COVER STORY
A FRIENDLY CHOICE A PROFESSIONAL VEGAN CHOICE FOR AN ADVANCED SALON ENVIRONMENT, A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH IT TRADES AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN STOCKHOLM’S NUMBER ONE HAIRCARE BRAND, MAKE IT HARD TO NOT WANT TO EXPERIENCE MARIA NILA, WRITES CAMERON PINE.
M
aria Nila is your modern hairdressing muse, she’s trendy, aesthetically relevant and she’s conscious about the environment – she also produces all of her formulas from a state-of-the-art Helsingborg factory, one of the cleanest and greenest custombuilt factories in the hairdressing world, complete with solar power for every step of the process. From what started in a family backyard in Sweden with a commitment to producing a better quality, naturally derived product than what the market had ever seen, the brand is now in 45 countries across three continents, with specific community minded initiatives that span the globe as the core to their growing army of Maria Nila lovers. Maria Nila was founded in 1999 by the entrepreneurs Ann and Ulf Wikström. Their son Marcus Wikstrom has now continued the brand’s legacy. After numerous challenges, Maria Nila now rests as a staple in European salons and has risen to become the number one haircare brand in Sweden. 36 INSTYLE
The Maria Nila story is one of resilience, family heritage and transparency whereby, still to this day, a painting of the founders hangs proudly in the Maria Nila factory, reminding each and every employee that they are very much part of a family. “Maria Nila is a very friendly, honest and transparent familyowned business. I think people want more than just products. With our own production, we can show the salons and consumers that we walk the talk, and you vote with your money. We want to make a real difference through the products but also through our charity work. Our goal is that everyone working with Maria Nila should feel that difference and be able to see it via our products, partners and social media channels,” said Maria Nila Europe CEO, Thomas Barka. “As the number one professional haircare brand in Sweden with a strong consumer following, the growth potential for Maria Nila is significant. We believe there is more opportunity to accelerate global expansion and increase share in underpenetrated categories by leveraging the brand’s successful go-to market strategy and differentiated brand proposition.”
