This is the story of a Finnish Company inspired by profound care for salon businesses as well as a deep respect for people and the environment. Four Reasons is the number one professional hair brand in Finland at the same time as being the country’s distributor for Paul Mitchell and Olaplex. Estetica Export talked to Arto Valimaki, Director of International Business, who joined the company 18 years ago and is now leading the expansion of the brand into foreign markets.
Why is the company called Four Reasons ?
“It is related to the promises we make to our clients. Our success derives from our clients and we have identified four main reasons that guide our actions: 1) support for hair salons, 2) continued development of products and services, 3) personal service for each salon, 4) be an inspiring community.
These two words, inspiration and community, are the most important words for us, as they give a sense to our existence as a company in this sector”.
How did it all begin?
‘We started in 1997. At that time, we were called Miraculos Oy and we distributed professional hair products to salons – the sector we have been dedicated to. We launched two lines KC Professional Tropical and 4R, that years later evolved into Four Reasons Original, our most iconic line.
Year after year we added new products and lines to answer to all the need of professional hair salons and we created also some special lines like ‘No Nothing’ a range made for people with allergies and for those who want to avoid irritating and harmful chemicals. The line was developed together with The Finnish Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation and all products are carefully studied and clinically tested by the best allergy specialists in Finland.
Things changed in 2016 when Transmeri Group, a very big and well-known Finnish company that is almost one hundred years old, acquired Miraculos Oy. Anyway, it was a smooth transition, they have very similar values to our own and they very much respect our independence, while supporting us whenever they can.
In 2018, we had a big rebranding. That was when Four Reasons became the leading brand and the name we use also for the company”.
What is the reason for your success?
“We are very dedicated to our clientele and supply all the support they need. Education is also an important source of inspiration. We take our fashion collection around Finland at least once a year on a 5-6 week tour on which we meet some 1,100 hairdressers. These represent 10% of the market”.
How many hair salons do you reach?
“We are the biggest in Finland and altogether including our own brand plus distribution for Paul Mitchell and Olaplex, we reach about 5,000 salons, which amounts to 50% of the national total”.
Are you the manufacturer of your brands?
“Our company, Four Reasons, doesn’t have any production facilities, but our owner, Transmeri Group, does manufacture our hair treatments. This is one of the reasons why they bought us. The colour lines are produced in Italy with styling and finishing in other European countries. We can say that everything is made in the EU”.
What is your total turnover and how much do you export?
“19,5 m€ was our turnover in 2023, of which 30% comes from export”.
What are the main markets where you export?
“We work with exclusive independent distributors that we support with our knowledge, updates on education and constant innovation. We export to 13 markets in the EU and also in USA and Ukraine. Ukraine is one of our fastest developing markets even in times of war”.
Any export to Russia?
“Actually, before the war, Russia was our biggest and fastest-growing foreign market. But immediately the war started we decided to cut them off and stopped supplying to them. We still get a lot of inquiries about our products from Russia and also some neighbouring countries like Kazakhstan, but we do not want to be involved in that situation. Values should be worth more than easy business”.
Where do you plan to expand next?
“For us, the most interesting markets at the moment are Germany, Poland and the UK, where there are plenty of opportunities to develop our business”.
So, you prefer European countries…
“Yes, we want to proceed with caution providing all the help we can to our distributors. We cannot afford to take care of too many markets at the same time. We want to grow internationally but we want to have only good distributors and give them the best possible support”.
Do you do e-commerce?
“Serving customers through multiple channels is an essential part of providing a good customer experience today. We serve our customers domestically in Finland through our online store and in our export markets through our distributors’ own online stores. Our products are also available in selective cosmetics-focused online stores where products are not sold based on price promotions. We take the distributor’s exclusivity seriously and always protect our brand from diversion”.
How is your sales network organized?
“In Finland, we have 15 sales agents that take care of our 5,000 clients (including the distribution of Paul Mitchell and Olaplex). They have a high rate of visiting salons; we do some 3,000 meetings a month to stay close to our clients”.
I understand sustainability and other ‘green values’ are important to you…
“Our aim is to improve the sustainability of our products throughout the value chain and reduce their climate impact. All our products are vegan, our packaging is recyclable, and we use 100% renewable energy in our factory in Finland. We also aim to use recycled and bio-based materials as much as possible in our packaging, for example last year we switched to recycled aluminum in our color tubes, saving six tonnes of aluminum annually”.