My first thoughts on this story: another one bites the dust! L’Oreal USA announced in a press release today that they have signed a definitive agreement to purchase Carol’s Daughter, with a few legal ramifications left to seal the deal.
If you watch Lisa’s video on her FaceBook page, she seems pretty upbeat about the sale and about the prospects of the company encouraging her supporters to hold her hand through the process.
I knew I had to write this post and get your thoughts on it, because to be honest I have no idea what to type or even to say. L’Oreal says they want to reach a ‘multicultural customer base’ and by that they must mean people of color because typically that’s just fancy talk for black.
Is that bad? How is the brand even going to look? Will it still be Carol’s Daughter? Will the label now say L’Oreal? Help me to make sense of what the future could hold for this company that was established in a black kitchen with our hair in mind?
L’Oreal USA made the announcement with the following:
“Carol’s Daughter possesses an expertise in the multi-cultural consumer segment, a rapidly expanding market that represents an important growth opportunity in the beauty industry,” said Frederic Roze, president and CEO of L’Oreal USA. “This acquisition will enable L’Oreal USA to build a new dedicated multi-cultural beauty division as part of our Consumer Products business, and strengthen the company’s position in this dynamic market.”
Lisa said:
“L’Oreal has a proven track record of helping established companies achieve their full potential while staying true to the core of the brand and they have an understanding of the future of multi-cultural beauty. I could not be more proud to begin this next chapter of the Carol’s Daughter brand with them,” said Price in a statement.
My only hope for Lisa is that she is able to maintain the authenticity of her brand during the transition and that she does not allow the quality and the history of what she has created get sucked into a business model that cares nothing about her consumer.
What do you ladies think? It’s hard not to see it as a sell out, but from a business perspective, it might have been the only thing that could have saved the company and pushed it further. Comment below!
I never have or will i ever buy carols daughter products they are too expensive.. and their packaging is too small for what you are paying for
They’re not that great either. I tried a few times and was disappointed everytime. I just wish they woulda partnered wit somebody else cuz Loreal didn’t know what to do wit our hair as is. Mass production will take away from the product to me
Well hopefully the price will come down given that lorell markets to the average consumer.
Love the almond cookie tho smells excellent
And they are pure garbage. I get samples from work ugh TRASH
Well I love Carol’s daughter, but I do agree it’s pricey.
Yes its too expensive. I thought it was just me who felt like this. Then wonder why it’s not selling.
Ok well with these comments, I see why she had to sell out. Black will always find a way to complain products made for us and buy us! These comments are unheard of among Jews, Asians, Hispanics, everyone else.. It makes sense now… smh
agree i bought one thing it was not worth it and did nothing. I dont really see her as a sell out she just found a gimmick she can make money on and with black people its hair care products and hair
Her products are great, especially the Body Jelly. I agree with Jesslyn and to add to that, we will spend money on other products no matter how expensive (weave and other natural products) but not support our own. I use all her stuff and love it but I will but something else if the quality changes.
I tried carols daughter and hated how it smelled and what my hair felt like after using it…..NOT A FAN AT ALL SO I DONT CARE!
Now I can buy it when I go to Europe! That’s good! Congratulations.
I have used L’OREAL skin products for at least 20 years, I like their conditioners so will definitely look into it.
I just co-washed with one of their conditioners and loved it.
Good because did she not file bankruptcy?
The Real Person!
Back in may I believe
Maybe they will lower the prices, they are overpriced for the product they are trying to sell.
Unbelievable………………..
Was going to try but definitely will not now. Completely sold out.
I am not hating because she started in her kitchen and did a great job, but her products ARE very pricey and I don’t have much luck with them. I used the black vanilla leave in Conditioner and it was so hard on my hair that my hair felt crunchy like hair spray and when I tried to run my fingers through…HAIR BROKE OFF!!
Loreal will lower the price I will buy the entire line if it works on my hair.
Agree. Lower prices will have me purchasing the entire line. Maybe some products will be found in Family Dollar & Dollar General Stores- wishful thinking.
Won’t be purchasing
Smart move for her. More women of color is going natural and uses good products that’s cost effective.
I TRIED THAT PRODUCT AND IT’S TERRIBLE THE CONDITIONER WOULDNT UNTANGLE MY HAIR
I tried their products five years ago, they sucked then and will probably be even worse now after selling out to Loreal
Very disappointing…..I feel that Carol’s Daughter needs to perfect the products first and then consider selling to a line that’s more focused on natural hair not just the “Multicultural” Market.
L’Oreal is a multi-billion dollar brand so perhaps they can help Carol’s Daughter perfect the product…
I’m a huge fan of CD that’s all I use for my twist outs! Sell out? Meh a lil but I hope she won’t abandon her key audience and that’s US
I stopped supporting this brand years ago. Her product quality is poor and her advertising leaves out the people she was supposedly trying to reach.
I agree! I’m always confused by the advertising
DARK AND LOVELY IS BETTER PRODUCT THAN CAROLS DAUGHTER
I hope it works, nothing has ever worked for me like carols daughter products have. I hope it dont change.
I hope it works, nothing has ever worked for me like carols daughter products have. I hope it dont change. Cherish Whitney
She made a business decision. I don’t use CD products personally but as long as they don’t change product formulations or completely change the marketing I don’t see any harm.
I’ve never used Carol’s Daughter and as a woman in her early 20’s I’ve never used L’Oreal so honestly for the the young broke college student this doesn’t cater to me
Well there goes the product! After the “rebranding” of Carol’s Daughter I decided to stop purchasing. Yes we need to expand our consumer base, but let’s not forget who originally help you off your feet in terms of customer support! Good for her though 🙂
Sale out
L’Oréal thO??
Doesn’t matter, the products really didn’t work for me n they’re too pricey, n yeah sell out.
Nope its business.
I don’t use L’Oreal and Carol ‘s daughter made my hair feel like straw so I don’t purchase their products anymore. Besides they are waaaay too expensive for the amount/quality product you get. Just my opinion
Maybe the price will go now go down, so I can buy the product.
Business is business.
She sold out a long time ago by marketing to others and replacing glass with plastic.
Wow I had no idea the packaging used to be glass
sell out??? no, it’s business!
Exactly
Congratulations on her securing her family’s future. I wish her well.
How it that a sell out, is this a Crabs in a bucket situation? Is called growth! I love her products maybe the prices will come down now
LOL MY HAIR FELT LIKE WIRE AFTER I USED THE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER I PAID ALMOST 20 BUCKS FOR EACH BOTTLE FROM TARGET I TOOK THAT CRAP BACK
I love Loreal at any rate, so maybe this is a good thing for everyone who’s a fan of both companies.
Smh. This doesn’t make me happy but to each it’s own.
All about money… I remember before she became famous she had Vendors coming to Verizon selling her products. When she got noticed by ophrah her products immediately went to 5th ave, her concern was not the people… Jane Carter would never sell out!!! #notafan
This is why we as black ppl can’t go far because we don’t support each other, not even for a hair product sad. The Jewish, Chinese, Indians, Italians will support each other nonstop; they only go to their doctors, buy from their shops, etc. this is how they grow. We can’t even support a hair product sad sad sad.
But will we be supporting her or L’Oreal? Depending on the deal it maynot even be her formulas. She should give out that info to keep her loyal customers updated. Other cultures keep true to what they do. They don’t change just to get a new audience. I understand you on the support but I’m one of her supporters even though it’s not all natural.
We don’t know what other cultures do and it doesn’t matter. Their ppl will still follow. And if you are a supporter than why are you debating?
I agree with you whole heartily we as a people will never advance because we don’t support our own as a whole it’s so sad….
This is a slippery slope… first off many other cultures have financial power inside their communities and are able to offer products at a reasonable price… I was once a customer of this young ladies brand however spending just about 100 dollars a month or so for her line wasn’t reasonable….! In my city the grocery stores that are black owned have no choice but to up sale their merchandise because they are not getting it at a discount rate that some other people are…! These are some things that need to be considered… so I think…
Everyone keeps saying that we’re not supporting black black owned businesses and it’s not true. There are PLENTY of black owned hair care brands that are awesome . And when they work well and they’re far less expensive than carols daughter, then that’s whose products we will use. Carols daughters kind of got the bad end of the stick because they were one of the first black natural hair lines, so back then, they could charge what they wanted and people bought them. Now there’s entirely too much competition so I fully understand their business move
why do “blacks” always talk about supporting one another?? & it’s usually about something petty. (like haircare)…. support yourself.
There are different ways to support, you don’t have to spend 100’s to support. Whatever you choose to use or not, there is no need to bash the brand. If you can’t afford it or don’t want to spend the money fine the negative bashing is not necessary. The product is not perfect therefore it is not expected to be loved & embraced by everyone but the sell out comments and other negative comments is just not necessary. Congrats to Carol’s Daughter it’s a great business move
not at all a sell out. its business.
besides, loreal will be able to gt her product to ppl like me.
The point of business is expansion..to leave your grand kids, grand kids wealth..I’ve never used it but I’m certain there isn’t one product that is “one size fits all”..continue to benefit your family..making decisions that uphold your future
I think L’Oreal wasted their money. I have been natural for years and I don’t really care for Carols Daughter’s products. They should have done more research first but it’s not coming out of my pockets so GO CAROL’S DAUGHTER!! LOL!!!
Well then, I won’t buy it. Not making them richer.
Excellent business move.
I think she shouldn’t have sold it but there choice I won’t be buying anymore products
If she had more support maybe she wouldnt need to sell to a larger brand. In the world of business, your goal is to grow and expand. Why does she have to be a sellout because she chose to secure her financial future? Our thought process as a community sometimes baffles my brain!
You can look at this in a negative stand point or a positive. As a business owner i see positives, both for Lisa and for L’Oréal. Carols daughter will now be massively advertised and gain new followers to become a bigger household name, the black community is only about 20% and only about half of that is natural so for her to cross over to Hispanics with curly hair or other ethnicities with curly it textured hair, she will be making a nice coin (providing her percentage in the company is in her favor). L’Oréal will gain the black market, and not to mention consumers will be able to get the product at a cheaper rate. Now the only thing I worry about is will this change the composition of the product? And if so I hope it’s for better and not worse.
Sell out how? Why even bother to ask such question? You mad because her products doesn’t improve the quality of your hair? Or she made a major move to a multi billion dollar corporation to secure her finances and future. I’m not comprehending how she sold out to some of you. Why can’t we just be happy for the next woman. Empower the next woman? Lord. . Smh
I agree Cassie Gardner!
Keyanna Alexander I agree. As long as she stays true to the original formulas. Im sure those who are loyal users will continue to support the brand. (Or not if they are bitter, lol)
let’s face it L’Oreal is a much bigger commercial name than carols daughter so that helps get the brand to a wider audience… how can this be a bad thing or selling out? rebranding doesn’t mean changing the product it just means changing how the product is marketed. hopefully this will lower the price of carols daughters products and make it more affordable to consumers.
Great business strategy… Good for her
Of course the product will change in order to be cheaper to produce for a larger market. That’s just good business sense on loreals behalf. It’d be nice to have a small black owned company stay that way. But money speaks volumes.
If the prices go down I will be purchasing her products….
Hopefully the ingredients won’t change I don’t use loreal products at all. They are fairly pricey just like carols daughter.
It all boils down to making money.
Get.that.money girl
Great business move…..i have struggled for months to find CD in the UK, this will hopefully make it more accessible for everyone….
kinda sorta. only because we complain that we have few businesses and other ethnicities have the monopoly on products we use weave, relaxers, hair grease etc. instead of holding on to it we would rather make the asians, whites etc rich off of stuff they don’t even use. no racism intended but theirs nothing wrong with having pride in your ppl and wanting to use that unity to prosper. all the others do it. look how behind we are compared to everyone else?
The price might be more affordable, now more us can support her.
I brought the hair products they did nothing for 4c hair. I probably needed two bottles per day.
I work in consumer products, and I can tell you for a fact that once a product is sold to a larger firm, more than likely the formulation will change. That’s because the production has to be upscaled to accommodate a larger market. And this could mean a change to less expensive ingredients. This might make the product less expensive, but sometimes the products aren’t as good as before. That is business though. Hopefully her formulas will not be altered too much so that they are still recognizable to her customer base.
Yes this is so true !
No maybe it can be more affordable.
Wow there is alot of hate on this feed. I applaud this move. There five different textures of hair in my house. FIVE! The different versions version of products she has work really well for all of us. I am glad she is being supported by a major company.The majority of these products out here aren’t for other cultures. Its hell find a good foundation that supports my skin color! Plus this is her baby. She has been working her dream for a minute now. The fact that she is still relevant making is what matters. How many of you all on this feed are living you dream and why hate on hers??
Sell out rd his why we have nothing
Good business move, I guess, but it wouldn’t work for someone like me. I do not care for LOreal.
Sell out. I love supporting black owned business now I gotta go thru them to get her products. Wow! I’ll change to another brand.
Same here. Group economics but most black people don’t understand that.
Love the idea
Carols garbage is now Low real trash
It was either going to be a buy out or it was going to be a take over. Anytime L’Oréal finds themselves intimidated in their field, they either buy the company & put them under the L’Oréal umbrella, or the smaller company is destroyed. Look at their history of acquisitions.
Why she have to be a Sell Out?She made decisions base on her Future, Family,Business Moves!!!
I’ve read that she was filing for bankruptcy, so I guess to keep the brand alive this is what she had to do, I have mixed feelings on this because for starters she was overpriced like most black business, and I didn’t see alot of good reviews on her products, all in all I wish her the best.
The product is not going to be the same. That’s what happens when companies change ownership. But she’s just trying to make more money. Her products are too overpriced.
I think it’s great business strategy, it will probably be more affordable, good I’m glad .kudos to u Carl’s daughter
I see this as a good thing if Loreal treats Carols Daughter like they do Mizani which acts as a division of Loreal and thereby has some autonomy and isn’t promoted under the Loreal brand.
Get paid girl,don’t hear the haters if not you one of them will
Good for business other wise she wouldn’t be able to keep products out n on shelves f all that sell out now she can get a broader variety with help
She was bankrupt and they offered help I say good for her
when you are in business you understand what a business deal is, its about making money. People who don’t handle this type of money may not understand that and call it a sellout, everything is not about color, again its about money. Try using your minds to come up with some business ideas and you too can make money.
I think the ingredients which made Carols daughter a success will be dialed down or change completely. ..which makes the whole point of this product no longer …so it becomes like pantene aqua net herbal essence but with a bigger price tag ..and people will buy it for awhile because of the name. ..but realize late it doesn’t work
But will that price range go down!
Sell outs
Congratulations to her… I hope she got super freaking paid! If you have to sell don’t sell it for cheap… She is a smart lady and this may be a power more… hopefully she has some more things up her selves!
Other ethnicities don’t and won’t use these products because it’s not what their hair needs….
Sell out?? How much?? Do what’s best for your family…
Now maybe I’ll see some coupons in the Sunday paper!
Or maybe more cost effective!!!
sell out
It’s just business
Well…. I’ve never used her products… they were over priced to me…. oh well… good for her I guess
Were there not any Black companies that could secure this purchase? Too sad!
Um if you sell your business it’s no longer yours so how is that suppose to be considered helping I don’t buy nor use L’Oréal products so the fact that their name is now on I know the quality of that product is about to get worse.
I hope the products don’t change
We always sell out, thats why white ppl own everything we come upwith, they make us an offer we take it, we cant just have nothing to ourselves, they do.
That’s how I feel.
Why is it among black people, when and if we buy from another black person we complain about price but we’ll spend numerous dollars on a designer bag, shoes and European hair and brag that we spent it.
Thank you!!!!
Because they are too expensive&I wonder why blacks waste money on everything namebrand just stupid black or white businesses+blacks are the only ones concerned about weave and the newest shoe,purse,etc y’all give us NORMAL blacks a terrible reputation. Some of us aren’t excited about weaves&ignorance
Great business move
It’s great to see black success. However, these products could have been designed for more typical black women with coarse hair. These products are made for Latin and mixed women, yet marketed to more traditional black women that are far better off with products designed for them.
Congrats!
No , it’s not a sell out , it’s a come up . It just shows carols Daughter is doing big things . Congrats Ms . Keep on striving for the best .
no way. this is a good business opportunity.
I have been natural for several years and when I first started out in my journey I loved some of her products. It seemed as time went on the products were not working. I think she took away from products that were most popular and created new products in an effort to expand her business and it failed. Her filing bankruptcy is the result of trying to do to much to fast . L’Oreal did her a favor. Not all will be lost in this deal at least not from the stand point of her losing her name and continue to earn the dollars.
Please!!!!
Boooooo
Trust no B
If #loreal wanted to #compete in the #natural #hair #market, they could have developed their own product line. But what they wanted was #trust – a #brandname that we trust&have come to #rely on. They did not have that trust because for decades they never made any products they did anything in particular for #ethnic hair. Her #business is related to not just her, but a #culture of natural hair. Lori L watched the #struggle for #decades and #generations and #never #reachedout to us with any type of #productdevelopment
To James Oliver before you speak, make sure you know and understand chemistry formulation. The fact of the matter there is no such thing as a black hair product or a black hair care product. Notice you only hear this nonsense among blacks and whites who have not educated themselves beyond the “Masters” back door. In actuality the race with the most coarse texture is Asian, yet you don’t hear them complaining nor do you see one so called Asian hair product. It’s up to the consumer to educate themselves and test what works for them in any hair care line. How do I know? My credentials, Cosmetology Educator and Product Formulator.
I hope the stuff don’t change cookie almond fan
I am sadden by this acquisition. I would like to see black hair care do better. Thank GOD for the Cornell McBrides, and the Bronner Brothers!!!! It takes a lot of knowledge, understanding and patiences to start out in black hair care and leave a true legacy!!!
This is gonna be interesting 0.0
I think they are going to change the products as we know, and it will no longer have the same results
#TRUTH
I hope they dont change the products and the ingredients
Good for her! Congratulations on all of her successes.
I make my own skin care and hair care products. So, this doesn’t affect me either way.
Good for her.
A sell-out&attention-seeking….what multicultural market? This is attention-seeking because they already have Beyonce&Kim Kardashian as endorsements&they’re ethnic
Kudos to her and I hope this change does lower the prices. I hear so many great things about her products but have not been able try them because of the price. I hope it is the same ingredients as before.
Was it a sell out when Dr Dre sold to Apple??? We’re always bashing our own women! At the end of the day she did what was best for her. Will the product have the same ingredients and be made the same way? Plus how many of us exclusively use black owned hair care products?? I use DIYs, Shea Moisture, As I Am AND just tried out the Hask shampoo and conditioner (macadamia nut line) because I wanted to.
Tbh, successful black businesses are almost always bought out and I think that’s a way to stop blacks from obtaining too much power.
Well that answers my questions on if she still owns it and if the ingredients will change..
Btful
Hmm
Great business move! Let Loreal, whose wealth is worth billions, pay for all the marketing, advertising, etc….
I think more product variety and affordable prices would have helped do that. Carols Daughter was in the finest of stores and was marketed as a high end natural hair care product. With the competition from others making as good or better products for cheaper prices Carols Daughter was quickly losing their share of the natural hair care market.
I see it as a smart business move.
Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t use either brand.
The SELLOUT and CO OPT is REAL….I won’t buy another thing carols daughter
Now I have to find some new products, damn
I think its great
The product will change so it can be whatever I wont buy it any more
Sell out
Wow! Another black owned business will be lost to big business. They change the products.
As a long time user of Carol’s Daughter products, I can honestly say that I have seen the transition of her products from when she was a street vendor in Brooklyn, NY, to when she opened her first store which used to be the old Spike Lee store, to when she opened her own stores and built an online presence. My personal experience has been that her products transitioned from being 100% all natural with a very short shelf life, to maybe about 75 – 50% natural with a longer shelf life. I also saw the rebranding of her products when she had financial backers such as Jay Z, Mary J, Will & Jada Smith. I understand, from a busines perspective, certain changes had to take place in order for her business to grow. We have to consider that going from a local vendor on the streets, to a national vendor is no easy feat without the right type of financial backing and brand reimaging.
With all of that said, as much as I understand the business side of it, I also am a dedicated consumer who grew from loving her products to really liking them but I won’t verbally attack Lisa Price for her decision to do what is best for the brand that she built. This sister is fighting to maintain the Carol’s Daughter product in a very competitive landscape. She is making decisions to do what she probably was not in a position to do on her own financially. Having seen the transition from its inception, being a consumer who ops for natural products (hair and body), and being a business major in college, I understand from most angles.
I am not oblivious to the reality that some of her products changed for the better, some declined, and some remained true such as the mimosa hair honey but this is inevitable with any business that wants to grow and expand. Everything is not for everybody when it comes to hair and body products. I’ve tried some 100% all natural products that didn’t work for me, and some chemical based products that worked just fine, but let me clarify that, some products that had chemicals in them because I don’t do 100% chemical anything.
Anyway, I say all of that to say, that it’s now up to Loreal to do the right thing by the consumer by staying true to the things that the consumers look for the most in the CD products. For just as many negative reviews out there, some people, such as myself, have enjoyed many of the CD products for years. My biggest disappointments is that many of the products I loved the most were discontinued, but rather than complaining or breaking a sister down with my negative comments, I simply just did some research and found the next best or even better thing.
I support Lisa’s decision to do what she had to. I now will look to Loreal to remain true to us, the consumers that like the products.
To me it’s just business. I would just require to be put on the board of directors so I can still have a say in my products.
Was the company in financial trouble? Or maybe she’s just tired and ready to move on…it has been 20 years now…who else would continue the brand besides a big box corp.? This brings up a good question like when the bet gent was ready to retire…what are your options at that level?
Maybe she’s just tired and ready to move on…after all, it has been 20 years (my the time flies by so fast). Realistically, who would continue the brand besides a big box corp? Which brings up a good question…similar to when the BET gent was ready to retire…what are your options at that level? Who do you sell to?
I applaud the move,I don’t understand why some of our people are hating on progress. It gives me joy that now there will be a worldwide distribution, our sistas in Europe,Africa,Asia etc gets to have access to this wonderful products that I love. Lisa price gets to work for us without the burden of financial headache that goes along with owning a business,I say it’s a win – win scenario.
I applaud the move,I don’t understand why some of our people are hating on progress. It gives me joy that now there will be a worldwide distribution, our sistas in Europe,Africa,Asia etc gets to have access to this wonderful products that I love. Lisa price gets to work for us without the burden of financial headache that goes along with owning a business,I say it’s a win – win situation.