I’ll never forget the first time I sat in Mara Roszak’s chair. Within the first five minutes, I was getting a much-procrastinated haircut. In 15, we’d discussed all her A-List clients—Emma Stone, Mikey Madison, and Hailey Bieber. By the 20-minute mark, I was unabashedly confessing that I was a walking advertisement for her namesake haircare brand, RŌZ.
While I know I'm devote to RŌZ now, I can't recollect exactly when it took over my haircare routine: Its rise was just that swift. Following its 2021 launch, RŌZ near-instantly became an if you know, you know brand. My favorite hairstylists (hi Jacob Rozenberg and Ryan Richman) all started carrying it in their kits and every Cool Girl in existence copped to using it, too. RŌZ even amassed a trendy cohort of investors including Zoe Saldaña, Mila Kunis, and Lily Collins.
With so much support from beauty industry insiders, it’s no surprise Sephora is now snatching it up. RŌZ officially launches online and in stores, today, February 11. The expansion from direct-to-consumer retail to a mass retailer is the first step in making RŌZ a household name. “It’s a dream come true and is really going to bring so much awareness to RŌZ,” Roszak says. If it takes over Sephora the same way it did beauty insider circles, I suspect her line will be a long-lasting success.
This line isn't all celebrity hype. It has results to back up its rave reviews. Using RŌZ religiously is like being invited to a Secret Hair Society, one where every member has fluffy, tousled texture. (Split ends? Heat damage? They're denied entry at the door.) The Shampoo and Conditioner are nourishing and hydrating without feeling heavy, The Milk Hair Serum is the do-it-all that somehow never existed before, and Santa Lucia Styling Oil—well, you just need to try it out for yourself to understand the appeal.
Roszak crafted the brand to foster equal excitement and discovery across every hair type and texture, not an easy feat in an industry that pushes hyper-specialized haircare products. “In the past we were told, 'You have this type of hair, this is the product for you.' But I never approached hair that way. When a product really performs, I need it to work on Zoe Saldaña’s hair and Emma Stone’s hair and Michelle Yeoh's and Natalie Portman’s,” Roszak tells me. “My own approach to hairdressing and styling is really bringing out what is naturally beautiful. I want my products to do that.”
Every item in her nine-product line has to “have a real reason to exist.” A “good” product doesn’t cut it—each launch is designed to be transformative in a way that makes effortless-looking hair genuinely effortless to achieve. Doing that requires rigorous testing (the brand new Evergreen Styling Cream was tested on Emma Stone’s pixie on the Golden Globes red carpet) and a commitment to lightweight formulas and botanical ingredients. “I always want to remind people that their hair is really beautiful,” says Roszak.
While there’s still much to come from the brand (my lips are sealed), Roszak already feels her mission is somewhat accomplished. “When my peers call me or reach out to my team and ask to get their kit restocked; when they tell me they’re obsessed with the product—that’s when I know I’ve created something legit,” she laughs. “These pros have access to anything and everything, so when they say they need more, what could be a better compliment?”
To answer a rhetorical question: a sold-out Sephora launch wouldn't be too shabby.
