Haircare Disruptor, K18 Makes Its Retail Debut at Sephora Nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- K18 – the high-performance biotech haircare brand announces its expansion into mega-retailer Sephora on December 21, 2021.

Founded by tech industry veteran Suveen Sahib and beauty veteran Britta Cox, K18 offers a uniquely scientific approach to haircare. The K18Peptide™—clinically proven to reverse hair damage in 4 minutes—was developed by applying computational models with sequence analogy used in biotech to the molecular structure of human hair. The peptide, a unique amino acid sequence, works on a molecular level to restore hair back to like-new strength and elasticity. By reaching the innermost layers of hair and reconnecting broken keratin chains—a result of bleaching, chemical services, and heat damage—the peptide provides lasting renewal instead of temporarily patching damage like more traditional cosmetic chemistry products on the market.

K18 will make its Sephora debut Tuesday 12/21 on Sephora.com and will be available in-store at all 502 US doors beginning Sunday 12/26. The brand is excited to reach a new audience through this partnership with Sephora, educating consumers about why the science behind hair not only has a place in their self-care routine but is ushering in the next era of hair health. Biomimetics, the practice of learning from and mimicking nature, is a key component to K18's unparalleled Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask formula. Imitating the natural structure of keratin building blocks (amino acid sequences), the K18 bioactive peptide is the perfect size and molecular structure to seamlessly fit in and reconnect broken keratin chains. Recognized as natural by the hair, it's not washed away by water or shampoo like traditional bonding agents.

"Nature is the best designer, and we've found by understanding the biology of hair you can achieve what you've always wanted, true hair health and full expression with less. Less product, less frustration, less damage," says Founder Suveen Sahib. "We are elated to join forces with Sephora as amazing partners on our crusade to liberate haircare. No one should have to choose between healthy hair and hair that looks the way they want it to – and now the diverse, curious community of beauty lovers at Sephora never have to make that compromise. We are ready to share this innovation with even more people and are so excited Sephora sees the value of molecular repair that actually works across all hair types."

From the brand's official launch in 2020, K18 has been championed by renowned members of the professional haircare community and has since garnered a cult following through a roster of A-list celebrity fans and influencers. The brand touts many stylist ambassadors including Yusef Williams, Priscilla Valles, Linh Phan, Aura Friedman, and Eric Vaughn. Beginning in the salon as a pro-first brand, the K18 in-salon service is used and sold in 20,000 salons in over 100 countries. The post-treatment portion of this service (the K18 Mask) will now be available in the same formula for use at-home via Sephora's retail channels.

"Sephora is thrilled to partner with K18 and continue bringing the best innovation in haircare to our clients," said Jennifer Lucchese, VP Haircare Merchandising at Sephora. "K18 is a disruptive, results-driven brand that is focused on solving hair damage for clients of all hair types and textures and we are so excited to introduce them to our Sephora community."

K18's Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask encourages people to liberate their expression and ask what would they do if damage wasn't an issue?  Clinically proven to reverse even the most severe hair damage in just four minutes through the brand's patented breakthrough peptide, now you have options. The product is vegan, cruelty-free, color-safe and dermatologically tested.

Following the brand's retail expansion, K18 looks forward to unveiling more large-scale social and consumer initiatives, educating on the science behind hair, and bringing additional innovative, results-driven products to the market in 2022.

ABOUT K18
For years, traditional cosmetic chemistry was the hair world's answer to damage. It was a band-aid solution, that was covering up the problem instead of correcting it. Until now, hair care products have fallen into two categories: conditioning treatments or repair treatments, both only offering temporary results. So instead of building our brand on the buzzwords and beliefs of the past, we took the radical path of biotech to develop K18 Hair and ended up busting a few hair myths along the way to create a truly revolutionary new category in haircare.

After spending a decade in the lab scanning and testing all amino acid sequences, covering the entire keratin genome that makes up hair searching for a breakthrough, we discovered one unique sequence that brings damaged hair back to its original, youthful state – our patented K18 Peptide™. Stylists, colorists, and hair expressors in 101 countries and counting, no matter their hair type, rely on K18 to liberate their hair. This breakthrough gives professionals a healthy hair canvas to create without boundaries and at-home users hair that actually looks and feels like new.  The hair community loves its radical simplicity—and that it just works in 4 minutes.

For more information, visit: https://www.k18hair.com/pages/about-us and @K18Hair on Instagram.  For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

About Sephora Americas
Since its debut in North America more than 20 years ago, Sephora has been a leader in prestige omni-retail with the mission of creating an inviting beauty shopping experience and inspiring fearlessness in our community. With the goal of delivering unbiased shopping support and a personalized experience, Sephora invites clients to discover thousands of products from more than 340 carefully curated brands, explore online and through our mobile app, enjoy services at the Beauty Studio and engage with expertly trained Beauty Advisors in more than 500 stores across the Americas. And with its new long-term retail strategic partnership, clients can now shop Sephora at Kohl's, a fully immersive, premium beauty destination, with 200 locations in 2021, and at least 850 locations by 2023. Clients can access the free-to-join Beauty Insider program and digital community, which together enhance the experience of Sephora's passionate clients.

Sephora has been an industry-leading champion of diversity, inclusivity, and empowerment, guided by our longstanding company values. In 2019, Sephora announced a new tagline and manifesto, "We Belong to Something Beautiful," to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging amongst all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas. Sephora continues to give back to our communities and advance inclusion in our industry through its social impact and equity programming, called the Sephora D&I Heart Journey.

For more information, visit: https://www.sephora.com/about-us and @Sephora on social media.  For media inquiries, please visit our Sephora newsroom or email [email protected]  

SOURCE K18