THE BARB SHOP
Building a Product Portfolio for Short Hair
CHALLENGE
The Barb Shop was created for short hair, a category often overlooked by mainstream haircare. As the brand expanded beyond its flagship Soft Clay Pomade, it needed ongoing product leadership to guide new concepts, refine performance, and ensure each addition served a clear purpose within the portfolio.
OUR WORK
Since 2022, Kulima has supported The Barb Shop across product strategy, formulation, prototype evaluation, consumer education, and campaign execution.
The work has included developing product briefs, defining performance targets, recommending ingredient systems, collaborating with chemists, evaluating prototypes, writing packaging and educational copy, and directing product styling for campaign photography.
OUTCOME
Over four years, the partnership has helped move two products—the Go-To Styling Cream and Texturizing Sea Salt Spray—from prototype evaluation to market. Together with the original Soft Clay Pomade, they form a three-product styling portfolio designed around the needs and routines of people with short hair.
Kulima continues to operate as an embedded product development partner, giving The Barb Shop ongoing leadership across its product pipeline rather than requiring the brand to build that function internally.
