Renowned Spanish hairstylist Moncho Moreno and his wife Berta Martín Sainz launched a hair care range in 2020 based on Moreno’s legendary skills in bringing life to damaged hair. Mr. Moreno is well known in the fashion world, and his clientele includes supermodels and celebrities, but even the average person can book an appointment at his Madrid salon if available.
Our approach to hair care begins with the Magic Brush, which combines boar and synthetic bristles with a flexible brush head that acts not only as a scalp massager but also as a shine-giving hairbrush.
Building on its success, shampoos, masks and conditioners have been launched, most notably Bond J’Aime Bond, a leave-in conditioner that provides shine, nourishment, protection and strength to even the driest of hair.
Earlier this year, a partnership with Harrods brought seven of the brand’s best-sellers to the UK for the first time. We spoke to the entrepreneurial duo to learn more about Moreno’s hair philosophy, expansion plans, and most importantly, the magic ingredient.
Can you tell me how you became interested in the job of a hairdresser in the first place?
Moncho: Due to an unfortunate family background, I had to drop out of school at the age of 14 to look for work. My mother gave me a long list of jobs and told me to choose the one I wanted. At that age you don’t think about it much and I wanted to be with a girl so I thought a hairdresser was the best option for me! Once I started, I was hooked and really passionate about what I do.
Please tell us about your beauty philosophy. You have a special talent for creating healthy and thick looking hair with your cutting techniques.
Moncho: The most important thing to me is that my hair is healthy and that women who trust me leave my salon feeling beautiful.
You’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the fashion world (brands and models). What are some important lessons you’ve learned from that?
Moncho: Believe in yourself. When you work with big names in the industry, you need to be confident in your work and yourself. They are professionals who at first glance will understand what you can do for them. If they like your work, they’ll keep coming back and you’ll build lasting relationships with your clients. This applies not only to celebrities and celebrities, but also to my regular clients.
Berta, your careers were trending even before you both founded your hair care brand. Could you tell us a little about your career so far?
Berta: After completing my MBA at university, I founded Poète, a Spanish fashion brand, in 2010. This brand quickly became famous. Over the years, the company has expanded to over 100 stores across Spain and has had the honor of dressing celebrities such as Queen Letizia. In 2020, after 10 successful years with Poet, I decided it was time for a new challenge. That’s the moment we started launching Moncho Moreno products.
What made you want to start a new brand, and what did you try to do with it?
Berta: We wanted to create a brand focused on people’s needs. I was the client and Moncho was the hairdresser. When creating our products, we never found what we wanted on the market and always wanted to focus on hair repair.
Moncho: We wanted to make it easy for our clients as well. We have a small line of products that work easily for those who want to make a big change and upgrade their hair care routine.
magic brush
What was the first product you launched and what was the response to it?
Berta: Our first product was the Magic Brush. We are still amazed and proud of the amazing reception this product received. It all started when my daughter said to me while using a brush: “Mom, this is magic!” I don’t want to use any other brushes anymore! ”
Moncho: This is still one of our best sellers and the hair brush we use in our salons.
How did you develop this range and can you give us some insight into its formula?
Bertha: We focus on hair restoration. The main ingredients are hydrolyzed protein and amino acids, which repair crosslinks in hair fibers and have a great repair effect on hair.
Moncho: Our formula focuses on hair repair. Some of our products contain a patent called M28, which is the only patented system that repairs damaged hair proteins and creates new covalent bonds between them. Restores strength and repairs damage from the first use, giving clients stronger, healthier, restored hair from the first use. This is one of a kind and a technology we are proud of.
You described this formula as “magical” and there’s certainly something very special about this product and it seems to give so much shine even to damaged hair, but how do you do it?
Moncho: Of course there’s science behind it, but seeing the improvements in your hair thanks to our products feels truly magical.
Bertha: Our formula has the specific purpose of filling in broken hair fibers. We basically repair your hair and give it new life.
What are the brand’s best-selling products?
Bertha: Bond, Jayme Bond is definitely our best seller! It’s a leave-in conditioner that not only protects your hair from heat and sun, but also reduces frizz and repairs your hair with every use.
Moncho: I don’t think there’s a single customer who hasn’t tried it and bought it!
bond jame bond
Can you explain the basic hair care routine that would be best for someone who wants to use this product?
Bertha: For colored hair, I think Gorgeous Hair Shampoo, One Minute Wonder Hair Mask, and our own Bond, Jayme Bond, are the best. And Shine on Me is always great!
Moncho: I agree with Berta. The routine works for all hair types. If your scalp is a little more oily, try Bathamn Detox Hair Shampoo. One Minute Wonder is the best-selling mask, but the Wonder Cream Conditioner is also great!
We are looking to expand our business in the UK through a partnership with Harrods. Could you tell us how that relationship came about?
Bertha: Harrods contacted us because they wanted to sell our product. Who could say no to an opportunity like that?!
Moncho: It has certainly been a challenging and long process, but we couldn’t be more proud to be present in such an important retailer in the UK.
What is your partnership with Harrods? Is it just the Knightsbridge store, or are you planning to branch out into independent H Beauty stores as well?
Bertha: We have a corner in Harrods and we also sell them online! We also hope to visit H Beauty soon.
What was it about the UK market that you felt would respond so well to the brand?
Bertha: For us, the British market felt like a window into the world of beauty. That’s why it was so important for us to be present in the market.
Moncho: Anyone who knows fashion and beauty knows the importance of the British market, so we didn’t want to miss out on that.
one minute wonder
How do you plan to promote your brand here and engage with UK consumers?
Berta: We take a social-first approach. What has always worked well for us is that everyone who tries our product comes back and recommends it to others nearby. Word of mouth was key when we started, and we believe it’s still the way to go. Our products speak for themselves.
Moncho: Once you try our products, you’ll fall in love with them. We’re working on finding the key to getting people to try it, and we’re sure they will.
Are there any plans for further expansion in the UK and overseas?
Berta: Our expansion plans in the UK are to continue to grow, both by finding new retailers and salons to partner with, and by selling through our online shop. Internationally, we are seriously looking at both the Latin American and American markets and have great expectations.
Moncho: Many of our Madrid salon clients and online consumers are from Latin America, so it was natural to look in that direction.
Moncho Moreno products are available at Harrods and www.monchomoreno.com.
