From Bali With Love – Meet Coco & Eve

Meet Coco & Eve, that natural hair care brand reviving damaged hair across the US and Europe.

It’s revitalizing, refreshing, pure, and angelic.

The Like a Virgin hair masque from Coco & Eve is quickly emerging as a must-have product in the beauty world.

Read more about their story below.

Image: Oliver Bonas

Beauty Born in the Heart of Bali

Founders of Coco & Eve, Alex and Emily, are avid dreamers and island lovers. While cruising through the virgin jungles of Bali, they fell in love with the ravishing nature surrounding them.

Being eager beachgoers, they also noticed how their hair was in deep need of being revitalised from the damage caused by saltwater and constant sun exposure. This is where Alex and Emily encountered the optimal opportunity. They became inspired to create a beauty product based on the essence of natural beauty.

The Journey of a Successful Small Brand

After identifying a market gap in the hair product industry, Alex and Emily wanted to create a niche product that not only makes hair look and smell nice but actually revive and fix hair damage.

Image: Cult Beauty

Their journey wasn’t as easy as it seemed in the first place. Despite finding a niche product, the hair masque industry was already pretty saturated. If Coco & Eve was to succeed, their market entrance had to be a blast.

Alex and Emily spent the next 2 years working on perfecting the formula of the hair masque of their dreams. They knew that if they wanted to have a successful brand with a product that revolutionised the market, it would take time. Their patience was the key ingredient in the success recipe.

After much work and several phases of reformulation, they finally created their signature Coco & Eve product, the Like a Virgin Hair Masque.

Going (coco)Nuts for Coco & Eve

When Coco & Eve first launched, their only product was the Like a Virgin Hair Masque. However, even with only one product, Coco & Eve skyrocketed into a now well-known brand in the beauty community. And in a crowded market like this, topping the competition with just one product was a significant milestone.

What was so special about the Like a Virgin Hair Masque?

According to Emily, one of the founders; they wanted their product to be different from the rest of the products in the market, where 98% of them contain harmful chemicals like parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.

Hair products that include these chemicals do not actually reach the root of the problem in people’s hair, but simply mask the issues with a superficial soft texture and pretty fragrances. Coco & Eve, on the other hand, became a product that nourished hair all the way to the follicle.

Image: Coco and Eve

“Our two key ingredients, coconut and fig, work in harmony to completely restore damaged hair, right into the follicle to restore hair back to its pure virgin state.”

With the benefits of the natural ingredients used, The Like a Virgin Hair Masque is a 5 - 1 formula that restores, revives, repairs, tames, and conditions hair. It can be used as a conditioner or a leave-in hair treatment for extra perks.

Coco & Eve became a sensation in the beauty community, winning 6 industry beauty awards including a Glamour Beauty Award only in first 8 months since it’s launch.

Unboxing Coco & Eve

A relevant factor in the success of Coco & Eve was attention to details, especially the packaging.

Alex and Emily wanted their customers to have a beauty-filled experience starting from the box.

Coco & Eve products are shipped in kraft mailer boxes similar to Packhelp’s Plain Mailer Boxes. They used custom sized boxes to fit their products and reduce the chances of shifting during the delivery process.

In addition to that, they place rectangular stickers on top of the box with a print and graphic consistent with their branding.

It includes the signature Coco & Eve pastel pink background surrounded by green tropical leaves and a cute message that says “Hello I’m Here”, followed by the brand logo.

Image: MyFatPocket Blog

Simple details like these make packaging more interesting and start building the unboxing hype from the very beginning.

Upon opening the mailer box, you encounter the custom-sized classic product box for the actual product. This product box has double-sided prints that are also consistent with the prints of the brand, following the pastel pink and tropical green colour scheme.

On the inside of the custom product box, everything is printed in their tropical green, which creates a stunning contrast with the pastel pink in the outside. It is simple and minimalist, yet cute and exciting.

Here you can also find special inserts designed specifically for the Coco & Eve products where the dynamic duo of hair care sits waiting for you.

On one side, you can see the perfectly fitted Like a Virgin Hair Masque bottle and on the other side a hair detangler designed for the application and use of the hair product.

Image: Diana Elizabeth Blog

Marketing that Matters

Another important aspect, that is part of the Coco & Eve success formula, was the clever marketing strategy. Many beauty brands elevate their social media to kick-off first sales.

However, unlike other beauty brands that spend their marketing efforts trying to sell a product, Coco & Eve used advertisements to sell benefits and solutions to people. Their ads and organic posts were spread across several platforms - Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

This was done through tutorials and testimonials.

Image: Coco and Eve

The benefits of the Like a Virgin Hair Masque are what’s being put on the spotlight, not the product itself.

These unique selling points are what created a need in the mind of the consumer.

Another tactic that supported this strategy was the use of influencer marketing and social media celebrities that became ambassadors of the brand. They looked for influencers who appealed to a similar audience. The buzz created a snowball effect and the word-of-mouth about the brand.

Image: Milk and Blush

Where is Coco & Eve Now?

Coco & Eve has grown to become an established name in the beauty community. It started selling exclusively on its’ own website in the United States.

Now, the company delivers to over 30 countries and sells its products in big retail stores, like Sephora and Cult Beauty.

As a growing brand, Coco & Eve has also expanded its’ line of products, now offering microfiber hair towels for, branded pocket mirrors, a new bronzing foam, multiple gift sets, and different sizes of their hair masque to cater to customer needs.

Image: Coco and Eve

Lessons Learned

Entering the world of cosmetics and beauty products is not an easy thing to do. You have to compete with big renowned sellers as well as with the multiple small and emerging brands.

But Coco & Eve figured out the recipe to become a successful brand in the beauty world. What you can learn from them:

• Create a product that solves a solution to an existing gap in the market
• Develop your brand around your unique selling proposition to differentiate yourself from existing brands
• Design packaging that entices emotions and is consistent and coherent with your branding
• Generate a marketing strategy that matches your target market
• Pay attention to the little details - they make a difference
• Be passionate, be patient, and be persistent