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In Hair Care, Stylists Are the Real Influencers | Untangled Newsletter

PLUS: Chris McMillan Debuts Haircare Line at Sephora

Author

Nikita Alexander
July 24, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Welcome to Untangled, your essential newsletter for haircare eCommerce professionals.

Attribution Angle 🎯

The Biggest Mistake This Agency Sees 😬 | Jamie Bolton

Dan Sava from Neon Growth breaks down why so many brands are trapped in a cycle of over-investing in bottom-of-funnel (BOF) tactics.

The root cause? Overreliance on Last Click attribution — a model that ignores how awareness and consideration channels influence the final conversion. When only the last interaction gets credit, BOF looks like the hero. But it’s a distorted view that leads to skewed budgets and missed growth opportunities.

To truly grow, marketers need clarity across the full customer journey. That means measuring impact at every stage — from brand discovery to final conversion — and understanding how channels work together, not in isolation.

👉 Ready to measure the full funnel and grow?

Sector Spotlight 🎥

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Chris McMillan launches his first haircare line at Sephora, featuring The Glassy for glossing and The Wand for styling. Utilizing clean ingredients for different hair types, this line marries ease with performance, reflecting McMillan's decades of celebrity styling experience.

BEAUTY INNOVATION LAUNCH

K18 introduces HeatBounce, a conditioning heat protectant featuring ResiliCore, aiming to protect chemically treated hair from thermal damage. Launching on July 30, its unique molecular shield enhances resilience by safeguarding internal hair bonds. Industry projections suggest a potential $50 million in first-year sales through global salon distribution and Sephora.

PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

Hair care brands like Amika are leveraging professional stylists to build consumer trust, offering authenticity amid skepticism towards traditional influencers. This professional endorsement strategy aligns with consumers' value sensitivity, essentially converting engaging content into future purchases. The rise of expert-led marketing underlines a shift towards informed purchases in hair care, emphasizing the role of professionals in customer decision-making processes.

DTC LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Monica Belsito, previously CMO at Sabra Dipping Company, is the new CEO of Function of Beauty, aiming to bolster retail and direct-to-consumer channels. The beauty brand, known for its personalized products, plans to expand retail distribution while enhancing clinical credibility through key partnerships.

Optimization Hub ⚙️

RETAIL ANALYTICS

Leveraging AI and first-party data revolutionizes in-store retail media measurement, enabling precise targeting and actionable insights. Marketers now have the tools to analyze shopper engagement with campaigns, directly connecting them to sales and refining strategies in real time. With the integration of advanced analytics, marketers can optimize the full customer journey, making in-store media more strategic and effective.

ECOMMERCE MARKETING

The weekly Google Ads audit checklist offers eCommerce marketers a structured, detailed approach to optimizing ad accounts, monitoring core performance metrics, and addressing disapproved products. By focusing on various performance levels and time frames, marketers can identify and address trends, ensuring efficient budget allocation and better campaign results.

ClickZ is a ClickZ Media publication in the DTC Ecommerce division