LATAM Beauty Brands Profile: Kuida looks beyond LATAM region
Kuida has been developed by Canadian/Colombian company Khiron, and has been developed as an affordably-priced CBD-based skin care range that is based on the company’s unique CBDERM technology.
Cosmetics Design caught up with Elsa Navarro, Khiron's Skin Unit Manager, to find out about the company’s ambitions for the Brand in both the Latin American región, and worldwide.
Can you please tell me about the philosophy behind the Kuida brand?
Kuida is the brand that connects with the moments of change and reinvention of women through CBD-based cosmeceutical products, highlighting their beauty and taking care of their skin and body with our CBDERM technology. Kuida seeks to celebrate women that are constantly evolving, that take risks, that are unique and make it in a different way. The brand encourages each woman to design their own beauty routine acknowledging that every moment in their lifestyle requires specific products.
After launching in Colombia, you now plan to expand in Latin America? Which markets are you targeting?
We are positioned to be a global brand and our next step for achieving that goal is to enter to the USA Market with the recently announced joint venture with Dixie Brands.
Why is the brand specifically suitable for the Latin American market?
Our recent experience in Cosmoprof, Italy, showed us that consumers all over the world are looking for a way to do it differently, seeking potent benefits like our CBDERM anti-oxidant action. That took us to expand our scope into a global vision beyond Latin America.
Can you give me an idea of your typical consumer in the LATAM market?
Latin American women are defined into three different segments: main stream, high-end and explorer. They all meet in the search for hydration, light and non- oily textures and fast absorption products, all related to different and unique lifestyles that lead them to search for new ingredients and technologies.
We found out that our main segment of interest, the explorers, share this need globally and there are not a lot of products that are working to meet these needs.
What are the challenges of marketing and distributing a CBD based brand in the Latin American region?
Speaking in marketing terms, we still are limited to different regulations around the world. Currently we can’t advertise cannabis-based products on the internet even though the products are rapidly advancing in regulatory approvals around the world. We believe cannabis is best experienced first hand, giving us the opportunity to reach directly to the consumer, dignifying CBD as an active ingredient and being able to take down popular misconceptions like “Would I get high?”, “Does it smell?”, “Does it enter my blood strain”. The Kuida team is sorting this challenge with a different digital approach that begins with offline strategies through micro influencers that connect with our portfolio in a genuine way and become Kuida ambassadors. We go from offline to online creating organic real content.
In terms of distribution, Kuida portfolio is being sold through online, retail and wholesale traditional channels and the team is constantly looking to innovate in different ways to get the product to the consumers like our web page and pop up stores.
What are the longer-term ambitions for Kuida in the Latin American market?
Kuida is positioned to develop new and more specialized products in a short term by studying the properties of CBD and other cannabis components in the dermatological field. That’s why we brought in Dr. Edwin Bendek, an experienced dermatologist specialized in anti-aging and predictive genetics, that joined the company as medical director to conduct research and clinical trials that can help us understand better the benefits of CBD in the skin.
Also, the brand is planning to expand not only into the Latin American region, but also Europe and North America. Kuida will grow supported by innovation, the best technology and scientific research to improve the beauty routine of people around the world.
