Launch Date: August 2024
Geography: Los Angeles, CA, US
Founder: Evelyn Wang, Founder + CEO
Executive Team: Neil Kee, Chief Financial Advisor
2025 Full Year Projected Revenue: Under $2M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Haircare
Funding: Friends and Family
Primary Distribution Channel: DTC
Other Distribution Channels:
Key Retail Partner: Credo Beauty
2025 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 15
Silverist was born out of a firsthand understanding of a clear product-need gap in the industry. Founder Evelyn Wang went gray early in life and dyed her hair for 20 years. When she decided it was time to ditch the dye, she found very little support available in the form of education or product. Google searches resulted only in articles about how to get rid of gray hair. Yet, hair changes and as it turns gray—or technically more of a translucent silver—it loses melanin and has specific needs. And while our population is aging, which means more gray hair, most people get their first grays by the time they are in their 30’s, and more and more people are choosing to embrace their silver strands at any age. The benefit-need gap and consumer base are clear and growing. Still, the beauty industry has long overlooked this consumer and opportunity gap, and communicated to this consumer with messages that don’t resonate or make this consumer feel seen. Silverist centers the silver hair experience from product design to community and education and an all-in belief that silver hair is a movement, not just a trend.
Insights: Evelyn Wang, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
I’ve built Silverist not as an outsider looking into a potential opportunity, but as someone inside the emotional and physical experience of growing out your silver hair at an age when it’s still considered unexpected. I didn’t just study this, I lived it. I saw firsthand how underserved this audience has been. With 20 years of beauty marketing experience across the full consumer journey—from developing global product pipelines to driving retail execution—I understand every touchpoint where consumers interact with a brand. The timing is a reflection of major population shifts alongside a post-pandemic wave of women who grew out their gray and found community—and visibility—on social media. These organic transformations endured and became proof points that natural silver hair can be not only beautiful, but aspirational.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Our edge is our unwavering commitment to the silver hair consumer—not just her hair needs, but how we speak to her. Silverist was created with her at the center, not as an afterthought. While some brands have launched silver-focused products, they often struggle to message or educate with true depth because doing so risks disrupting their broader positioning or audience. Silverist speaks directly—and exclusively—to the silver hair journey, with intentional product design, education, and community.
What are you most proud of accomplishing to date?
I’m proud to have launched a brand that’s helping people. Customers have written in to say that Silverist gave them support and a confidence boost during their gray hair grow-out. That means the world. That is the mission: celebrating silver strands at any age. Beyond selling product—we’re showing up for a community that has long been overlooked.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
Conserve your energy. It's okay to decline some conversations. At first, I felt I had to pursue every conversation simply because someone was willing to hear my pitch. A lot of these conversations turn out to be informational with people wanting to kick the tires or look under the hood, and they take time and energy, so don't take every one. I’ve come to realize, if your brand is a great investment, you’re the one creating the opportunity for growth.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
Minor set-backs will happen, e.g., a bad review or a week of lower sales. It will come back if you keep building consistently. It’s a long game, and you have to be able to look at the big picture rather than get bogged down by little details. When you're a founder, you take things more personally, and every detail matters to you so much, but I tell myself to remember the bigger roadmap of where we're heading.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
Silverist will be the standard in gray haircare for all stages of the gray hair journey. We’ll have strong retail presence and presence in a few key international markets and have built an 8+ figure business. More than that, we’ll be seen as a catalyst in the cultural narrative around gray hair.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
“Pro-aging” is overhyped as a marketing word that is supposedly appealing to Gen X, boomers, and even older millennials. While there is a craving for celebration of beauty that is not youth focused, it doesn't mean every aspect of the conversation needs to be assertively positive. What’s overlooked is conversation grounded around real talk and authenticity.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
We need true generational diversity within marketing teams. When Gen Z became the hot new audience, brands rushed to hire Gen Z staffers to decode TikTok—and rightly so. But when it comes to marketing to generations beyond millennials, we don’t apply the same logic.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
I’d wish for Silverist to always keep the true voice of the silver haired consumer in mind. Never lose its North Star.
