Carol’s Daughter, a textured haircare brand owned by L’Oreal, is making some changes for its 30th anniversary next year. This includes expansion in Europe and a popular line for Gen Z. As the beauty and hair market becomes highly saturated, these changes are expected to boost sales and strengthen brand differentiation against the competition.
Carol’s daughter was a pioneer in the natural hair care market. Founded in 1993 by Lisa Price, her natural hair brand struggled to bring quality products to a forgotten demographic. It has appeared before popular brands such as Melanin, Pattern and Miel. Even today, black consumers are often an afterthought in the global beauty market. Still, countless advances have been made to advance the debate about natural curls, coils, and kinks.
Being a pioneer has its advantages, but it is seldom without its disadvantages. L’Oréal took ownership of her Carol’s Daughter in 2014, sparking backlash from former and current consumers. The brand struggled to maintain the credibility and DNA of a black-founded business despite operating under a white-owned company. Customers and social media users argued that Price worked with the same mechanisms that perpetuate historically powerful structures that oppose and ignore Black Americans.
To better connect with its social media tools, Carol’s Daughter is updating its marketing strategy to appeal to a younger demographic. According to Anne Garrison, Carol’s Daughter’s global her vice president of marketing, net sales have doubled in the past three years, and her Goddess Strength line, which launched in 2020, is the top-selling It has been released. Her second Gen Z-focused line is set to launch in the US soon. “I’ve always sold, made, and promoted what I believe in, what I use in my home,” Price said. They know you love what you do.”
Garrison and Isar Hyacinth, L’Oréal’s European business development directors, aim to double sales again in the next three years. In two weeks, the company will launch a new range targeting younger audiences through his Tiktok and Snapchat. This plan emphasizes gender fluidity and hair experimentation.
Inspired by its success in the US market, Carol’s Daughter landed this month at UK drugstore Superdrug in partnership with black-owned creative agency Haiti 73, based in Paris and London. Progress over the next few years will depend on staying relevant to the significant changes taking place in the hair care market related to Generation Z.
