For over three decades, Design Essentials has occupied a singular space in the global beauty ecosystem, bridging high-performance science with cultural integrity, all while steadfastly empowering Black communities. Founded in 1990 by Cornell McBride Sr. under McBride Research Laboratories, the brand has moved from being just another haircare label to becoming a living case study in what it means to operate with a conscience, a long view, and a plan.

While many beauty brands pivot toward purpose in reaction to market trends, Design Essentials was built on it. “My father started our first business (M&M Company) back in 1973,” Cornell McBride Jr. told BeautyMatter. “He created one of the first products designed to soften and moisturize the natural Afro, which grew into a $40 million business with global distribution.” After selling that company in 1989 to Johnson Products Company and serving a mandatory two-year noncompete, the family returned to the drawing board—not simply to rebuild, but to reimagine.

“What Design Essentials really set out to do,” McBride Jr. explained, “was to empower individuals, particularly Black entrepreneurs, to control their financial future. We weren’t just selling products, we were selling opportunities,” he said.

From the beginning, the brand circumvented traditional distribution, instead building direct relationships with salons, cosmetology schools, and stylists. “We trained, we educated, we created a network,” he said. That grassroots infrastructure laid the foundation for the brand’s expansion not only across the United States but also throughout the Caribbean and eventually into Africa.

Africa: Vision, Not Venture

Design Essentials’ move into Africa was neither sudden nor superficial. McBride Jr. referenced a pivotal McKinsey & Company report that forecasted rapid middle-class growth and continental stabilization. “You have to understand what Africa looks like tomorrow, not just today,” he said. “We saw an opportunity to build something sustainable, not just extract value.”

The company’s African footprint spans Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya. Each market is approached with sensitivity and strategy. “Ghana is the most aligned with our original salon-direct model. We work exclusively with stylists. It’s slow, but intentional,” McBride Jr. noted. In South Africa, Design Essentials has both formal and informal retail distribution, with placement in Clicks and Jumbo Wholesale among others, made possible by the country's relatively stable infrastructure and supply chain.

However, perhaps the brand’s most compelling work on the continent is in Chad. It wasn’t a market forecast or financial opportunity that led McBride to Chad, but a YouTube video. A team member stumbled upon a documentary highlighting women in a rural village who used chebé—a traditional powder believed to promote hair growth. The substance, laboriously harvested and prepared by hand, was a cornerstone of local identity and heritage.

Historically, global beauty brands have appropriated indigenous African ingredients with little regard for the communities behind them. McBride Jr. wanted to break that cycle. “Yes, the ingredient was compelling,” he acknowledged, “but what really hit us was the story—the trek, the preparation, the hours these women invested. And we asked a simple question: ‘Who are the people you’re buying from, and what are their lives like?’”

Design Essentials partnered with The African Chebe Growth Co. to not only source the ingredient responsibly but also contribute directly to the local community. The company funded the construction of a new water well and repaired a classroom roof for the village’s school, addressing immediate, practical needs with quiet efficiency.

“That wasn’t the end, just the beginning,” McBride Jr. asserted. “They’re now part of our global community. Whether or not chebé turns into a blockbuster product doesn’t matter. Our commitment to them isn’t transactional, it’s relational.”

Community, Always

McBride Jr. is adamant that every community Design Essentials enters must benefit holistically. The company’s model rests on three pillars—economic empowerment, cultural education, and long-term partnership. “We’re not a hit-and-run brand,” he said. “We build with a five-to-ten-year horizon in mind. We’re investing in people, not just profits.”

That ethos echoes in other philanthropic efforts. In Kenya, for example, the brand supports a refugee-to-runway initiative that mentors young women from displacement camps into fashion careers. “Some become models, [while] others don’t,” McBride said. “So we’ve asked, how do we create fallback skills in beauty or fashion? How do we make sure they’re not just inspired but equipped?”

This consistency in values has made Design Essentials a legacy brand in the Black community—an intergenerational staple that mothers introduce to daughters, stylists pass on to protégés, and influencers revere on social media.

For the company, it’s business, but it’s one that is built differently. It’s easy to romanticize purpose-driven business, but Design Essentials is, first and foremost, a sound one. McBride Jr. keeps his revenue figures private, but confirms that the brand has recorded continuous year-over-year growth, without posting a loss since 1995. “Over the past two years, our sales have grown by more than 15%. This year we’re tracking above 20%,” he shared. “And we’re one of the few brands with a presence across all distribution channels, from CosmoProf and SalonCentric to Walmart, Ulta [Beauty], Sally Beauty, and Target.”

Such breadth reflects a strategic dual-distribution model, featuring salon-exclusive formulas paired with consumer retail products. “We offer both professional and retail lines,” McBride Jr. noted, “because our customers occupy both worlds.”

Design Essentials’ supply chain, especially for ethically sourced ingredients like chebé, is a study in transparency. Raw materials are sourced from local exporters with whom the company has developed exacting standards. “We had to learn quickly,” McBride said. “The color and consistency of the powder affect the end product, so we standardized our specs to avoid variation.” Once received, the chebé is either extracted into a tea-like solution or incorporated as a powder into various formulations still manufactured in the US to maintain control over quality and innovation.

When asked what he wants people to understand about Design Essentials, McBride Jr. doesn’t hesitate. “That we’re a community-first brand, that we give back, and that we’re in this for the long haul—not just to take, but to pour into the people who believe in us.”

In an industry that often prioritizes speed, scale, and viral success, Design Essentials is proving to be one of the anomalies. It has grown quietly, steadily, and with conviction. From salons in Atlanta to schools in Ghana, from refugee camps in Kenya to wells in Chad, its footprint is wide, but more importantly, deep. It’s proving that beauty isn’t just about what’s seen, but also about what’s sustained.