By Silvia Lourenço
An In-cosmetics Latin America exclusive News Story
She was 15 years old at the time she touched a client’s hair for the first time. Cris Dios was a secondary school student when she started working as a hairdresser at Laces and Hair, hair spa which her mother, Mercedes Dios, was the pioneer in founding in São Paulo in 1987. The aim of the family business has always been to take care of the health of the hair with natural products. The first formulas used with the clients of the saloon were inherited from Cris’ grandfather, a Spanish hairdresser who immigrated to Brazil in 1920.
The creation of the products began in 1990 in a craftsmanship fashion and was intended to be consumed within the saloon only (there are 6 units of Laces and Hair in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte). In 2007 the manufacture of the products began to be outsourced. In 2008, Cris’ curiosity and creativity made her cross the saloon door to learn about the “chemistry” of the products, and she took a degree in Cosmetology at Universidade Oswaldo Cruz in order to understand how to handle the ingredients and create new formulas.
It was during this period that the first organic hair care line in Brazil, Cris Dios Organics, came to be, and in 2015 the family bought the factory which used to manufacture the lines and was certified as organic by IBD* (an accredited Brazilian certifier of organic products) in 2008. According to Cris, the strength that pushes her forward comes from being a mother of 2 and owning a family company with great growth potential.
Nowadays they manufacture 90 products, such as the hair care line Day by Day which is comprised of shampoos and conditioner for all hair types. They also have a line for kids, pets, and a men’s line with shampoo, shaving oil and shaping wax. The Cris Dios Organics line is comprised of hair scalp care and reconstructive care products, shampoos, conditioners, and an Argan Oil Leave-In.
And whoever thought Cris Dios’ businesses revolved exclusively around Hair Care products, has been proven wrong, the Line Bem-Estar, which is 100% vegan and natural, consists of air fresheners, body oils and lotions, both bar and liquid soaps, scented and body candles (which turn into a massaging lotion). “We use natural and biodegradable ingredients. Our packaging is recyclable, and our factory has full control of the water usage and correct garbage disposal, with energy usage awareness. We do the reverse logistics of used packaging and we have a policy that motivates clients to bring their empty bottles, and every 10 bottles that are brought in, they earn a product.”- explains Cris.
The cosmetologist, hairdresser and businesswoman, who has already built an empire of healthy cosmetics, won’t stop creating and innovating. This year, after having finished a post-degree in Trichology in Canada, she has launched Brazil’s first 100% vegetable hair dye line. Comprising of 10 colours derived from 10 plants, the products may be mixed making 30 custom shades.
The hair dye ingredients are plants with therapeutic properties which help with hair care, making it stronger and healthier. The shades cover the grey hair and produce several shades of colour, that range from black to blonde. The specialist has invested 4 years in research and development until being able to develop this line.
Cris Dios is one of the spearheads to spread gradual and eco-conscious beauty in Brazil, but she affirms it hasn’t always been easy, it used to be hard to find organic and certified ingredients in the past, and nowadays, despite the fact that there are more suppliers, many materials are still very expensive and end up increasing the price of the final product. “I usually buy raw materials around the world but I prioritize the ones which are in Brazil and are Brazilian native. I believe that we move on evolving and having the opportunity to improve in terms of price and quality year-by-year.” – she explains.
The company is now preparing to expand with a new skincare line. Nowadays, the lines are sold at the salons, supermarket chains such as Pão de Açúcar, Marche and Eataly in SP, as well as e-commerce.
Cris Dios guarantees that delivering self-esteem and well-being to people through a beauty eco-friendly system, whilst providing the human development of the community with a Fair Trade practice, is one of her greatest purposes. “I have a dream to create an organic line at competitive prices which could be in the house of every Brazilian.”- finishes the cosmetologist.
With that successful history, no one doubts she’ll make it.
*N.T – IBD is the only Brazilian certifier of organic products that are accredited under IFOAM (international market), ISO/IEC 17065 (European market, rule CE 834/2007), Demeter (international market), and USDA/NOP (North American market).