KERASILK

KERASILK is a professional haircare brand built around silk-protein technology, owned by the Japanese Kao Corporation through its Kao Salon Division. The line was launched in 2013 as a salon smoothing service within the Goldwell portfolio [4], and a decade later, on 1 April 2023, it was relaunched as an independent masterbrand in its own right [6]. It sits in the premium professional tier, sold mainly through salons, and is positioned around vegan, biotechnologically produced silk proteins.

The brand's own About-Us page traces its roots further back, to salon experimentation "in the 1980s" and a reputation built "over 40 years" [2]. That longer lineage belongs to Goldwell's earlier silk-protein products; the standalone KERASILK identity dates from 2013, the year corporate and trade sources record for the first KERASILK keratin treatment [7].

KERASILK began as a single in-salon service. In 2013 Goldwell introduced the KERASILK Keratin Treatment, described by Kao Salon Division as "the first and only customizable smoothing system on the market" [4]. The collection reached North American beauty press at a New York launch event in early 2014, presented by Goldwell artistic director Dimitrios Tsioumas, who demonstrated the treatment's KeraShape technology to trade and consumer editors.

The founding story the company tells is one of pioneering silk in haircare. Kao Salon Division describes KERASILK as "one of the original pioneers in the use of silk in hair care, fusing it with hair's building block keratin." For its first decade the line operated as a Goldwell sub-line rather than a freestanding brand, sold under names such as "Kerasilk by Goldwell" and "Goldwell Kerasilk."

After 2013 the range expanded beyond the original smoothing treatment into broader salon and take-home products. The defining event came in 2023: on 1 April KERASILK was separated from the Goldwell portfolio and relaunched as an independent masterbrand of Kao Salon Division [6]. The relaunch was global, pairing a redesigned product architecture with new packaging, reformulated technology and a sustainability-led message.

The redesign was documented by the agency behind it, brandcouture, which described packaging that balances "softness & strength" through "soft lines and angular edges" and a "yin and yang" aesthetic meant to reflect the Japanese origins of parent company Kao. The relaunch also introduced celebrity hairstylist Harry Josh as global brand ambassador; a launch event was held at the Toronto Beach Club in April 2023.

KERASILK belongs to Kao Corporation, a publicly listed Japanese consumer-goods company, and is run within its Kao Salon Division. The connection predates the brand itself: Kao acquired the German haircare company Goldwell AG in 1989 [5], and because KERASILK launched inside Goldwell in 2013, it has been part of Kao throughout its existence.

The brand's status within the group changed in 2023. Before April that year, KERASILK was a Goldwell sub-line; afterward it became an independent masterbrand standing alongside Goldwell, KMS, Oribe and VARIS in the Kao Salon Division portfolio. Kao describes the move as making KERASILK independent "after being under the Goldwell brand umbrella for over 40 years" [6] — a figure that, as with the brand's origin date, reflects the older Goldwell silk heritage rather than the 2013 KERASILK line.

KERASILK markets itself as a premium professional brand that combines high performance with responsibility. Its stated purpose, given on the brand site, is "to help people believe in a stronger, more beautiful future for themselves and their hair," and its hero message frames haircare as a ritual: "Your best hair begins with a ritual." The company leans on a salon mantra, "When nothing else works, KERASILK will," which it links to a reputation for taming difficult hair.

The positioning deliberately joins luxury aesthetics with sustainability and veganism. Kao Salon Division frames the brand around the idea that if a consumer believes "responsible hair care products can't deliver high performance results, KERASILK will change your mind" [4]. The brand is built for salons and stylists — described as made "with stylists, for stylists" — and addressed at what one trade editorial called "well-informed consumers willing to pay for products with potent and multifunctional ingredients" [8].

The range is organised into collections: Essentials for foundational care, Specialists for targeted treatment, Styling, and a newer Scalp Care line, alongside in-salon Expert Services. Signature products include the original KERASILK Keratin Treatment, the Smoothing Mask, Multi-Benefit Hair Oil and Smoothing Shampoo, plus the Liquid Cuticle Filler introduced at the 2023 relaunch.

At the centre of the formulas is what the brand calls Biomimetic Silk, described as "a vegan and sustainable alternative to traditional animal-derived silk" — a biotechnologically obtained hydrolyzed protein of amino acids meant to mimic the composition and benefits of natural silk. According to the brand, it is produced from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultured under laboratory conditions, a method it says needs significantly less water and energy than traditional silk. The protein is combined with high-potency ingredients in a system the company markets as Silk+ Technology, while the original smoothing service relies on KeraShape technology, which Modern Salon reported uses glyoxylic acid, keratin and silk proteins to form new keratin bonds in the hair shaft.

KERASILK attaches specific performance figures to some products: it states that the Liquid Cuticle Filler "improves cuticle protection by 93%" and "enhances resilience by 14% with one use" [9]. The company also lists a set of formulation claims across the range — that the products are completely vegan, certified carbon-neutral, and free from sulfates, parabens, microplastics and UV filters [9] — and says the line is cruelty-free under PETA's "Beauty Without Bunnies" program.

Most coverage of KERASILK has clustered around its 2013 launch and 2023 relaunch. Modern Salon reported the original Keratin Collection's introduction to US press in 2014 [7]. The 2023 independence drew trade and consumer attention, including Cosmetics Design Asia on the brand's pricing strategy [8], Salon Magazine on the Toronto relaunch event, and The Journal Mag on the new technology and Liquid Cuticle Filler [9]; Refinery29 published a consumer review of the relaunched treatment.

KERASILK is active. As a masterbrand within Kao Salon Division since 2023, it maintains a live multilingual brand site covering markets including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and continues to run ambassador campaigns with Harry Josh and a collaboration with jewellery designer Maggi Simpkins. Ongoing product development, such as the Scalp Care line and Redensifying Scalp Serum, points to continued recent activity.