When Pilar García Bonilla set her sights on creating her hair care brand, Latina, in 2023, a pivotal moment from a film lingered in her thoughts: the scene in “The Princess Diaries” when Anne Hathaway straightens her curls to embody a princess. This moment mirrored a deeper sentiment she had internalized. “I didn’t fit in within the beauty industry,” she explained. “The narrative was clear: straight hair equated beauty.”
This struggle resonates deeply with fellow brands like Dominican-founded Ocoa and Afro-Dominican Bomba Curls. Their stories, too, are about breaking free from shame and embracing the beauty of their natural curls. Both of these brands are now ready to cater to a vast, global audience, backed by years of innovation in product development.
Latino consumers, particularly those from Latin America and Spanish-speaking countries in Europe, represent an uninhibited force in the hair care market. According to Anna Mayo, a vice president at NielsenIQ’s beauty sector, these consumers spend 26 percent more on hair care than other demographics. In the U.S., the household penetration for shampoo and conditioner stands at 86.3 percent. For Latino shoppers, that figure increases by almost 10 percent.
This high-spending yet often overlooked group has created fertile ground for Latin-owned brands to flourish. Retailers like Target, Sephora, and Ulta Beauty are eager to stock brands like Ceremonia, Rizos Curls, and Ocoa, responding to a growing demand for formulations rich in natural ingredients and steeped in authentic South American heritage.
However, an eager demand does not always translate into proportional sales, especially for indie brands competing against giants like Pantene and Garnier. These established brands dominate not only the U.S. market but also essential growth areas such as Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. For Latino-owned indie brands, scaling up their brand awareness across borders becomes imperative and requires significant investment.
Building Community and Commerce
Unlike mass-market competitors like L’Oréal Elvive and Pantene, Latino-owned brands often originate from rich community and cultural narratives. These brands emphasize product creation and marketing strategies deeply connected to their heritage. Leah Boston, a senior analyst at Euromonitor International, notes many of these indie brands incorporate naturally sourced ingredients and treat hair care as a meaningful ritual.
“Many immigrants rely on treatments based on natural ingredients passed down through generations,” said Julissa Prado, founder and CEO of Rizos Curls. As a first-generation Mexican-American whose family emigrated to Los Angeles, she has built her brand on this strong cultural foundation.
Community building feels instinctive for these brands. In its formative years, Rizos Curls drew from a vast network of “50 Mexican cousins in LA” to handle tasks often constrained by budget. The loyalty of their social media following speaks volumes. “We shared our journey from working out of my uncle’s garage; our growth feels like a reality show to them,” she said, noting that Rizos Curls now boasts over 370,000 Instagram followers and a team of 19 employees.
García Bonilla initiated her Latina brand in Mexico alongside her brother in 2023, similarly leveraging community support. She established a Facebook group named Rizo’s Latinos (which translates to Latin curls), which has flourished to 776,000 members. In “Pueblos Mágicos,” or government-recognized cultural towns in Mexico, the brand collaborates with local artists to paint murals celebrating Latina identity and self-expression. “These murals serve as a non-digital touchpoint,” explained brand co-founder Victor Garcia.
The organic marketing strategies and community-focused efforts inherent to these indie brands are invaluable, highlighted Danielle Alvarez, founder of The Bonita Project. This media agency collaborates with established brands looking to penetrate the Latino hair care market through influencer marketing and strategic guidance.
“L’Oréal often approaches us not solely for PR reasons but primarily to cultivate their Latino influencer network,” Alvarez stated. “They recognize that these Latino hair care brands already possess that valuable asset.”
Expanding the Message
Despite an established consumer base, brands continue to grapple with the task of broadening their community outreach on a global scale.
While U.S. indie brands contend with local conglomerates, these giants enjoy an even stronger foothold in Latin markets. In Brazil, brands such as Unilever’s Seda and Dove lead the field, accompanied by Natura from Brazil. In Mexico and Argentina, Procter & Gamble’s Pantene enjoys a notable presence, while L’Oréal’s Elseve (known as Elvive in the U.S.) is experiencing rapid growth in the region. These multinationals not only offer expansive product ranges across various price points but have also invested years into developing a solid local presence in both production and retail.
Their marketing strategies are bold and eye-catching. To attract the lucrative Latino demographic, Pantene has collaborated with popular figures like singers Juliette Freire and Liniker as ambassadors in Brazil. Freire, with 28 million Instagram followers, draws substantial attention. In an effort to resonate with Latino audiences globally, Garnier Fructis highlighted Mexican-American singer Becky G as a global brand ambassador for their “Put it to the Test” campaign, showcasing her sleek, straight hair using their products.
Indie brands lack the same level of resources to connect with new audiences.
Since launching in the U.S. via Ulta in April 2025, Latina has continuously adjusted its strategies to resonate with American consumers. “The demands are distinct. For instance, in Mexico, repair products are more in demand, whereas here, styling products lead sales,” Victor Garcia elaborated. Rizos Curls has initiated events in the U.S. focused on curl education but lacks the budget for similar initiatives in other markets.
Securing funding is essential for these brands to expand. Babba Rivera, a Swedish-Latina, represents one of only 58 Latina founders to have raised over $1 million in 2020. Her brand, Ceremonia, went on to secure $10 million in series A funding in 2023, using the capital to expand into over 500 Sephora locations nationwide.
In 2025, Isima, co-founded by pop star Shakira and former Oribe general manager Sid Katari, raised over $12 million in funding allowing for swift global expansion in the U.S., U.K., Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico, where it has emerged as an Ulta bestseller.
“I would consider partnership opportunities but only with entities that align with our core values. We focus on the three C’s: community, culture, and curls,” Prado stated.
She believes, “Effectively communicating with a niche market is scalable.”
