Today, “bond-building” appears across dozens of haircare launches, often used as shorthand for strengthening or repairing hair. Olaplex’s technology — which is patented — specifically relinks disulfide bonds inside the hair structure, while many competing products use the terminology more loosely.
But Baldwin is clear that simply being first is not enough. “It’s not good enough to say we’re the original,” she says. “Our job is to lead the category.”
Part of that effort involves leaning back into the professional community — with stylists such as Halley Brisker, Jacob Schwartz, and Tracey Cunningham acting as key ambassadors to rebuild credibility in salons, drive stylist-led endorsement, and reassert the brand’s professional roots. With research showing that consumers are more likely to purchase from those they deem trustworthy, knowledgeable, or familiar, this seems a wise move.
“Most people have a relationship with their hairstylist,” Baldwin says. “There’s a human connection that’s really special — and we want to protect that relationship. We say, ‘Protect the bonds that matter, both in the hair and in the chair.’”
This thinking is reflected in the brand’s latest campaign featuring comedian Chloe Fineman — an Olaplex user whose colorist, Schwartz, is also an ambassador — which cleverly uses humor to make its science more accessible.
The return of a hero
The relaunch of Olaplex’s No.3 treatment — now reformulated and rebranded as No.3Plus — reflects that broader strategy.
The product has long been one of the brand’s most recognizable formulas, often credited with introducing consumers to the idea of at-home bond repair. It was also at the center of the lawsuit, though the ingredient in question had already been removed prior to the reformulation. Revisiting it, Baldwin says, was both a symbolic and practical decision.
“If you’re an innovation-led company, your hero product is never finished,” she says — a philosophy she carried over from Supergoop, where formulas were continually updated and improved. The new version builds on the original bond-repair technology while helping to protect against future damage — and now works in just three minutes, rather than the 10 minutes previously required.