One thing is for sure—Cozy Friedman, the founder of Cozy’s Cuts for Kids, knows what kids like. Simply step into one of her salons. On a hot and humid day this past June, the kiddos getting their coifs freshened up at Friedman’s 2nd Avenue Salon on the UES didn’t just look cool and comfortable, but, amidst the bright colors, myriad of toys, complimentary lollipops, and Mini Cooper barber’s chair, each little customer looked like they were having an absolute blast.
What’s more: Friedman—a shrewd entrepreneur and mom of two teenage sons—also has a keen awareness of what parents want. She realized 20 years ago that what parents wanted was a salon where kids could relax and have fun—a realization that resulted in her salons on the Upper East and West Sides and, years later, with her Guide to Girls’ Hair, and her signature So Cozy product line. Friedman’s line of salon-quality and non-toxic shampoos, conditioners, and styling products is unique because it’s specially formulated—through a rigorous testing process that Friedman personally oversees—specially for kids of all hair types and ethnicities.
“One of the key points of this brand is that we’re really targeting mom because all these other brands that are out there, so many target the kids. But the mom is the purchaser,” Friedman explains.
After a decade of managing a successful wholesale business for So Cozy (which placed the line in over 200 stores across the country), Friedman recognized a niche in the market to take her business to the next level. This fall, the So Cozy line will make a revamped re-entry to the marketplace with rebranded and improved packaging, and will see select product groupings hit shelves at Sephora, soap.com, Ricky’s, and giggle.
“We’re launching with Sephora, which is incredible because Sephora doesn’t sell any children’s products. But what they’ve found is that they have plenty of moms shopping in the store, who would love to buy their kids’ products where they buy their own products,” Friedman says.
This partnership with Sephora is thanks in large part to Friedman’s rebranding efforts, which she undertook with entrepreneur and father of two Scott Gurfein. “What I realized is that I was really on to something with this business and this concept…. I really felt the business could go so much further, but I couldn’t do it on my own,” she says.
Serendipitously, after being introduced by a mutual friend, Friedman’s interest in expanding her professional reach gelled perfectly with Gurfein’s eagerness to become involved in a new consumer business venture; and not only did Gurfein feel drawn to the excellent business opportunity, but, as a dad himself, he also felt a personal pull to the product line.
“Between baby and adult there was nothing addressing the needs of moms in caring for the hair of their children—as a new parent for the first time, at that time, I related to the concept,” he says.
The new look features sleek containers (all of which are specifically designed for a child to easily grip and use) and updated designs that mirror the core of the So Cozy brand, but with a modern twist. “We wanted to make sure that the packaging reflected the roots of the brand—which is sort of urban New York,” Friedman says. “[Some of the graphics] come from a subway map and [some] are inspired by Keith Herring, a New York artist—we just wanted to be very clear about this is who we and this is what we do.”
And what So Cozy does is evidenced clearly in each of the three product groupings hitting the market just in time for back-to-school season. The Cinch group (“It’s so easy, it’s a cinch) includes Detangler +Leave-In Conditioner, 3-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner+ Body Wash, 2-in-1 Shampoo + Body Wash, and Super Hydrating Conditioner. The Behave group (“styling products to make your hair behave”) includes Styling Mousse Medium Hold, Styling Cream Soft Hold, and Styling Gel Medium Hold. And finally, the Boo! lice prevention (“It’s better not to get lice!”) group includes Lice Prevention Spray, and Lice Prevention Shampoo.
And of course, in the vein of staying true to the original roots of the company, the same custom-formulations, high quality, and “no nasties” guarantee—which assures that all So Cozy products are free of parabens, sulphates, propylene glycol, artificial colorants, wheat, gluten, and nuts—are still in place as the brand grows. However, in addition to the new packaging, the new products also feature some new and unique scents—like Pear-fection and Guava-rama—which, like the products themselves, promise to appeal to adults as well as to kids. “We wanted happy fragrances that weren’t [too sweet] like blueberry or rootbeer float,” Gurfein explains. “So each product actually has its own fragrance as opposed than having one fragrance across the line—they all synergize beautifully.
Proving that the synergy isn’t stopping any time soon, hair-savvy kids and parents alike will be delighted to learn that there are big plans to launch more new and improved So Cozy groupings in the pipeline. Friedman proudly reports that a swimmer’s group called Splash, a curly hair-specific group called Boing, and a lice elimination line to go with the Boo! group, are all in the works.
To learn more about Cozy’s Cuts for Kids and the new products from So Cozy, visit socozy.com.
