Shakira. A woman with curly, long, blonde hair wears a pink bustier top and blue jeans, holds a red container to her ear, and looks directly at the camera against a plain white background.

ISIMA

TRIMODAL SCIENCE: BRINGING BIOTECH TO LATIN HAIRCARE

Shakira's new haircare brand, isima (yes, little i), was born from a simple truth: most haircare isn't made for the majority of the world's hair. It's formulated primarily for either European or Southeast Asian hair types, which means most shampoos and haircare products lack the ingredients, oils, serums, and technology to support the hair of much of the world's population.

Latin hair, however, represents the widest range of types and textures on the planet, and it often needs more: more moisture, more repair, more thoughtful formulation. As Shakira always says: "más es más."

While mainstream brands strip things back, isima leans in.

With approved packaging, brand colors, the brand and product naming already established by isima's previous agency, SG Cartel was brought on by the isima team to create a documented final graphic system including a final logo and brand fonts for use across multiple consumer touch points. Part of this included graphic treatments for scientific visualization, ingredients and claims. A brand tone of voice was created and documented, utilizing both English and Spanish speaking copywriters, that could work across multiple languages while staying true to Shakira's own voice, accounting for cultural sensibilities and differences in cadence and language to ensure inclusivity and voice diversity.

The SG Cartel team also led go-to-market creative and production oversight, including the launch campaign and evergreen content creation. Photographer Tim El Kaïm (Chanel, Versace, Loewe, and more) was brought in for the shoot, with Harbinger Creative acting as production team over a three-day shoot that captured not only campaign imagery but evergreen, product, and use-case photography and videography.

Following the initial project, isima came back to SG Cartel for retail point-of-sale support, working with Ulta's fabrication partner, MKT Alliance. SG Cartel designed multiple versions of retail displays, in various sizes and for different shelving units, for MKT Alliance to qualify and build.

isima launched in June 2025 with a projected annual revenue of $20-30M (WWD), and quickly became the #1 haircare product at Ulta Mexico (Glossy). It's now sold in more than 40 countries, including all of Latin America, the brand's primary audience outside the U.S.

Final Logo Design
Final Fonts
Tone of Voice
Graphic Design
Campaign Creation
Evergreen Content Creation
Campaign Production Oversight
Go-To-Market Content
Launch Copy
Retail Display Design

SGC Team:
David Boxser
Alex Bones
Stuart Hall
Lana Sharmoradian
Claire Keys Pytlik
Pia Valesco
Luis Miranda
Alex Molyneaux
Lixaida Lorenzo Badillo
Vencho Miloshevski
Fabio Ziplies
Cassie Ciccarelli

Partners:
Shakira
Work By Holiday
Kayla Mosely
Harbinger Creative
Tim El Kaïm
MKT Alliance
isima Team

Close-up of a woman with wet hair and shiny makeup, holding a pink object, with a green background featuring a large green textured sphere and the word 'isiing' in bold pink and white letters. Shakira. Isima.
A side profile of a woman with curly red hair and freckles.
A woman with long, wavy black hair, partially turned away, with her back shown, in the top left corner. The top right section has a green background with white text listing benefits of hair care, including more definition, length, hydration, shine, volume, curl, smoothness, moisture, strength, ease, and self. The bottom left features a pink bottle of Isima hair care product, with text indicating it is a reparative hair oil with Chilean rosehip oil. The bottom right shows a side profile of a woman with wet, wavy black hair, receiving a haircut or hair treatment, with a comb and scissors near her hair.
A close-up portrait of a young woman with long, curly blonde hair, light makeup, and a subtle smile. The word 'isim' is written in large, light gray letters at the bottom of the image.
Front view of a black tablet with a large screen and thin borders.
Three women with different hair types holding beauty or skincare products, one smiling with eyes closed, one with a serious expression, and one holding a yellow bottle near her face. Shakira. Isima.

Tim El Kaim

Open red jar of Isima Superbomba Triple Repair Peptide Mask with white cream inside, with the lid placed next to it on a white background.
A green bottle of Isima Riquisima Hydrating Shampoo with soap bubbles around it, set against a white background.
Three pink cylindrical containers with rounded caps, one of which has a pump dispenser, lay on a white surface with shadows cast from the sunlight.
Colorful collection of ISIMA shampoo bottles in green, pink, purple, yellow, and blue on a white background.
A woman with long, curly hair wearing a satin gray camisole top and a pair of jeans, standing side profile against a white background with colorful text on the right.
A pink bottle of isima Curls 'Don’t Lie' cream and a close-up of a person with long, wavy, brown hair.
Shakira. Isima. A woman with long, curly, light brown hair wearing a pink strapless top, posing with one arm behind her head against a plain white background.
Two young women with curly hair and serious expressions, hugging each other. One wears a pink top with thin straps, and the other wears a red sleeveless top and jeans.
Diagram of hair follicle structure with labels for hair shaft, scalp, cortex, and cuticle; comparison of curly hair before and after treatment showing smoother, shinier curls in the after image.
Screenshot of ULTA Beauty website displaying Isima hair care products, including shampoos and conditioners in pink, red, and green bottles, with a model with curly hair in promotional images.
A tablet with a black screen and a front camera at the top.

ISIMA RETAIL DISPLAY FOR ULTA

Display shelf of Isima hair care products in a retail store, featuring bottles, jars, and boxes in green, pink, red, purple, yellow, and pastel colors.
isima by Shakira, retail display for Ulta
Display of Isima hair care products on a retail shelf, featuring various bottles and containers in pink, green, yellow, and blue. A large poster with a woman with curly hair is in the background, and the display includes sections labeled Repair + Strengthen, Cleanse + Condition, Prep + Style, and Routine + Go.
Display of Isima Superbomb hair care product in a red container on a green platform, with a sign describing it as packed with peptides for scalp, cortex, and cuticle repair.