John Frieda, the British-origin heritage player, has invested in a bold rebrand to reinforce its premium positioning in mass hair care in key markets, upgrading its formulas, fragrances and packaging to meet modern-day consumers’ hair needs.
Despite the 38-year-old legacy brand reporting growth in 2025, this has been more value growth than volume growth, which is one of the reasons John Frieda has undertaken this hefty endeavour – to “prove” it is worth that premium price point in an economically and politically volatile market.
The revamp also aims to remind consumers of the company’s salon roots – born in hairdresser John Frieda’s salon in London, UK, in the late 1970s – and bring new innovations to market that claim to redefine modern hair care, all while advancing parent firm Kao Corporation’s business and ESG strategies.
“The rebrand is happening now because we really need to defend our space – not only our space on the shelf, but also our position as the most premium [hair care] brand in mass because it is a very sexy place to be,” says Kristina Fröhlich, Associate Director, Global Portfolio & Innovation Strategy John Frieda, Consumer Care, AEMEA.
“The massive growth we have seen is coming from higher prices. People are interested in trying new regimes, but they are not always implemented in the long term, right?
“So, we are seeing other brands either wanting to move up or coming in with higher-priced propositions, and we are also seeing salon brands wanting to move into mass, so we are in a spot where you cannot rest.
“There is a lot of stimulus in the category – hair care is just seeing so many new entries – and although we have been able to hold onto our shelf space, which is a great success, we have seen the pressure, and the pressure is getting tougher.”
The Cosmetics Business Innovation Awards aim to recognise breakthroughs across the entire beauty supply chain, from raw materials to logistics. With transparent judging and expert commentary, the programme offers rare insight into what true innovation looks like today. Entries open now!
2025 has been described as a “mixed bag” for John Frieda, reporting differences in performance across the globe, with a lot of growth in Germany, “exploding” in new markets like Brazil, and remaining stable in its home territory, the UK.
“While in the US, we have seen some recent decline, so we are very happy that the relaunch is coming at the perfect moment in time,” adds Fröhlich.
As such, John Frieda’s new global platform, ‘Salon Attitude. Every Day.’, has just launched to reaffirm the brand’s position.
Developed at Kao Corporation’s Haircare Centre of Excellence in Darmstadt, Germany, the rebrand is blending
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Cosmetics Business.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.