KULIMA
/kuˈlimɑ/
A strategic partner for haircare product development. Building products people choose and champion.
Kulima is a product development partner that combines consumer research, practitioner expertise, and hands-on evaluation to guide decisions about new and existing haircare products. We help teams define what a product needs to deliver, understand what happens when people use it, and determine what should happen next. Our work turns those findings into specific development recommendations with ongoing support to carry them forward.
PRODUCTS ARE FOR PEOPLE. NOT PERSONAS.
Demographics. Personas. Segments.
They help describe who a product is for. Understanding what consumers need from it takes getting closer to how they use it.
Kulima helps teams connect what consumers expect with what a product needs to deliver. Our perspective draws on over 16 years of working directly with products and helping people navigate their frustrations with them. We combine practitioner expertise with consumer research and hands-on evaluation to investigate how products perform and turn those findings into practical development recommendations.
Our work gives teams a shared understanding of what they’re working toward and evidence to guide the next decision. Founders gain a clearer path from “this isn’t what I envisioned” to specific priorities their chemist can act on, helping the team move toward a product that earns its place in someone’s routine.
TRUST, IN THEIR WORDS
Working with Elise inside the Kelp Colab program has been a clear example of the value she brings to product strategy, development, and consumer alignment. On [client project], she owned the creation of the formula briefs and built them thoughtfully, considering every perspective that would shape the final product. Elise has an artistic ability to translate between brand vision, technical formulation work, and real-world product performance, which makes her an incredibly valuable partner in the space between the lab, the founder, and the consumer.
ALLEN DONALDSON, Vice President of Beauty, Macro Oceans
I am always impressed by how Elise's mind works, her creativity, and how she exceeds expectations. She draws from her experience in the beauty industry as a hairstylist, her perspective as a consumer, and her educational background to understand what it takes to create products and build brands that people genuinely connect with. One of the things I value most is that her recommendations are always backed by research. She doesn't just have great ideas. She provides the supporting data and rationale behind them. I highly recommend Kulima to any founder or team looking for clarity, a clear plan, and thoughtful guidance in putting that plan into action.
JEWELS JONES, Business Strategist and Coach
Working with Elise inside the Kelp Colab program has been a clear example of the value she brings to product strategy, development, and consumer alignment. On [client project], she owned the creation of the formula briefs and built them thoughtfully, considering every perspective that would shape the final product. Elise has an artistic ability to translate between brand vision, technical formulation work, and real-world product performance, which makes her an incredibly valuable partner in the space between the lab, the founder, and the consumer.
ALLEN DONALDSON, Vice President of Beauty, Macro Oceans
IN GOOD COMPANY
Kulima has supported founders, brands, and products recognized across beauty's most respected retail, editorial, and professional spaces.
HOW WE ENGAGE
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Whether you’re deciding what to develop, working through another round of samples, or trying to understand why customers aren’t getting the intended results, there’s a question to resolve. Bring us what you know and where you’re getting stuck. We’ll discuss what needs to be understood and how Kulima can move the work forward.