April 12, 2026
Founders Maya and Brian Smith are persevering with to construct on multimillion-dollar success with new partnership geared toward scaling distribution.
Pure haircare firm The Doux is coming into a brand new part of development after securing a minority funding from VMG Companions, a transfer designed to strengthen its place within the aggressive magnificence market. Based by husband-and-wife staff Maya Smith and Brian Smith, the model has advanced from a single abroad salon right into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with merchandise now offered throughout main retailers in the US and overseas.
Maya Smith, a licensed cosmetologist, first launched the enterprise whereas dwelling in Germany, the place she recognized an absence of providers tailor-made to textured and curly hair. “I opened a salon as a result of on the time, there weren’t actually any hair areas abroad that actually targeted on curly hair,” Maya mentioned to AfroTech. What started as an area resolution quickly expanded into product growth, with formulations beginning in 2010 and a proper launch following in 2012.
After returning to the U.S., the corporate’s retail presence grew quickly. Its merchandise, together with styling foams and curl enhancers, finally landed on cabinets at main chains corresponding to Goal, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and Sally Magnificence, whereas additionally reaching worldwide markets in the UK.
The corporate reported $38 million in income and $7.3 million in earnings in 2025, reflecting what Smith described as regular and accelerating momentum. “It snowballed from there. We’ve grown exponentially, and the companies stayed worthwhile,” she mentioned, in accordance to AfroTech, highlighting the model’s potential to scale whereas sustaining monetary stability.
Regardless of its success, Smith acknowledged that increasing inside massive retail environments comes with logistical challenges. “Once you get into mass, you will have your distribution, you will have supplies, and stock,” she defined, noting that sustaining development requires cautious planning and sources. The brand new funding is anticipated to assist handle these calls for and assist additional enlargement.
For the founders, sustaining management over the model’s id was a key consider choosing a accomplice. Smith emphasised that the collaboration with VMG Companions permits them to protect their artistic imaginative and prescient. “They allow us to be founders. They allow us to be us. They don’t contact our model,” she mentioned. She added that defending the corporate’s core values has been central to its continued success.
The partnership displays a broader pattern of elevated investor curiosity in culturally pushed magnificence manufacturers, significantly these serving underserved markets. With extra capital and infrastructure, The Doux goals to broaden its attain whereas staying rooted in the neighborhood that impressed its creation.
As the corporate seems forward, Smith mentioned the main focus stays on considerate development. “It was vital to us that we’ve all the time moved actually well in the case of what’s subsequent for The Doux,” she mentioned, underscoring the model’s long-term ambitions in an more and more crowded business.
RELATED CONTENT: The Doux Honors Worldwide Girls’s Day With ‘Our Form Of Girls’ Picture Exhibit In Atlanta
