Valera

Valera is a Swiss manufacturer of professional hair-styling appliances — hairdryers, straighteners and clippers — based in Ligornetto, in the Ticino canton of southern Switzerland. It is the consumer brand of Ligo Electric SA, the company built by the Soresina family, and traces its heritage to a small hairdryer workshop founded in 1955 [1][2]. The business remains family-run and actively markets current product lines, describing itself as a specialist that makes only hairstyling tools rather than household appliances in general.

The company presents Valera as "70 years of history, 70 years of innovation," marking a 2025 anniversary tied to that 1955 starting point.

The story begins in Milan, where in 1955 the 30-year-old Gustavo Soresina started his own business in the basement of a backhouse. He named the venture SOREL and produced hairdryers and small electrical appliances, in part for other established brands [3]. His wife, Helga, managed the accounting while he handled production and business development.

Their two sons later joined the firm: Claudio in 1976, taking responsibility for production, research and development, and IT; and Flavio in 1978, focused on marketing and business development.

In 1978 the family looked for a site to build a larger factory and moved to Switzerland's Ticino canton, establishing Ligo Electric SA in Ligornetto, near Mendrisio, where production continued in a new facility [3]. The Ligo Electric company remains the corporate parent behind the Valera name.

Gustavo Soresina died in November 2023 at the age of 99. His sons Claudio and Flavio Soresina have continued to run the company [5].

Valera is owned by Ligo Electric SA, the Swiss entity the Soresina family founded in 1978 [3]. The business has stayed within the family across three generations and, according to a business directory listing, employs in the range of 51 to 200 people [6].

Valera positions itself narrowly as a hair-care specialist. In the words attributed to Flavio Soresina, "We are specialists in hair care. We create only products dedicated to the world of hairstyling, not appliances in general." The company frames its focus around "healthy, shiny, beautiful hair as well as well-being, safety and sustainable development."

Its messaging leans heavily on Swiss origin — the tagline "Made in Switzerland. With passion," and slogans such as "Swiss Hair Specialists" and "Valera, Swiss Hair Tools since 1955." The company says it combines "traditional Swiss quality values with the passion for innovation."

The current range centres on professional hairdryers, several carrying an "AI" designation — among them the Regenera AI and Repair AI, alongside models such as Quantum Digital, Selex Digital and Nexus Digital. It also includes a Colorcare 3D straightener and a Profilo clipper, with products grouped by hair type, such as coloured or delicate hair.

Valera makes several environmental claims for its Ligornetto operations. The company states that its photovoltaic system produces electricity equivalent to 230% of the energy it consumes and that it uses only renewable electricity [4]. It says more than 70% of its product components are readily recyclable and that it sorts over 75% of its waste. On the social side, the company reports compliance with the SMETA 2P ethical-trade audit and notes long-standing supplier relationships, stating that more than 90% of its suppliers have worked with it for over 15 years [4].

Trade press has covered the brand's international growth: Modern Salon reported on Valera's expansion into the United States [8].

Valera is active. It is a long-established, family-run Swiss appliance maker under Ligo Electric SA, currently marketing recent product lines and maintaining live social channels, with its most recent visible activity in 2025 around its 70th-anniversary messaging.