In this session...
In an era when brand storytelling increasingly pivots on celebrity muscle and scientific credibility alike, this session brings together two potent forces behind the next wave of beauty-industry disruption. Under the guidance of Sid Katari, CEO of isima, the hair-care brand co-founded by global icon Shakira, we explore how the interplay of culture, performance and rigorous science can reshape consumer expectations, product development and brand identity.
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isima was born from Shakira’s firsthand experiences and a recognition of long-unmet needs in the Latin hair-care market. Sid Katari and his team built a platform where celebrity meaning isn’t just marketing flair but rooted in authentic community insight and hair-diversity representation. Simultaneously, the brand is grounded in “biotrichology” and what they term their TriModal Method™: a science-driven approach that addresses scalp, cortex and cuticle.
At this panel you’ll hear how the brand’s strategic architecture fuses celebrity + culture with deep-science and how this balanced model can not only elevate product performance but also drive meaningful industry change; especially for underserved audiences. Katari will unpack how to manage the tensions between “celebrity voice” and “scientific authority,” how to translate culture into credible innovation, and how to build a brand rooted in ingenuity that scales beyond novelty.
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What You'll Learn from This Session...
- How to leverage celebrity & cultural voice not just as a promotional tool but as a meaningful connector to under-served consumer segments (drawing on isima’s Latin-rooted insight).
- A blueprint for how to integrate rigorous science and innovation (e.g., isima’s TriModal Method™) into product development and into brand storytelling so that claims are credible, differentiated and rooted in real insight.
- Strategies for navigating the tension between celebrity branding (which risks being seen as superficial) and science-led performance (which risks being perceived as technical or cold).
- Practical levers for building an industry-shift: how a brand can move beyond being “just another launch” to becoming a catalyst for change (e.g., shifting performance expectations, influencing retail channels, connecting culture + commerce).
