New Brand Brazil Edition Marries Amazonian Ingredients And Peptides For High-Performance Haircare
Today, many people associate Brazilian beauty with keratin smoothing treatments, butt lifts and body care rituals, but Rogerio Cavalcante argues that the country’s biggest draw lies in its nutrient-rich natural resources from the Amazon such as babassu, murumuru and cupuaçu, ingredients proven to be highly effective in haircare.
“Compared to markets like Korea or France, Brazilian beauty is more about raw power and performance, with ingredients that deliver visible results quickly,” he says.
Cavalcante is pairing those Amazonian resources with science in the newly launched brand Brazil Edition. Targeting hair damage, its debut products include the $38 Restorative Peptide Hair Mask and the $29 Restorative Peptide Leave-In Treatment.
Product development initially focused on natural butter ingredients, but Cavalcante says the formulas evolved to incorporate peptides, long popular in skincare, to meet his performance benchmarks for addressing damage. All told, Brazil Edition took four years to develop, and Cavalcante says he poured a “low-to-mid” six-figure amount of his own money into research and development, regulatory compliance and packaging.
Brazil Edition is arriving at a moment when haircare is among the more resilient beauty segments. According to data from market research firm Circana, the prestige hair category in the United States posted roughly an 8% sales increase in the first nine months of 2025, with scalp care and treatment products among the fastest-growing subsegments, underscoring consumer demand for high-performance hair solutions.
Americans have demonstrated they’re receptive to Brazilian beauty narratives. Sol de Janeiro, the New York-born brand owned by L’Occitane that draws heavily on Brazilian culture, body care practices and ingredients, has become one of the most commercially successful examples. Its rise signals appetite for the sensorial, performance-driven ethos associated with Brazilian beauty, terrain Brazil Edition enters with direct ties to Brazilian sourcing and production.
A native Brazilian, Cavalcante is proud of his home country’s heritage and its standing in the global beauty industry. Brazil is the largest beauty market in South America and one of the region’s fastest-growing personal care markets. In 2024, the country’s beauty and personal care products sector was valued at roughly $29.9 billion, according to IMARC Group, and is forecast to expand significantly through the end of the decade. “Brazil is such a beautiful place, filled with culture and lots of innovations in technology and beauty,” says Cavalcante.
Despite his passion for the country, Brazil wasn’t initially in the picture for manufacturing Brazil Edition when Cavalcante, a hairstylist who moved to the United States from Brazil in 2007 and opened The Second Floor Salon in Manhattan in 2021, set about creating the brand. The issue was that he wanted to utilize small-scale manufacturing, launching one product at a time, which he says isn’t ideal in the U.S. “That’s when I looked at Brazil,” he recounts. “They catered to small unit production and reminded me of why Brazil is a special place when it comes to haircare.”
Cavalcante says, “I feel proud that our brand can support both countries, the one where I was born, and the one that adopted me and gave me the life I have today. Manufacturing this brand in Brazil allows me to support my community, my country and everyone involved in the process, from the chemists to the packaging suppliers to the people in the factories. Bringing awareness to Brazilian beauty is just as much of a goal.”
However, Brazil Edition has encountered unexpected hurdles. Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump were a curveball that almost derailed the brand. They increased from nothing to 10% during the process of product development and production. And, in August 2025, tariffs on imports from Brazil soared by 40% to bring them to 50%.
“Brazilian beauty is more about raw power and performance, with ingredients that deliver visible results quickly.”
The higher cost burden has forced Brazil Edition to tighten forecasts, strengthen communication with suppliers and build backup options inside Brazil so it’s not dependent on a single resource whose costs may suddenly change. The tariffs have also forced it to hone smarter exporting plans like cutting out middlemen to work directly with a manufacturer fully prepared for export and partnering with freight and documentation experts who understand cosmetics.
Cavalcante says, “Tariffs can move quickly, sometimes week by week, so the best protection is staying organized, planning ahead and keeping everyone aligned.” He adds, “In the long term, tariffs may slow down some areas, but they won’t stop growth. If anything, they’ll continue to force us to innovate and protect our supply chain.”
Currently, Brazil Edition isn’t seeking retail placements and is instead concentrating on maintaining inventory and drawing loyal customers at a steady rate. Salons that will sell and use Brazil Edition products are central to its distribution roadmap, and it’s leaning into community cultivation on social media and deepening its presence on Amazon and in direct-to-consumer distribution. Eventually, Brazil Edition expects to enlarge its assortment with treatments, styling and potentially body care products.
“Our goal for year one is healthy, steady growth with a seven-figure sales target across Amazon, DTC and salon distribution,” says Cavalcante. “If we close the year with loyal repeat customers and strong reviews, that builds the true foundation for scaling globally.”
