KALLISTA, the first company solely dedicated to the needs of salon professionals, is launching initial products in the U.S. marketplace in the first quarter of 2014. Co-Founder and Managing Director George Frantzis spoke recently with Modern Salon about this unique new company and why it will be important for the salon industry.

MS: WHAT DOES KALLISTA MEAN AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT NAME FOR YOUR COMPANY?

GEORGE FRANTZIS: The word KALLISTA means “most beautiful” in Ancient Greek. It was a natural choice for our company, not just because I was born in Greece, but also because the mission of the company is to look after those who make others “most beautiful”. Salon professionals are our only customers and our passion.

MS: WHAT IS YOUR INDUSTRY BACKGROUND AND WHAT INSPIRED THIS BRAND?

GF:  Before KALLISTA, I was the Global Marketing Leader for the NIOXIN brand at Wella, the Salon Division of P&G. I worked with an international team of multifunctional experts who successfully launched the brand globally. That experience taught me that establishing a brand with a global team is quite possible in today’s high-tech world.

After holding several marketing positions with P&G at its European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, I was first exposed to the professional industry—and to the passion and dedication of salon professionals who bring happiness and beauty to others.  After a few years, I knew I wanted to immerse myself in this industry and its people. KALLISTA is the direct result of that and the deep respect I hold for the salon professional.

MS: YOU ARE HEADQUARTERED IN SWITZERLAND AND KALLISTA IS LAUNCHING SOON ONLY IN THE U.S. HOW AND WHY IS THAT?

GF: These are both easy questions to answer. How? We’ve done this by assembling an international team of experts—in product formulation, packaging design, marketing (both traditional and social), and a network of distributors here with the same passion we have for salon professionals. It’s important for salon professionals and distributors alike to know that while formulated in Europe, KALLISTA products will be made in America. In keeping with our philosophy of caring for professionals, we want to create a close community. As a business, we would like to invest back into the community in which we operate; Hence our decision to produce KALLISTA in the U.S.

Why? Because we believe that a million or so salon professionals in this country are eager to embrace products that have been developed especially—and only—to help them with problems they personally face every day in the salon.

MS: WHAT PRODUCTS ARE YOU LAUNCHING INITIALLY AND WHAT WILL FOLLOW?

GF: Through our research, we learned that the majority of salon professionals expressed a need for a dedicated hand cream, as simple as that sounds. In fact, four out of five hairdressers worldwide experience work-related skin irritations on their hands, which are their most important professional tools.  KALLISTA’s first two products are KALLISTA Daily Moisturizing Cream for Normal to Dry hands and KALLISTA Intensive Hand Cream for Very Dry Hands in need of extra nourishment.

We’ve tested both hand cream formulas extensively both in Europe and the U.S. with top-tier salons, and they have met with wide approval and anticipation.  In the future, we will continue to work closely with industry leaders and salon professionals, listening to what they need and how determining how KALLISTA can help them. We will also continue to draw inspiration from ingredients used for centuries in folk medicine and fuse these ingredients with cutting-edge technology to create exceptional, groundbreaking products for professionals.

Our goal is to make every salon professional feel good every day in the salon as she, or he, helps make others look more beautiful. This dedication will make KALLISTA a “love brand” for salon professionals by offering them reliable products that win their trust and appreciation. Visit Kallistabeauty.com.