Haircare research grounded in practice
About Kulima
Kulima is a haircare research and product evaluation firm. We study how products perform in the salon and in people’s own routines, so brands have evidence for decisions about what to develop and what to change.
A formula can perform exactly as designed and still miss the result a customer expected. Hair characteristics, individual habits, application technique, and personal expectations all shape what happens once a product enters someone’s life. Our research is built around that reality. We bring hands-on practitioner expertise and the discipline of social science to the same question: what does this product need to do, for whom, and under what conditions does it deliver?
That question guides every engagement, from deciding what to develop to understanding why results vary after launch. As a result, our findings reflect the people a product is meant for, not just the lab or the conference room where it was approved.
About the founder
Elise Burnett Boyd
Founder + Principal Strategist
A styling product could give a client the definition they wanted in the salon and leave them wondering what went wrong at home. Elise Burnett Boyd saw that pattern again and again behind the chair. A client might apply the product to hair that had already started to dry, or use less because they worried it would feel heavy. Performing well in the salon wasn’t enough. The product still had to earn its place in the client’s routine.
At Textūra Curl Studio, which Elise owns and where she still sees clients, one appointment often picks up where the last left off. Clients talk through what they tried at home and what changed when they adjusted how they used a product. Over time, Elise began asking what a brand could learn from those experiences while it still had room to change the product. That question led her to found Kulima.
Her studies in psychology and sociology at the University of Akron shape how Kulima asks about those experiences. When a participant says a styling cream feels too heavy, Elise wants to know what prompted that description. Was the hair flat as soon as it dried, or did it feel coated the next morning? The answer lets Kulima design an evaluation around the result the participant cares about and the conditions where it happens.
As founder and principal strategist, Elise sets Kulima’s research direction and leads product evaluation. Her MBA in marketing from Bowling Green State University informs how she works backward from the decision a team needs to make. When a brand is deciding what to develop next, that means finding out what customers struggle to achieve with the products they already use. When a formula is already in development, it means showing the brand and its lab whether the evidence points to a formula change and what the next sample needs to do better.
Understand
Not every perceived opportunity deserves to become a product. Before deciding what to build, it's important to understand what people are actually trying to accomplish, how they're solving it today, and whether an opportunity for meaningful improvement exists.
Define
A promising idea still needs a clear job to do. Before development begins, the product’s role, intended experience, and performance requirements need to be defined so everyone involved is working toward the same outcome.
Evaluate
Performance depends on the conditions in which a product is used. We evaluate products against their intended purpose, examining how application choices and existing routines affect the experience. Consumer research adds insight into what people expect, how they interpret instructions, and the results they report. Together, those findings help teams identify what needs attention and establish priorities for refinement.
Evolve
Findings need to lead somewhere. We recommend how to proceed, whether the next step involves a formula revision or clearer use instructions. As new information emerges, we help the team carry that learning into subsequent decisions and future products.