Israeli hair care brand OLIÈRE PARIS, which is produced in Arad, has scored a new international achievement: Its products recently began selling at Hairhouse, an Australian chain specializing in hair care.
The products are sold with the Hebrew initials “B.S.D.” on the packaging, but without the words “Made in Israel,” after the company moved production to Hungary so the brand could be sold more freely overseas without threats of boycotts. The containers themselves are still manufactured in Israel.
The company reached an agreement for its products, from a brand launched only about two years ago and already marketed in 21 countries, to be sold at more than 100 locations across Australia.
Hairhouse, founded by two brothers of Lebanese descent, is considered Australia’s largest retailer of professional hair care products and hairstyling services. Its branches combine large retail stores selling international and professional hair brands, including Kevin Murphy, Olaplex, Kérastase, GHD, Cloud Nine and Pureology, with operating hair salons and piercing services. The chain sells premium brands in the midrange segment.
For an Israeli brand, the partnership offers significant exposure. Working with Hairhouse gives OLIÈRE not only broad retail distribution, but also entry into the professional hair care market, where specialists advise customers and recommend products.
“They sell Kérastase, Dyson and K18 there, not Head & Shoulders. We’re in good company,” OLIÈRE PARIS founder Or Lev Har, who manufactures through the Sea of Spa plant in Arad, told ynet.
“They put us at the front of the store. Prices in Australia are similar to those in Israel,” he said, noting that prices can reach 140 shekels for a 500-milliliter bottle of shampoo and 200 shekels for a smoothing mask, excluding introductory discounts. “We expect annual sales of millions of dollars.”
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(Photo: Meirav Crystal)
How did you get into Australia?
“Australia is a huge, new market where not many Israeli brands operate. It’s very difficult to enter,” Lev Har said. “This process began in April 2025, and the products arrived on the continent for the first time only about a month ago.
“Our vice president of international trade, Eliav Goali, gave everything to make this happen. He held Zoom calls in the middle of the night about graphic revisions, mock-ups, adapting product sizes for the Australian market from 500 milliliters to 400 milliliters and training sales representatives. The containers leave Arad for Europe and from there go to Australia.
“After we had already sent 1 million shekels’ worth of goods to Australia, he called me and said, ‘There’s a problem. The bottles say B.S.D., and the Australians asked us to remove it.’
“I called Menachem, my partner, and said, ‘Menachem, what do we do?’ We decided to tell them that if they wanted us to remove the B.S.D., then as far as we were concerned there would be no deal, even though we had worked on it for a year.
“They decided to leave it, and it will remain on future products as well. In my opinion, it helped sales. That’s what I believe.”
The question is whether you want to sell to someone who does not want to buy from you, or whether you want to hide your identity in order to sell.
“At the end of the day, I’m building a brand, and as far as I’m concerned the brand is international,” he said. “Large competing companies that lead this market also have factories in several places around the world. It’s just like Moroccanoil, which was originally an Israeli brand.
“But our center is in Israel, the products were developed in Israel, the plastic packaging is manufactured in Israel and the brand is succeeding internationally. That is a source of pride.”
And how are sales?
“All I’m doing now is producing goods in Arad for Australia because some of the products are already sold out at certain branches,” Lev Har said.
“Overall, they’re about 70% sold out, which we did not expect, after just two weeks. We knew that if we didn’t send stock by air, they would be short of products for several months.
“So two air shipments have already gone out, we’re now preparing the third and there will be a fourth. At the same time, another ship is heading there with several more containers of goods.”
Shipping exports by air is very expensive.
“That’s true. A container takes three to four months to reach Australia. We had no choice. You can’t start selling and then immediately have no stock.
“That’s why we began sending shipments by air at very high cost. We spent close to 200,000 shekels just on air freight, together with the customer.”
Does that affect profitability during the launch period?
“Of course, but when you introduce a brand into a country, the idea is to do everything possible to get the wheel turning, even if it means you don’t make a profit on the first order,” he said.
“That’s especially true because of regulatory issues involving ingredient changes and graphics. There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s nothing worse than launching a product and then not having it on the shelf.”
REDEFINE matcha line headed to Spain and France
In June, ynet reported that the company had begun selling products from its REDEFINE brand at Costco.
“OLIÈRE is a very premium brand. REDEFINE is much more accessible,” Lev Har said.
How is REDEFINE doing at Costco Canada?
“We’re almost sold out of the keratin set we sell there, and we’ll soon enter Costco in France, Spain and Britain with REDEFINE’s matcha line. Possibly the United States as well.
“In Canada, the packaging says ‘Made in Israel.’ In Europe, it does not. We sell in Denmark, Cyprus, Greece, China, Ukraine, Russia, Australia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Singapore, among other countries, and soon in Azerbaijan.”
What comes next?
“With REDEFINE, we’re planning to launch a new matcha line in December, specifically designed for curly hair,” he said.
“With OLIÈRE PARIS, we have just launched a line specifically for hair extension care, and the Australians are interested in selling that as well because it’s an innovation on a global level.
“Soon we will also launch an accessories line for the brand, including hair rollers, clips, makeup artist bags and curling tools.”