Nicol Varona Cancelmo and Cory Varona-Corniel, OCOA
OCOA began with two Dominican sisters unlearning the idea of pelo malo, or “bad hair.” “Growing up, we constantly felt forced to straighten our hair to fit beauty standards that weren’t made for us,” says cofounder Nicol Varona Cancelmo. When they embraced their natural texture, they found the prestige aisle had almost nothing clean or curl-specific made for them, so they built it: lightweight, scalp-first formulas without heavy buildup or coconut oil.
The island is in every detail. The brand is named after San José de Ocoa, their mother’s hometown, which means “a place between mountains” in the indigenous Taíno language. The formulas lean on the natural remedios they grew up with, like mango butter, hibiscus, ginger root and coffee seed, and the packaging is fully bilingual. “In the Dominican Republic, beauty is bold, vibrant, joyful and deeply connected to nature and family,” Varona Cancelmo says.
Their pick is the 4-Step Travel Kit ($28), which took nearly two years to launch. It was, she says, “the number-one most-requested product by our community.”
