Lola Cosmetics

Lola Cosmetics is a Brazilian hair- and body-care brand founded in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro by three entrepreneurs from Rio Grande do Sul: Dione Vasconcellos, Jaqueline Vasconcellos and Milton Taguchi. The company built its name on vegan, free-from formulas and a playful, distinctly carioca (Rio) identity, and is regarded as one of the early movers in vegan hair care in Brazil [6]. In 2023 it began trading under the name Lola From Rio, a rebrand the company says was chosen to foreground its Rio de Janeiro roots as it expanded abroad.

The brand remains active. By the end of 2024 it had passed R$500 million in revenue, expanded into United States retail in early 2025, and in June 2025 announced a merger with the Brazilian hair-care company Skala to form one of the country's larger beauty groups.

According to the Brazilian business magazine Exame, Lola Cosmetics was created in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro by Dione Vasconcellos, Jaqueline Vasconcellos and Milton Taguchi [9]. The founders set out to offer, in the company's words, "an innovative vision of hair-health care for all hair types." From the start the brand framed itself as accessible rather than aspirational, describing its aim as delivering real results "within reach of ordinary women."

Editorial coverage credits Lola as an early adopter of the "No Poo" and "Low Poo" approach in Brazil — gentler, less stripping ways of washing curly and textured hair — which it introduced ahead of the broader market shift toward natural and personalised hair care [5]. The brand paired this with deliberately irreverent product names such as "Morte Súbita" (sudden death), "Meu Cacho Minha Vida" (my curl, my life) and "Rebelde com Causa" (rebel with a cause).

Lola grew quickly in its home market. By 2016 sales had risen 200% and the brand reached more than 5,000 retail points across Brazil [5]. Distribution spread across pharmacies, department stores, e-commerce and concept stores, and the range broadened from hair care into body care.

In 2023 the company rebranded from Lola Cosmetics to Lola From Rio, presenting the new name as a way to centre its Rio identity for international audiences. Growth continued into the middle of the decade: the brand reported revenue above R$500 million by the end of 2024 [9], and in March 2025 it entered United States retail through distributor Tu Azul, placing products in Walmart USA, Walmart Puerto Rico and Navarro [7].

In June 2025, Lola From Rio and the Brazilian hair-care brand Skala announced that they would merge to form a combined group, reported by trade press to generate revenue of about R$2 billion and to reach 54% of Brazilian households [6]. The investment firm Advent International holds a controlling interest in the combined business, having acquired a 50% stake in Skala in 2024. Under the announced structure the two brands keep separate headquarters while sharing production facilities, distribution channels and innovation investment.

Reporting on Lola's earlier, standalone history described it as family-owned with no private-equity involvement at that time [5], a position that changed with the Advent-backed merger.

Lola positions itself as more than a cosmetics company, tying its voice to a carioca outlook of "choosing to be happy" — captured in the slogan "Choose Lola, Choose Happiness." The company describes its products as a "real vision of capillary health care" aimed at everyday women, and its values centre on environmental care, authentic beauty and a vibrant Brazilian identity. In the United States the brand has been positioned for Latina and multicultural shoppers, with editorial coverage framing hair care as a matter of "ritual, identity and self-expression" [8].

The brand organises its range into named lines, several of which double as its best known products. Exame identifies Rapunzel, a hair tonic, as the line with the strongest recent growth, and the Morte Súbita hydrating mask as the brand's sales leader [9]; the mask has also been described as an "internet darling." Other recurring lines include Meu Cacho Minha Vida, aimed at curly hair, Ela É Carioca and Xapadinha.

Across its formulas the company states that its products are vegan and cruelty-free, and made without parabens, phthalates, sulfates or animal-derived ingredients [5]. Products are described as made in Brazil with responsibly sourced ingredients. On packaging, the brand says it uses a P Life resin that is designed to degrade in roughly four years, and describes its packaging as recyclable [8].

Lola has been the subject of business and editorial coverage rather than formal awards. Exame profiled the brand's path past R$500 million in revenue and its international ambitions; Premium Beauty News covered the 2025 Skala merger; and Our LatinX Magazine examined the brand's entry into the United States hair-care market for Latina consumers.

The brand is active and expanding. Its most recent notable developments are its 2025 entry into United States retail and the June 2025 merger with Skala under Advent International's controlling interest. Its international footprint is reported differently depending on date and scope: Exame put the standalone Lola brand in 35 countries in 2024 [9], while Premium Beauty News reported the post-merger combined group reaching over 80 countries in 2025 [6] — figures that describe different entities at different points rather than a contradiction.