Only girls with curly hair will understand the challenges of styling it, making it look radiant, frizz-free, and above all, accepting it as a feature that makes them unique. That’s why sisters Cory and Nicol Varona created their brand, Ocoa Beauty, showing that curls are beautiful, powerful, and unrepeatable.
Cory and Nicol Varona grew up in Santo Domingo, watching their mother get regular Dominican Blowouts, a styling and drying technique that consists of straightening hair while giving it movement and volume. Despite their natural curly hair, blowouts were the beauty standard that the sisters and their family grew up with. It took them years to realize that there is a world beyond straight hair and that embracing your curls is possible, with healthy and beautiful results.
© OCOA Beauty“Hair is part of our identity and has always been an important part of our culture."
Beauty standards have long dictated that sleek, straight hair is the mark of beauty, but not anymore. Lately, we’re seeing all kinds of hair textures represented in the industry. That’s why the sisters set out to create products free of chemicals and toxic substances, helping Latinas wear their curls with pride. “We’re redefining the creation of curly hair products to help Latina women love their curls, and themselves," reads the company's mission statement.
When the girls were young, they moved to the United States with their mother, one of their biggest sources of inspiration. The family unit moved to Massachusetts, becoming the only Spanish-speaking people in the area, and kickstarting a journey that pushed Cory and Nicol to embrace one of their most distinctive traits.
After completing high school, the sisters enrolled at Penn State Berks, a campus of the Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth System. Cory graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She later earned an MBA in Finance from Penn State Great Valley. Nicol graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, later obtaining a certification in Social Media from Georgetown University.
© OCOA BeautyThe idea to launch a hair product company came from a personal experience; one day, Nicol woke up and felt that her hair was damaged, inspiring her sisters to create a homemade product using natural ingredients that helped more than many commercial products had. They launched the brand in 2021, after facing many issues due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From launching with just two products, a leave-in cream for ultra-defined curls and a styling gel, the sisters now offer five products in their company, including shampoos, styling creams, curl definers, and a full catalog of accessories and kits.
The Varona sisters haven’t just created products for women; they’ve built their entire company, from the chemists behind the formulas to the marketing agency, with an all-women team.
© @ocoabeauty“We’re two Latina sisters who moved to this country without knowing what the future would hold. We created our brand with limited resources, no experience in beauty, and using our savings. We didn’t let that stop us from chasing our dreams. Today, we help Latinas love their curls and love themselves.”
The Varona sisters haven’t just created products for women; they’ve built their entire company, from the chemists behind the formulas to the marketing agency, with an all-women team.
Their products are made with natural ingredients, are cruelty-free, vegan, and contain no synthetic fragrances, sulfates, parabens, silicones, or coconut oil.
