CURLS Partners With WetBrush & Ouidad Owner To ‘Accelerate’ Brand Growth

Black-owned beauty brand CURLS just got a major distribution and innovation boost. Founder Mahisha Dellinger has announced a new partnership with Beauty By Imagination, the company behind such brands as Ouidad, WetBrush, Goody, and Bio Ionic, to expand her reach and accelerate brand growth.

[SEE ALSO: Black-Owned Beauty Supply Stores Will Soon Have Access To A New Distribution Network]

Dellinger first launched CURLS in 2002, building an estimated $15M brand and earning a place at the forefront of the natural hair movement. Her all-natural, organic product line for textured hair can be found on the shelves of major brick-and-mortars such as CVS, Sally Beauty, Target, and Walmart, along with local beauty supply stores and online via Amazon. In just the past year, she has seen a 30% increase in sales and expanded her reach to seven new countries with a dozen new retailers.

Now, Dellinger is poised to go even higher.

The strategic partnership gives CURLS to access BBI’s resources to help increase brand awareness, get shelf placement in specialty retail, and focus on brand innovation, according to the release.

“After 19 years of building and leading the CURLS brand, I have chosen to partner with Beauty By Imagination (BBI) because their investment, resources and expertise will accelerate our growth,” said Dellinger in a recent statement. “Our values are aligned, and they wholeheartedly support my vision to bring more innovation and inspiration to an ever-growing CURLS community. This is an exciting new chapter for CURListas everywhere – longtime customers and those who will discover us soon!”

The partnership will also boost Dellinger’s efforts to level the playing fields for Black beauty brands and supply stores. Black women continue to face higher obstacles for retail and investment resources despite over-indexing in sales and influence in the beauty industry. Her efforts including community and business coaching programs to help grow up to 25,000 female Black entrepreneurs. She also launched a Black-owned beauty supply store alliance to give brands access to a distribution network with a wider range of products and lower purchase minimums.

“BBI and CURLS recognized a unique opportunity to join forces in a strategic partnership that is a win-win for both companies,” said Francesca Raminella, co-CEO of BBI. “CURLS is a perfect fit for our strategy because we look for ‘founder’ brands with category authority in hair; strong, authentic customer engagement; and high-performance formulas. The BBI family is thrilled to welcome Mahisha Dellinger and support her in realizing the next chapter of success for CURLS.”

BBI and its collection of brands is part of ACON Investments portfolio, which has raised nearly $6B in capital since its launch in 1996.

“The Curls and BBI partnership will rapidly expand Curls’ distribution,” said BBI Co-CEO Gary Dailey. “By leveraging BBI’s omnichannel sales platform, Curls will benefit from our vertically integrated supply chain resources, bringing the brand to more consumers while enabling Mahisha to focus additional time on product innovation, leadership, and inspiration.”

Dellinger will retain majority ownership and brand control and oversee product formula and development, as well as serve on BBI’s Board of Directors.

For more info on the new partnership, visit bbicompany.com.