Curls, a haircare line for people with textured hair, has gotten a minority investment from Beauty By Imagination, which also owns WetBrush, Goody, Ouidad, and Bio Ionic.
WHO: For nearly two decades, Curls has been a leader in natural haircare, innovating new product collections that are specifically formulated to cater to each hair texture’s needs, across all age groups. Prior to this, women just wanted something to “tame” their manes. Now, they demand quality products that “celebrate” and showcase their perfectly imperfect curly coifs. Founded in 2002 by Mahisha Dellinger, Curls Beauty Brands has become one of the foremost black-owned haircare brands in North America. In addition to leading Curls, Dellinger authored the memoir Against All Odds: From the Projects to the Penthouse and starred in Mind Your Business with Mahisha on the OWN network.
Beauty by Imagination (BBI) is one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of beauty products. Based in New York, BBI develops some of the industry’s most recognizable and innovative brands and products such as Goody, WetBrush, Bio Ionic, Ouidad, Twist, Solano, and Ace. BBI is a portfolio company of ACON Investments and its affiliates.
ACON Investments, headquartered in Washington, DC, is an international private equity firm investing in North America, Latin America, and Europe. Founded in 1996, ACON has raised approximately $5.9 billion of capital to date and has professionals in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Mexico City, São Paulo, Bogotá, and Madrid.
WHY: Through this strategic partnership, BBI will enable the Curls brand to expand its product offering to curly, coily, and textured hair customers nationwide, while extending its reach across all distribution channels.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Mahisha Dellinger, Curls owner, remarked: “After 19 years building and leading the Curls brand, I have chosen to partner with Beauty by Imagination because their investment, resources and expertise will accelerate our growth. 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!”
According to Francesca Raminella, co-CEO of BBI: “BBI and Curls recognized a unique opportunity to join forces in a strategic partnership that is a win-win for both companies. 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.”
“The expertise and leadership that Mahisha will bring to our Board of Directors is something we all look forward to,” Raminella added.
BBI co-CEO Gary Dailey added: “The Curls & BBI partnership will rapidly expand Curls’ distribution. By leveraging BBI’s omni-channel 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. Mahisha will continue to oversee Curls’ product formulas and product development, with BBI by her side to optimize operations, logistics and sales.”
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