Nicole Kidman has partnered with Vegamour, the Los Angeles-based wellness hair care company, WWD has learned exclusively.

The actress is an investor and its “wellness advocate.”

Kidman was trying to “back a couple of corporations” when she discovered the brand, she explained, calling from Nashville, Tenn.

“Obviously not loads,” she continued. “I don’t have an unlimited period of time. And I’m really, really, really careful. I wanted ones that were contributing to the world, making the world higher and helping people in our world.”

She felt that Vegamour is doing just that, after meeting its founder and chief executive officer Daniel Hodgdon, learning in regards to the ethos and science behind the brand — being organic, plant-based and harvested from wild ingredients — and trying the products herself. She tested them out while quarantining in Australia for 2 weeks amid the pandemic.

“I used it religiously,” Kidman said of Vegamour’s “Gro Foundation Kit” — a scalp serum, shampoo and conditioner. “And I loved it.”

The products didn’t just improve her hair growth but strengthened her strands, she said.

“Mine were weak,” she explained. “You understand, they break, especially across the front. They get numerous wear and tear. And I dye them. I pull them back. I put clips in them. Sometimes you’re wearing wigs. Sometimes you’re putting them in tight, tight ponytails. Once I swim, I put a swim cap on. I mean, all that stuff stresses the hair…I just thought, ‘OK, so my hair’s just going be trash now, because I’ve made all of the mistaken, mistaken decisions for it.’”

Kidman’s seen a noticeable change after using the kit; she shampoos once per week, conditions day-after-day and uses the serum commonly (particularly toward the front of her hair).

The routine works for her, she said. “And my natural curls are coming back.”

“Nicole’s values are completely aligned with the brand — from the primary time we spoke, it immediately clicked,” Hodgdon, who launched the brand in 2016, told WWD. “She’s keen about the identical things that we’re: hair wellness, ingredient integrity, and the importance of fresh, plant-based, efficacious products that work. Throughout her profession and life [she’s] been through a hair wellness journey of her own and is hoping to share her story with the intention of helping to encourage and educate others. Moreover, she’s hugely keen about social impact and fair trade, two elements which might be integral to Vegamour. We’re pleased with our efforts to support biodiversity and sustainable sourcing practices, and our fair trade partnerships that mean we are able to create economic opportunities for women-owned SMEs and disenfranchised communities throughout Southern Africa and the world. Through our many conversations, I do know these initiatives are also extremely necessary to Nicole.”

The direct-to-consumer lash, brow and hair growth brand attracted consumers by embracing social media, its presence on Amazon and offering a subscription model. That strategy has been working, and the last yr has been significant for the brand. In June 2021, Vegamour entered sephora.com, and in April of this yr, the brand secured $80 million in minority growth investment from General Atlantic. (Priced between $24 and $78, products include a $32 scalp treatment, $48 hair serum and $24 biotin gummies.)

Vegamour has seen “exponential growth,” Hodgdon said. “Revenue has grown over 3,300 percent from 2018 to 2021.”

He projects 2022 to be the brand’s “biggest yr yet,” with plans to expand into Sephora stores nationally, in addition to enterprise internationally.

“Short term, we’re rapidly working toward international expansion in select markets including the U.K., E.U., China and Australia,” he said. “There’s an exciting opportunity to achieve a recent consumer in these markets, and we’re fortunate that we’ll be working with Nicole to speed up and amplify our message.”

In June, Vegamour will launch its “biggest innovation” of the yr, “a first-of-its-kind, age-defying innovation that’s each a proactive tool to preserve hair’s natural pigment in addition to renew color,” revealed Hodgdon. “Looking forward, we’ll proceed our expansion into the hair wellness category, with a give attention to each prejuvenation and rejuvenation.”

Prejuvenation, he explained, “is a recent concept throughout the hair category, defined as a preventative care regimen thoughtfully designed to handle the underlying root causes of common hair concerns before they materialize.”

In the long run, “our hope is that working with Nicole will bring not only brand awareness to Vegamour, but to expand the best way we take into consideration our hair,” he added. It’s about practicing a holistic approach, “inside and outside.”