Oribe President and Co-Founder On The Brand's Success And Latest Launches

With a career that spans three decades in the beauty industry, Daniel Kaner knows a thing or two about aesthetics. Having worked with some reputable brands throughout the years, including Aveda and Bumble and Bumble, Kaner eventually noticed a vacancy in the luxury hair care industry for a boutique brand offering innovation and craftsmanship. Daniel, along with two partners including hairstylist extraordinaire Oribe Canales, co-founded Oribe, an award-winning line of products formulated for the savvy consumer and expert coiffurist alike. S/ recently spoke with Kaner about his career trajectory, and how his brand has remained at the forefront of the high-end hair care market for over a decade.

What is your most treasured lesson learned from working with legendary hairstylist and Oribe co-founder Oribe Canales?

“Oribe was a creative disrupter with his own perspective—an over-the-top, larger-than-life sensibility that would resonate with our audience. He took great pleasure in what he did, and he was willing to take chances. That said, he was unwavering in his belief that the products had to perform. A great leader is someone who can inspire, someone who can take you on a journey. Oribe was that kind of leader. His artistic sensibility, his irreverence, his fearless eye and his love of hairdressing made him the ideal partner for this project. He was fun because even under pressure, he laughed a lot. He made the team feel good. He had great power over the team because they wanted to be part of it, Oribe brought incredible excitement to the project.”

How has the brand retained its core ethos since its launch?

“From the beginning, we wanted to reach the discerning consumer who recognized the difference between good and exceptional. Our thinking was craftsman-style with a strong belief that what we created had to be best in class. We didn’t use stock formulas; we created unique and custom formulations designed by Oribe that were ahead of their time. We built the brand around the performance that session stylists demanded and that consumers had no experience with at the time. But now, because of the rising awareness of the consumer and their increasing knowledge of professional-grade tools and products across all beauty categories, there is a desire to re-create a little bit of the magic they experience with their stylist at home for themselves. Oribe consistently offers this level of at-home efficacy. In the early days, there was an independent spirit that surrounded the line. I want us to maintain that quirky spirit as we continue to spiral up, and to make sure we continue to look at our brand through the lens of artisans.”

How has Oribe remained competitive in the ever-expansive beauty market?

When we launched the brand in 2008, we had a clear vision. We’ve always maintained strong relationships with our customers and we continue to build those relationships which in turn strengthens our business. We continue to create products that perform and that have become mainstays in hairdressers’ kits. We’ve expanded the line into lifestyle products and now offer body care, home fragrance and more. What we set out to do was important: we wanted to give the hairdresser everything they needed to be the best at their job. We wanted something extremely efficacious another level of performance and quality.

What is your favourite Oribe line?

I’m currently using the Shampoo for Beautiful Color – I love how the ruby bottle looks in my shower. The formula is very gentle and the fragrance is amazing. I use Rough Luxury Soft Molding Paste as a styling product. I love our Cote d’Azur Soap and our Incense is constantly burning.

What’s next for Oribe in terms of product focus?

“People are becoming more interested in overall health and wellness and are looking for products that focus on preventing damage and restoring hair and scalp health. Oribe has always focused on high-performing products that not only allow the hair to look great immediately, but help to preserve and improve the overall health of the hair and scalp over time. We are launching two new products in April that deliver on just that. The first is a new addition to our best-selling Gold Lust Collection, which focuses on repairing and restoring damaged hair. Gold Lust All Over Oil is a multi-tasking oil that takes the restorative properties of this collection beyond hair into face and body. The oil is 99% natural and includes a curated blend of 17 oils that work together to hydrate and nourish hair, body and face. You can use it all over as a deep treatment mask on the hair, as a softening beard oil, to spot treat dry patches on the body and more.

Also launching this month is Invisible Defense Universal Protection Spray. This is a lightweight mist that protects hair from heat up to 450 degrees, UV rays and pollution. We like to think of it as a product that you can use everyday to protect against the elements, similar to how you would apply a product with SPF protection to the face daily.”

View the gallery for a look at Oribe’s latest launches.