my personal life has profoundly influenced my journey. I gave birth to my daughter Neela, who was born extremely premature (1.3 kg and 26 cm), with allergic and respiratory problems.
Faced with a lack of suitable solutions in natural or organic stores, I decided to turn to the recipes of my grandmother, Grandma Bernadette, based on the use of plants and flowers from the Caribbean.
This approach already reveals my commitment to promoting our heritage. I then formulated skincare products for my daughter and myself, never imagining that, a few years later, they would take on an entirely different dimension.
During a trip to New York with my husband, after several African-American women asked me what I put in my hair, he pointed out that it was probably time to offer my products to a wider audience.
That is how, in 2014, I started as a self-employed entrepreneur. By hosting DIY workshops at home, dedicated to naturality and hair health.
Unable to find any laboratory willing to support me in my project, I decided to create my products myself.
I am taking part in my first Nappy trade show in France.
On this occasion, I fully realize the potential of my homemade formulas. This experience acts as an eye-opener and leads me to make a major decision: to end my self-employed business to create Kalia Nature.
Created with Kalia Nature muses, who are also the first people to use the products.
Alongside my professional activity, I began to structure the foundations of the brand. I developed communication on social media and participated in a few trade shows aimed at consumers, all while continuing my salaried job.
This period was marked by a constant balance between my job and the development of Kalia Nature, which I moved forward step by step.
I am participating for the first time in major trade fairs such as the Foire de Paris, Boucles d’Ébène, and my first Natural Hair Academy (NHA), where I am giving my first television interview. My family then discovers me on the evening news in the West Indies. This increased visibility changes the trajectory of the brand.
Starting that year, professionals began contacting me to offer to resell my products in their shops and pharmacies. Seeing my products distributed by others is a moment that is both surprising and deeply significant: I realize that Kalia Nature is moving beyond the scope of direct sales and taking on a new dimension.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to balance my professional role at L’Oréal with the development of Kalia Nature. That year, I launched the 3-in-1 Hibiscus Cream and discovered the world of influence, which brought new visibility to the brand.
It was also in 2018 that Kalia Nature products arrived in Martinique, my native island. I also held my first trade show in Guadeloupe, at the Caribbean Beauty Festival. Upon returning from this festival, I made a decisive decision: to leave my salaried job to devote myself 100% to the brand I had created.
A choice that scares me, but the desire is stronger than the fear.
I started the year by dedicating 100% of my time to Kalia Nature. I pursued training to strengthen my expertise and traveled to Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana, where I organized meetings to present the brand.
That same year, I decided to launch the Hibiscus range, designed to complement the 3-in-1 Hibiscus Cream at the Natural Hair Academy (NHA). On this occasion, I won my first award: Best Leave-in for the 3-in-1 Hibiscus Cream.
This recognition came at a time when I was exhausted from carrying everything on my own. Even though Christian, co-founder, was a support, the solitude of entrepreneurship weighed heavily on my daily life. He then decided to reduce his professional activity to 80% in order to support me more.
In September 2019, I hired Kalia Nature’s first employee, marking a new milestone in the company’s structuring.
I realize that continuing to work in the basement of my house is no longer comfortable or suitable for the company's development. Together with Christian, we decide to find a space in order to have more room and be able to welcome the public.
Christian then decides, in turn, to leave his salaried job three days before the first lockdown in our history. At the beginning of this year, there are four people in the company, and it is the start of strong growth for Kalia Nature.
Due to the lockdown, the work is delayed. We finally open the LAB 2.0 in Bondy (93) in September 2020, welcoming an expanded team of about 8 to 9 people.
There are no longer any trade shows, but thanks to social media and having our own laboratory, we are able to continue meeting demand and support the growth of Kalia Nature.
On March 8, 2021, I launched the Hibiscus Jelly, which quickly became one of the brand's best-sellers, alongside the Coco Spirulina Mask.
We then realized that our 150 m² space in Bondy had become insufficient for our operations. We had to rent an additional space to serve as a storage unit. Our growth, which remained very rapid, caught up with us once again and pushed us to search for new premises.
During this period, we continued to handcraft all of our products, while remaining fully aware of the need to bring a new lease of life to the brand. In parallel with the search for a new site, we therefore decided to hire an agency to work on a new branding.
Trade shows resumed, and we continued to see a strong enthusiasm for our products, as well as notable feedback from customers, who found it easier to meet us in person.
We are presenting Kalia Nature's new branding to our community at the Foire de Paris: a new brand identity, new visuals, and profound changes, which coincide with our move into new 700 m² premises in Le Mesnil-Amelot (77).
During the summer of 2022, I learned that I had triple-negative breast cancer. I then had to take a step back and entrust Kalia Nature to Christian and the team. I lost all my hair.
A true paradox: I, whose fight is to take care of hair, found myself losing my own.
The year of a double battle: that of illness and that of the sustainability of my company.
It then became clear that it was no longer possible to manufacture products entirely by hand. The demand was such that we had to industrialize LAB 3.0. We decided to invest in order to continue manufacturing our products in-house, but in a more optimal and faster way.
Kalia Nature is now distributed in Europe, in the Antilles, in a little under 250 points of sale.
That same year, five of our products were voted Products of the Year. The Coconut Spirulina Mask, in addition to this distinction, also won the NHA Prize for Best Mask as well as the Gold Award from Cosmétique Mag.
The brand is thus increasingly recognized for its expertise in textured hair, by both the general public and professionals.
My battle against breast cancer is not over yet, but I am regaining a more active presence in my professional life. In January 2024, we are producing the first industrial products in our own laboratory.
More and more hairdressers are requesting the brand, both for use at the shampoo station and for resale to their clientele. The year remains particularly challenging, with the arrival of a new team, and we are ending the year with nearly 20 people at Kalia Nature.
I am gradually returning to the forefront, and my hair is growing back, which I now proudly wear short, accompanied by Kalia Nature products.
It is an exceptional year, during which we have once again won awards and seen our distribution network exceed 350 points of sale.
We have confirmed our positioning as experts in textured hair, with formulas based on Caribbean ingredients. Our team is performing well, and we are launching three new products, including the K Complex with spirulina, which aided my hair regrowth, as well as the Murumuru Cream, which, upon its release, has seen great commercial success.
Our values
Proximity
Put customers at the heart of the brand by listening to their needs and seeking to improve their daily lives to help them grow and grow the brand alongside them.
Inclusion
Offering affordable products, both in terms of price and ease of use, so that they are easy to adopt and meet everyone's needs.
The transmission
Sharing expertise through a pedagogical approach, in order to help everyone take care of their hair and reveal its true nature.
Self-acceptance
Empowering everyone to be proud of and embrace their hair as it is, freeing them from any mental load.
THE LABORATORY
Quality
Quality
To ensure the conformity of our products, our quality department implements rigorous validation processes. We also conduct regular inspections of our products and raw materials to comply with regulatory standards and provide high-quality products.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
All our products are designed in our facilities in Le Mesnil-Amelot. Thanks to 100% French and custom production, we oversee every stage of the manufacturing process with rigor, guaranteeing authentic, unique care products made with passion.
Research & Development
Research & Development
Our laboratory has a division dedicated to the research and development of innovative products to meet the needs of wavy to kinky hair. This expertise allows us to design effective treatments, integrating the latest scientific advances while respecting our artisanal craftsmanship.
Our commitments
Our raw materials, inspired by the Caribbean pharmacopoeia, are carefully selected to offer natural, effective, and high-quality hair care products.
Mindful of our ecological impact, we are constantly working to improve our plastic and cardboard containers in order to reduce our environmental footprint and optimize our packaging practices. All of our containers and labels are 100% recyclable.
We offer products that are accessible to everyone, and we make it a point of honor to support our clients, retailers, and hairdressers in the optimal use of our products, ensuring personalized, high-quality results.
With over 250 points of sale, our products are available in Metropolitan France, the overseas territories, and several European countries. You can find us in pharmacies and hair salons, where professionals are at your disposal to advise you according to your needs.
