KULIMA
/kuˈlimɑ/
A strategic partner for haircare product development. Building products people choose and champion.
PRODUCTS ARE FOR PEOPLE. NOT PERSONAS.
Demographics. Personas. Segments.
While important, none of them can tell you whether a product will earn a place in someone's life or end up forgotten under a bathroom sink.
People do.
When consumer use behavior is left out of product development, brands lose sight of the factor most responsible for a product being repurchased and recommended: whether it performs in the hands, routines, and realities of the people who actually use it,
not just the lab.
Kulima combines skill sets that rarely live in the same place: observed consumer behavior, hands-on practitioner expertise, and deep understanding of product performance. Together, they create a perspective focused on making products people want to build routines around.
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.
