The Colorist

MAY-JUN 2016

For hair color trends and celebrity hair, colorists turn to The Colorist. Celebrity hair, hair color ideas, hair color products and more.

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44 The Colorist | MAY/JUNE 2016 | thecoloristmag.com F ounded 30 years ago in Montréal by Moty and Liliane Cohen, Oligo Professionnel is a growing family-owned business that is quickly making a name for itself as top-notch color house. For the fi rst 20 years of Oligo's existence, the company was focused on research and development in the lab, creating cutting-edge technologies for high-end cosmetic companies around the world to use in their hair color, perming, smoothing, straightening and relaxing product formulas. As the second generation of the family began to get involved in the business, however, the desire grew to put that technological expertise to work to build their own brand, with the goal of developing safer and healthier hair color products. "I believe in specialization," says Oligo President Ilan Cohen. "I'm proud to say that we are a color company." Today, Oligo manufactures its own hair color products, in addition to a supporting haircare line. T e key product is Calura, a versatile ammonia- and PPD-free color line that off ers 100 a family aff air Oligo Professionnel's Ilan Cohen shares the company's history, cutting-edge color technology and education-driven philosophy. poi t of view percent gray coverage and lifts up to 5 levels, thanks to the company's patented exothermic technology. "When you the mix color and developer in your bowl, the temperature of the cream rises," Cohen says. "It allows us to increase the performance of the product, make the color shinier and make the color last longer." Cohen also stresses that because Calura can produce semipermanent, demi-permanent and permanent results, it's particularly well-suited for independent salon owners and booth renters. "We've streamlined the brand," he says. "It's lean and mean and it performs at a high level, so colorists don't need that many SKUs to make their clients happy. I think it's provided us with a competitive advantage." In addition to Calura, Oligo off ers the Blacklight lightening system and retail products, RioRio direct-dye fashion colors, the color-strengthening Quadraplex system and the Alcove haircare line. Oligo is growing quickly, Cohen says—last year by 50 percent— and is rapidly expanding in the United States. T e company's products are now available in 34 states, and will be available in 42 states by the end of this year. Central to Oligo's growth strategy, explains Cohen, is education. Oligo currently off ers both technical and creative color and cutting education at regional locations around the country, and plans to add online education later this year. "Our objective is to be an education-driven brand and to off er the highest level of hair color education in the industry," Cohen says. "Family, technology and education—that's what this brand is about." PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF OLIGO PROFESSIONNEL Ilan Cohen, Oligo Professionnel president Calura utilizes exothermic technology.

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