2 mins
Maria Nila
We went behind the scenes at the Maria Nila headquarters in Sweden for an exclusive, immersive experience
To celebrate the launch of their new Booster Masque Collection, HJ stepped inside the Maria Nila factory in Sweden to discover how each product creation comes to life and to find out more about the brand.
Starting from their family home, the Wikström family has built the brand over twenty years into the professional haircare brand it is today. In 1999, Ann and Ulf Wikström decided to go into the haircare industry together, and after a year of research and mixing ingredients in the garage of their family home, the first Maria Nila products were introduced.
Maria Nila is guided by its philosophy to provide 100% vegan products that are developed out of love for animals and the environment. In their own words “we simply don’t believe that animals should be a part of human vanity.”
From a garage to a factory run on solar panels
HJ was granted exclusive access to the factory, beauty hub and a team of top formulators during our trip to the Swedish HQ. These formulators are at the forefront of the conscious choices Maria Nila makes, working together to lead innovative sustainable beauty.
True to their values, the brand ensured our flights were climate compensated through a partnership with non-profit, Plan Vivo. We therefore started our trip in Copenhagen, before travelling across the magnificent Øresund Bridge to the south of Sweden where the production plant is located. The customised factory is designed to produce truly sustainable products thanks to a solar panel covered roof (producing energy that can run 60 households), a recycling system for the production’s water supply and a circular air condensation system – it’s safe to say Maria Nila does not cut any corners when it comes to innovation and sustainability.
Inside the building, the laboratory (The Innovation Room) and The Beauty Studio serve their purpose as a space to further create upcoming trends, educate hairdressers, and develop new products and innovation. It’s in the Innovation Room, where the Booster Masque took three years to develop, that we were able to watch how products are created in real time. “The areas ” Marcus Wikström, CEO in this beauty hub are named after pioneers within sustainability and veganism to further highlight our mission of a friendlier world, such as the Watson Conference Hall, named after Donald Watson, the founder of the Vegan Society and the person who came up with the term ‘vegan’,” explained Marcus Wikström, CEO.
“The areas in this beauty hub are named after pioneers within sustainability and veganism to further highlight the Maria Nila mission of a friendlier world, such as the Watson Conference Hall, named after Donald Watson, the founder of the Vegan Society and the one who came up with the term ‘vegan’.
The experience continued with the creation of our own shampoos, experimenting with scents and ingredients in the laboratory, before a salon session in The Beauty Studio. Global educator, Jasmine Kurang and educator, Victoria Israelsson took the time to provide personalised, detailed consultations to guests – demonstrating the brand’s ability to cater to all types of clients and hair types.
Maria Nila are providing the industry with professional beauty in a friendly, curious and honest way and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.