If you’ve ever taken a stroll down the natural hair care aisle in your local store, then you couldn’t miss the bold ’90s-inspired packaging for the product line The Doux.
The brand was created by veteran hairstylist Maya Smith, a 20-year beauty industry veteran. She developed the products when she was a salon owner in Germany to give a professional salon approach to curly clients at home.
The unique packaging and brand identity pay homage to the hip-hop culture that Smith adores. She offers standout products such as Mousse Def and Bonita Afro Balm that have gained her a cult following as both a beauty and lifestyle brand.
Rolling out spoke with Smith about her unique brand and offering people professional-quality products to use at home.
What was the driving force behind creating The Doux?
The Doux is a freestyle, fun, fly brand for people with all hair types. Our main focus is really helping people see their hair differently and educating our consumers so that they’re able to make better decisions about their hair and do it in half the time. We were born out of a salon, and it was developed by me working with my clients as my focus group. It was really important for us to make something that would make life easier for everyday people.
What was the transition like moving your company from Germany to the United States?
Surprisingly, there was really almost a seamless continuity between what we were doing there and here. Once we announced that we were coming back to the United States, we had such a following here that my clientele — the actual people — changed but the issues that people have didn’t. The people who are trying to either transition from relaxed to natural hair or people who have been natural for a while are really similar across the board.
Flip the page to read more and see a selection of The Doux products.
