The best brands all have a great origin story.
In the spirit of National Black Beauty Founders Day (Aug. 30), here are five entrepreneurs whose stories are still unfolding, and whose posts will stop your scroll.
The paths they followed in building a beauty/ grooming brand weren't always straight, or clear, or smooth, or logical … but were always compelling.
Tap their name for a link to their Instagram (and smash that follow).
Monique Rodriguez, Mielle Organics
Mielle Organics started online when nurse Michelle Rodriguez began sharing her passion for hair care with her social media followers. Rodriguez went on to craft her own hair-care products with natural ingredients and to found Mielle Organics.
Now worth more than $100 million, Rodriguez is committed to lifting up other women through her Secret Sauce to Success podcast and academy, plus Mielle’s More Than a Strand program that empowers women, girls, and communities worldwide.
Maya & Brian Smith, The Doux
Couple goals are in full effect via these parents/ entrepreneurs who launched their “Sucka-Free Haircare” line, The Doux, in Germany where Brian was stationed with the U.S. Air Force.
The brand is rooted in simplifying hair care, blending “old-school flava with new-school science,” with poppin' 90s drip that’s tailor-made for social media.
Products are crafted by cosmetologist and curl specialist Maya, who has tested and perfected her products on hair of all textures worldwide.
Melissa Butler, The Lip Bar
Melissa Butler’s professional ups and downs have gone from rejection on Shark Tank to owning the largest Black-owned beauty brand sold in Target.
Butler maintains the energy behind The Lip Bar is about building self-esteem and smashing Western beauty standards. As she says in her viral Ted Talk, “When I started making lipsticks in my kitchen, it wasn’t because I was passionate about makeup — no! It was because I was frustrated that attractiveness was consistently looked at through a singular lens.”
Houston White, FRESH by Houston White
Houston White learned as a young barber and shop owner the power of a barbershop as a community gathering spot.
From his Minneapolis shop’s commercial and social success, White spun off his Culturemaking book and podcast. He launched the FRESH by Houston White line of grooming products, plus a coffee company.
As a designer, White’s sportswear labels are both going strong, with fashion-forward golf apparel and an eponymous collection sold in Target offering “style for all, swagger for all.”
Diann Valentine, SLAYYY Hair
Diann Valentine loved her braids. She didn’t love the itching, scalp irritation and breakage that came with them. Valentine spent two years researching and test-driving what would eventually become SLAYYY, a silky braiding hair crafted free of harmful plastics and chemicals prevalent in mainstream versions.
Along with SLAYYY, Valentine opened two L.A.-area Glow + Flow Beauty stores, which provide ultimate shopping experiences for Black women, and which Valentine is building out as a franchise model. “Every urban community," she says, "needs a Glow + Flow.”