Reduce and amplify: Australian waste-reducing hair care gadget targets growth in APAC

Réduit is the first consumer brand from Australian wellness firm OBJ Limited and spearheaded by former Foreo CEO Paul Peros.

The brand recently launched Réduit One, a hair care application device which converts formulas into a ‘super-fine’ magnetic mist.

This proprietary Magnetic Misting technology infuses the hair with particles that claim to be 50 times smaller than traditional droplets.

With this innovative delivery solution, the firm has also eliminated the need for stabilisers, emulsifiers and thickeners which are used to improve the touch and feel of the products.

According to the brand, this makes its treatments 38 times more effective than traditional topical solutions.

At the same time, it generates 20 times less waste thanks to its proprietary Hairpods, 5-millilitre capsules.

These capsules can be used about 20 times depending on hair length and thickness.

Additionally, the pods are fully recyclable through its Return & Refurbishment program to ensure that both the formula and delivery systems have the lowest possible environmental impact.

CEO Paul Peros told CosmeticsDesign-Asia ​that the firm was motivated to create a solution to the wastage in hair care products.

“The delivery method in traditional hair care products is extremely wasteful,”​ he said.

“The consumers end up using only a fraction of the product – a lot of it is wasted in hand and spray applications and the effects are very limited both in terms of the desired effects, as well as in terms of side-effects, such as the non-actives also getting applied making the final result ‘heavy’ to wear.”​

The firm has released three Hairpods but has plans to launch new capsules over 20 weeks from till October 2020.

Peros declined to give specific details but noted the brand would be launching both hair care and styling products.

A global need

In the past few months, the market has seen a surging demand of at-home hair treatments due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which has prompted many people to go into isolation.

In April, the L’Oreal Group, for instance, posted that sales of its home-use hair colour were accelerating.

In these circumstances, it seems the perfect time for a product like Réduit One and Peros believes this trend will continue to persist post-pandemic.

“Definitely I think that the new normal will be quite different and a lot of the behaviours developed during COVID-19 will remain.”​

Currently, Réduit is available internationally via its official websites and the firm is already in talks with retailers in its home market such as Mecca, David Jones and Meyers.

It is also working with Amazon Launchpad in Australia, the US and Europe.

Additionally, the firm is focusing on the Asia Pacific markets, which tend to have a higher rate of acceptance to new technologies, said Peros.

“China, Japan and Korea are probably the most important ones.  In addition to size, I expect a significant difference in the acceptance rates when we talk about new technologies.”​

The company has already established a base in Guangdong, China, as well as Seoul, South Korea.

In China, it plans to focus distribution through e-commerce platforms like Tmall and JD.com due to the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For South Korea, Peros said the firm is seeking partnerships with Lotte Duty-free and Shilla Duty-Free.

However, due to the dip in tourism worldwide, the company plans to look for online alternatives.

Looking forward, Peros said the firm is ‘conservative’ about its sales projections for its first year.

“We are here for the long run. We're trying to build a solid foundation for the future, focusing on learning on how to best go about integrating the innovation into our communications and understanding the adoption of the new usage in consumers' everyday routines.”​