Karonda Cook is the first Black woman in the role of Head of Global Marketing at KISS Colors & Care. Since being newly appointed, Karonda and her team have worked diligently to listen to what consumers want and need. In their research, they found it’s not only about maintaining healthy hair, but skin and scalp too.
A deep understanding of the customer is foundational to Karonda’s success. Her early introduction to hair care began at the beauty salon as a shampoo assistant. After graduating with a marketing degree from Clark Atlanta University, she gained deeper knowledge as a marketer working at Paper Mate. However, the excitement and passion for hair and beauty couldn’t be ignored. An opportunity to work as a beauty merchandiser came, and she went for it.
From there, she was promoted to sales, where she learned what it takes to get a product on the shelves. Then transitioned into buying as the Director of Merchandising at Sally Beauty. In this role, she helped elevate brands such as SheaMoisture and Cantu. Her buying team helped launch brands such as Mielle Organics and The Mane Choice. As founder and CEO of The Jane Group, she brings 8 years of entrepreneurial experience, helping launch KISS Colors & Care and consulting for numerous beauty brands.
Today, as Head of Global Marketing, she’s on a mission to bring that salon-transformation feeling to the textured hair care industry while keeping our hair, skin, and scalp thriving, too.
Her Agenda: What attracted you to want to work in the beauty industry?
Karonda Cook:My career in beauty actually started a very long time ago. I was 15 years old. A lot of my friends were playing sports, but I wasn’t. I worked. I was a shampoo assistant at the local beauty salon. That’s a very impressionable time of your life. I loved seeing the sense of community. It’s like we were family – the clients, the stylists, the conversations, and seeing how women left the salon feeling transformed. Clients came in one way, and when they left, their confidence was boosted! It was just such a beautiful thing to witness, and it really left a lasting impression on me. Maybe about a year or so later, this movie, Boomerang, starring Eddie Murphy and Halle Berry, came out, and there was this character, Jacqueline, played by Robin Givens. She was a BOSS. She was Head of Marketing. To me, she exuded grace and confidence. When she came into the room, she owned the room. I loved how she came in and told Eddie, the man, ‘No, I’m in charge of marketing.’ So that was such a pivotal moment. I’m like, oh my gosh, I want to be like that when I grow up. So I would say that’s really how my career started in the beauty industry.
Her Agenda: I love how you mentioned women would come to the salon and feel transformed when they left. How are you bringing that same element into your new role as Head of Global Marketing?
Karonda Cook: Everything we do at KISS Colors & Care is consumer-centric. We want the consumer to purchase our products, have an amazing sensorial experience, and for it to be efficacious. We want it to work. Then, when they go to our Instagram page or our website, we want them to feel seen. We want them to feel heard. So we’re very consumer-centric and are community-centric. We make sure we partner with creators who represent us in the right way. With PR, we have an influencer agency that is owned by Black [women]. We want to make sure that everything that we do and every touch point is done with the consumer and the community at the center, so that they feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
Her Agenda: What is this new role bringing out of you? Anything new you noticed within yourself?
Karonda Cook: Yes, yes, for sure. So this role is bringing a lot of intentionality out of me. As a leader, I want to be very intentional with my team. It’s not just about giving a directive or giving a strategy saying ‘Hey you go execute,’ but really being intentional and more empowering, because me being in this role, I’m leading the path for future leaders who look like me to also be in these roles. So I want to make sure I’m being very intentional and empowering other people on my team, so when they get this opportunity, they know what to expect and feel empowered, versus doing more executional tasks.
Her Agenda: Earlier you mentioned working with Black beauty brands that were later purchased by larger conglomerates. Stories like this always make headlines in the news and these companies are quick to be called “sell outs.” How can Black women and other women with textured hair see KISS Colors & Care, as a more promising brand?
Karonda Cook: So, at KISS Colors & Care, not only on the marketing side is everything we do consumer centric, but also on the product development side. We do extensive research. We test products on consumers often times years before we bring them to market because we want to make sure the formulas are right and that they work on various hair types and textures. We also bring in the experts! We’ll bring in professional hairstylists or master braiders to give feedback and input. If we’re creating braiding gels, we want the experts to weigh in and give their point of view as well.
Her Agenda: I received the new Multivitamin Oil collection, on the box it reads ‘Pre-cocktailed and ready to serve’ and I love how it’s not only for your hair! Your team was so thoughtful with making this about care from head to toe. What consumer feedback inspired this new collection?
Karonda Cook: The oil market is growing! I’m sure if you go to the store, you will see tons of oils, which is great. So we wanted to enter into this market, but in a very intentional way. We did a lot of research. Again, we do a lot of consumer listening. We saw people mixing their own oils and making their own cocktails — which is great, you can do that, but sometimes people don’t understand the different types of oils, such as carrier oils versus non-carrier oils. Sometimes you can make an [oil] cocktail and think that it’s doing something, but it’s really not. We really wanted to take the guesswork out of that. And so again, just really putting together expert formulas, blending the right oils, so when you use it, it truly works. We also wanted to make sure it was healthy and had a dual purpose. We’re learning that people want products that can be used in multiple ways, so this can be used on your hair and your skin.
Her Agenda: For women who are interested in a career in marketing, what are some strategies for creating an effective marketing campaign in 2025 and going into 2026?
Karonda Cook: It’s really combining other categories that make sense. So when you hear ‘cocktail,’ we want to play on it. Instead of a hair cocktail, we made it like, you know, as if you’re making your own drink cocktail. We’re continuing to see food cross over into beauty, especially for us. There was a time when we couldn’t go to the store. Our grandparents or great grandparents had to go to the kitchen and get mayonnaise, egg, avocado, and whip it up. So the kitchen has always been very central to everything that we do, and we pay homage to that. As we continue to grow, I’m starting to see more and more blending of hair and skin. I call that the skinification of hair, and it’s because scalp care is an important trend and a continuously growing trend within our category. You will see ingredients that are commonly found in skin care products start to make their way into hair care products, like niacinamide.
Her Agenda: How is global marketing different from marketing just in the States?
Karonda Cook: It’s very different because there are certain parts of the world whose trends aren’t where we are now or are a little different. You have to keep in mind not only hair trends, but also seasonal trends. The way other countries speak about products is a little different too. Our team has to really immerse ourselves in that market and have feet on the ground, listen to those influencers, and work with key thought leaders in that market, so you can really understand, instead of thinking the US is a one-size-fits-all all. Remaining consumer-centric, whether it’s in the US or overseas, that’s always been a winning formula for me.
Her Agenda: This category in beauty is SO specific. Did you ever have to prove why it’s needed?
Karonda Cook: I’m not only a champion and a voice for my people in my community, but I also have to be one in corporate spaces. You have to get people to understand why this matters, and you have to be patient and willing to teach people along the way.
Her Agenda: What advice would you give to others pursuing a career in the beauty industry or trying to advance in their careers?
Karonda Cook: A lot, I would say to others who are in this space or at any point in your career, but I’ll speak for the beauty industry, just some of the things that I’ve learned as I’ve climbed the ladder and work the full circle is that it takes a lot of grit, a lot of determination, a lot of commitment, and that you will for face adversity. I mean, it’s inevitable, but it’s how you approach it. And I’ve always approached it with dignity and with grace. And if you do it that way, you will be successful. Don’t let one setback be the end of it.
Her Agenda: Any beauty tips that you want to share with the ladies, anything you’ve been loving or that people often overlook?
Karonda Cook: Drink. Your. Water. Hydration is key. I can’t stress that enough. For hair, I like to switch my style up. I have braids now. When I wear braids, it’s very important to do a cleanse every week and a half or so, to remove any product buildup from my scalp so it can breathe. Then I’ll go back in with oil to keep it oiled. When I don’t have braids, I am a pixie girl. I’m a hair color girl. So condition, condition, condition. If you have to take that time, make it a moment of self-care and give yourself a deep treatment mask to replenish your hair, give that hair an extra dose of love, an extra boost of moisture.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
