In Haircare and Ma Coiffeuse Afro: transforming textured hair care in France

Two founders are now turning that situation on its head.

In France, millions of people have coily, curly or tightly textured hair - yet for years they were almost invisible on beauty shelves. Out of that gap, a founder duo built a brand that is now seen as a benchmark for natural care for textured hair, shaking up the market well beyond the community it set out to serve.

How frustration became a business idea

When Rebecca Cathline went looking for suitable hair products in 2015, she found - effectively - an empty shelf. While shampoos and care ranges for straight hair came in every imaginable version, there were barely any professional options for Afro-textured, coily or very curly hair.

Rebecca, who has roots in Guadeloupe and Côte d’Ivoire, already knew the day-to-day battles: dry ends, breakage, and painful salon experiences. Rather than accepting it, she leaned on the most obvious tool she had - her entrepreneurial drive.

Together with her partner, Didier Derozin, she first built a digital solution: the Ma Coiffeuse Afro app. It enabled clients to book hairdressers who genuinely understand Afro hair, curls and coils - and who could even come to people’s homes.

“A personal hair problem first became a community - and later a care brand of its own.”

The app quickly made the scale of demand impossible to ignore. People with textured hair weren’t only searching for skilled hairdressers; they also wanted products that respect their natural pattern.

From app to their own haircare brand

Over time, community feedback crystallised into a clearer ambition: haircare that anyone can use at home, without spending hours deciphering ingredient lists or compromising on quality.

In 2020 - right in the middle of the COVID lockdown - the duo took the next step. With salons closed, people were spending more time in the bathroom, trying new routines and questioning old beauty standards. For Rebecca and Didier, it was the ideal moment to launch In Haircare.

Their promise was straightforward: natural, effective products designed to reduce breakage, encourage growth, and still respect both scalp health and hair structure. No greenwashing and no guesswork - just lab-driven results.

Lab work, not kitchen mixes

To bring the idea to life, they partnered with a specialist cosmetics laboratory in France. Working with the research team, they refined formulas, tested prototypes, and refused to settle for anything that was merely “good enough”.

• 100% natural ingredients
• vegan and cruelty-free
• made in France
• focused on hair growth and strengthening the fibre

One major focus was supplements to support healthy hair growth. Capsules and treatment programmes were designed to work from within, while oils, serums and care masks provided external support.

“The approach: haircare not only from the outside, but as a holistic ritual for scalp, hair and self-image.”

When haircare helps restore confidence

Many customers contact the brand with familiar stories: postpartum shedding, hair thinning linked to workplace stress, or patchy areas following illness and medical treatments. In situations like these, it is not just about appearance - it is about identity.

If you love your curls, thinning or bald patches can quickly feel exposing. Rebecca points to that exact moment as a key driver behind the work: people should be able to like what they see in the mirror again.

In Haircare’s products therefore target three core concerns:

• breakage caused by dry, overworked ends
• slowed growth or increased hair loss
• an irritated, dry or neglected scalp

By addressing these, the brand aims for more than “nice hair”. It touches on self-love, representation, and the freedom not to hide your natural texture.

Inspiration: women with textured hair

In Haircare does not position itself as a faceless corporate label, but as a community-led project for the community. New product ideas often come directly from conversations with customers - via social media comments, at events, or through shared experiences.

Rebecca has received multiple awards for her approach, including a prize for digital beauty and recognition as one of France’s influential “Digital Women”. Commercially, the brand’s reach has expanded too: it is now stocked by chains such as Nocibé, Mademoiselle Bio, Blissim, as well as in pharmacies and hair salons.

“What began as a niche project for Afro hair now ends up on the shelves of major beauty chains.”

Rebecca and Didier’s plan is to keep scaling nationally and, in the longer term, to expand into other countries. After all, the lack of product variety for textured hair is not a France-only issue.

Why textured hair needs different care

To understand the brand’s thinking, it helps to look at the basics. Textured hair - from a loose wave to a tight coil - tends to have different needs from straight hair:

• The natural bends make it harder for sebum to travel from the scalp to the ends, so lengths dry out more quickly.
• Coily or tightly curled hair can break more easily when put under heavy mechanical stress or treated aggressively.
• Many people with Afro hair wear protective styles (braids, twists, weaves), which require thoughtful care under and between styles.

High-alcohol formulas, harsh surfactants or heavy silicones often perform poorly here. Instead, supportive ingredients such as plant oils, proteins, vitamins and gentle cleansing bases are typically more suitable.

What consumers can learn from the success of In Haircare

The brand’s rise shows, first, just how large the market for specialised care really is. Second, it highlights what people with textured hair can look for when buying - even if they choose other brands.

Key points for a simple checklist:

• Read the ingredients: aim for short, easy-to-understand lists without harsh sulphates and drying alcohols.
• Combine internal and external care: a balanced diet, supplements only when needed, plus suitable oils, serums and masks.
• Be patient: hair growth takes time, and visible results usually appear only after several weeks of consistent use.

Anyone dealing with hair loss should seek medical advice if changes are severe or sudden. Care products can support hair and scalp, but they cannot replace diagnosis when hormonal or illness-related causes are involved.

Textured hair in the German-speaking region

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, pressure on the cosmetics industry is also increasing - not just to show diversity in adverts, but to reflect it in product ranges. More specialist salons, online communities and start-ups are filling gaps that legacy brands ignored for years.

In Haircare is a clear example of what can happen when real needs are overlooked for too long: it creates space for new business ideas - especially when founders bring together lived experience, community knowledge and scientific development.

For customers with curls, coils and kinks, that means less reliance on “make-do” solutions. Anyone wanting to care for their natural texture can increasingly find products and brands built for exactly that - and, potentially, appearing more often in German-speaking retail than before.