Dive Brief:
- Following its acquisition by Procter & Gamble, Mielle, a Black-founded hair care brand, has partnered with Amazon to release hair care product bundles inspired by the Amazon Original series “Harlem.”
- Until Feb. 28, the brand will sell four product bundles inspired by the show’s four main characters: the Classic Camille Protective Bundle, the Vibrant Angie Curls Bundle, the Smooth Tye Short Cut Bundle and the Sleek Quinn Silk Press Bundle, the company said in a press release.
- Discounted at 40%, the curated collections are priced between $32 and $38 and contain products such as shampoos, conditioners, oils and moisturizers, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
Since its founding in 2014, Mielle has amassed customers across 87 countries, per its press release. In addition to Amazon, the brand’s products are also distributed at retailers like CVS, Rite Aid, Sally Beauty, Target, Ulta Beauty, Walmart and Walgreens.
The brand, founded by Monique Rodriguez, has reached this milestone under a new owner: Procter & Gamble. Following Procter & Gamble’s acquisition last month, the brand will operate as an independent subsidiary of P&G Beauty. Upon announcing the pending deal, the brand said in an Instagram post that it will not change its formulas.
P&G is following in the footsteps of Unilever, which also acquired a personal care brand catering to consumers of color: Sundial Brands. In 2017, Unilever bought the company — which includes brands SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage and Madam C.J. Walker — for an undisclosed sum and increased the capital for its New Voices Fund to $100 million, the company said at the time.
Last year, P&G spent $1.4 billion on buying brands such as Ouai, Farmacy Beauty and Tula. But other DTC brands have had to compete for investment dollars: CB Insights’ 2022 State of Venture report found that U.S. venture capital funding dropped 37%.
