Korea’s top hair care brand focused on repair is setting its sights Stateside.
Unove, the brand that brought the glass skin craze to hair after its 2021 launch, is debuting with Sephora on Feb. 3. It will entail seven stock keeping units, across shampoo, conditioner, treatments and a heat protectant, ranging in price from $13 to $28.
The brand’s value proposition is built off of “glass hair,” a permutation of the glass skin craze that is focused on hydration and sheen. “Glass hair is not just a look, it’s a research of help, repair. Our products smooth damaged cuticles and return hair to healthy states, transforming dry and frizzy hair into hair that feels soft, sleek and visually shiny,” said Selena Moon, Unove’s brand director.
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She’s not just setting Unove’s sights on pin-straight hair, however, and educating around usage for all hair types is paramount for its Sephora launch. “The U.S. is the most influential beauty market in the world. We’ve been very successful in Asian markets and we thought it was the right time to enter because we want to show the world that our brand isn’t just for Asian hair,” Moon said. “It’s for everyone. We’re really keen on letting people know that our brand is highly inclusive by formulation, so it’s not just for one hair type.”
Despite being only four years old, Unove said it is the top repair-focused hair care brand in Korea, and the top hair brand at key retailer Olive Young. Though the firm did not comment on sales expectations, industry sources anticipate it to reach a volume of $8 million in its first year at Sephora.
The products themselves have robust clinical validation across the range, including a 419 percent increase in protein bonding strength, 46 percent improvement in internal hair density, 30 percent increase in tensile strength and 32 percent reduction in split ends. Although the brand is expected to resonate broadly, it’s especially focused on hero product Deep Damage Repair Hair Mask.
“It works within three minutes,” Moon said of the product. “Normally, you leave one in for five to 20 minutes to make it soft. It has a gel-to-cream texture, it also cleans your hair and only targets the damaged parts. It also has 30,000 parts per million of keratin. That’s the maximum concentration we could have in the formula.”
Consumer feedback also points to the lineup’s scenting as a favorite among loyalists. “Our focus has been combining high performance repair with sensorial pleasure. At our core, we believe hair care should deliver both visual repair and emotional satisfaction,” Moon said. “We wanted everyone to be able to achieve glass-like hair at home, with products that are simple to use, fast-acting and effective.”
K-Beauty has had a resurgence in the U.S. in years past, driven largely by innovations from brands like Beauty of Joseon and Medicube in skin care and, most recently, makeup with brands like Tirtir. To raise brand awareness, Unove tapped hair stylist Jenny Cho as a spokesperson.
“She has a lot of credibility in America,” Moon said. “We thought this would show how good the products are, that it’s not just well designed. We’re going to do a salon experiential event soon.”