African, and Eastern. It’s a region that has always been a basin of commercial and cultural exchanges and intermingling: The Mediterranean is one of the cradles of cosmetics with the Pharaohs, Roman baths, Oriental perfumes, and Berber oils. Today more than ever, we are witnessing a creative and entrepreneurial effervescence with a multiplication of innovative and resilient players! In working on the brand identity, that’s what I tried to reflect: both a very rich heritage but also modernity and a vibrant vitality!
Therefore, we worked on a strong visual identity with a hybrid logo mixing Latin and Arabic letters (the two most spoken alphabets in the region), vibrant colors typical of the region, and we worked with artists from the region - French-Lebanese Lamia Ziade or French-Moroccan Myriam Chaaib. In terms of formulations, we have worked on clean formulas using ingredients known in the region with galenics similar to those of luxury and signature scents that reflect the Mediterranean garden.
Can you share the journey of selecting Shaeri's key ingredients and why they are particularly beneficial for curly hair?
We use iconic ingredients of the Mediterraneans in our formulas: orange blossom, Aloe Vera, Citrus essential oil, Almond Oil, Argan oil. Last but not least, we use another iconic ingredient of the region: the prickly pear! This cactus is iconic in the region: “figo d’India” in Italy, “Hindya” in North Africa, “Sabra” in the Middle-East. “Strong outside and soft inside”, it is a symbol of resilience, peace, femininity, and even sexuality in the popular Mediterranean cultures.
It is also considered as a strategic ingredient for the region by the UN as it needs very little water to grow: as you may know, climate change is one of the biggest challenges that the Mediterranean has to face and the nopal is capable of growing on land where other crops won’t prosper. Regarding the application in cosmetics, prickly pear has exceptional regenerating & moisturizing properties: natural source of Omega 6, very rich in Vitamin E and Sterols.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when launching Shaeri and how did you overcome it?
Numerous challenges in this ultra-competitive market but I'll keep it to 2:
We launched the brand successfully in 2018: considered disruptive, it created a lot of buzz in the market. That's great on one hand because we quickly gained a lot of visibility and legitimacy but at the same time, some larger actors with more financial means appropriated some elements of our mix. Our response? Stay creative and innovative in our products and communication, even if it means taking risks! As a young brand, we need to generate short-term revenue very quickly to finance our growth, while also investing in the longer term. We are always tightrope walking in resource allocation... and it's very challenging.
How does Shaeri contribute to the conversation around natural hair care and acceptance in the beauty community?
I would say that one of our core values is more “Freedom” rather than “Natural Hair”. I think today people want to have the freedom to wear their hair as they wish depending on their need, their stage of life, the state of their hair: natural, colored, blow-dried, straightened, wigged, veiled etc... The essential thing is to have the freedom to choose and that society accepts this choice. The other essential element is to understand that we have a hair capital as we have a skin capital and that we need to use good products with optimal formulas and interesting ingredients that will take care of it.
At the time of our launch, our baseline was “Free Hair - Do Care”... it’s still the case today!
In your experience, what has been the most effective way to challenge and change the prevailing beauty narratives around curly hair?
In general, the discourse of brands in the curly market repeats the discourse of American brands: it’s a well-oiled discourse used for decades and mainly linked to Afro-American history i.e., slavery. This discourse is increasingly marketed with huge budgets and I think consumers are not fooled...
At Shaeri, we focus on the development of ingredient supply chains with the development of partnerships with local cooperatives. We also work with a network of experts: cosmetic experts of course but not only… we also work on issues of cultural reappropriation and reappropriation of one's body, on issues of decolonization and North/South relations. We are very close to actors very rooted in these issues and who understand the vision behind Shaeri. It's a long-term job, which is not necessarily ROI-focused in the short term as I said but which is necessary in building a brand.
Can you share a significant milestone Shaeri has achieved that you are particularly proud of?
Shaeri is a universally oriented brand. We are regularly contacted by Asian distributors: Japanese, Chinese, and very often Indians (!). We are not yet ready for this type of market but it’s a huge satisfaction for me to see that we attract this type of market!
Can you share a story of a customer whose life was changed by using Shaeri products?
I was at a dinner at friends’ and there was a young woman. Her companion turns to her and says, “you know, it’s Meryem who created Shaeri”. The girl blushed and looked at me almost with tears in her eyes telling me that I had changed her relationship with her hair but also with her original culture: she had, she told me, gone from Shame to Pride... This touched me so much: we are so much in the operational that we don’t necessarily realize what we are doing but when I receive this type of testimony - and it happens regularly - I am re-energized for a while!
How do you foresee the evolution of the curly hair care industry, and what role will Shaeri play in it?
On the curly & frizzy & kinky market: the market is structured. There have been big fundraisings and recently big acquisitions by large groups. We continue to see big launches like that of Beyonce a few weeks ago: people have understood the business potential, so I think there is a frenzy.
Concerning Shaeri, we are very recognized in this market because our products and the ingredients we use are very effective on this type of hair. These types of hair will continue to be at the heart of our offer but as I explained earlier we have a universal vocation like a L’Occitane en Provence or a Natura or even Morocco Oil or Davines… and let's be crazy like an Aesop which I remind you launched with haircare.
Can you discuss any future product lines or initiatives that Shaeri is currently working on?
Indeed, we have a whole series of products that are in development by the end of the year! I would like to keep the surprise, however!