Sally Beauty launches accelerator program for female-led businesses

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jun 20, 2018

Denton, Texas-based beauty retailer Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. announced the launch of Sally Beauty Cultivate - For Women by Women on Wednesday, a business accelerator program for female beauty entrepreneurs that kicks off with a search for the next big hair care brand. 

From today, Sally Beauty is open to applications from female-owned hair care brands looking to take their growth to the next level. The top ranked brand will receive $25,000 in financial support and mentoring from Sally Beauty, and will also have their products distributed through the retailer's e-commerce website. 

"We are thrilled to launch the Sally Beauty Cultivate program," said Sally Beauty President Carrie McDermott in a release. "We continue to be inspired by all of the terrific women entrepreneurs we have met over the years and believe in supporting women who are developing products to make her best accessory, her hair, even better."

Sally Beauty is a long-time supporter of female-led companies in the beauty industry and particularly in the hair care category. The retailer distributed well-known hair brands such as Made Beautiful, Mielle Organics and The Mane Choice when they were starting out, helping them reach a much wider range of consumers early on in their development. 

Currently, approximately 1 in 3 of the retailer's sales supports a hair care or color brand owned or founded by a woman, while 1 in 5 textured hair sales supports brands started by African American women. 

"Sally Beauty has a long history of collaborating with women entrepreneurs to help launch their brands in our stores and online. We're excited to identify the next wave of women entrepreneurs and help support them through the Sally Beauty Cultivate program," said Jamira Johnson, VP for digital and innovation at Sally Beauty. 

Brands interested in the Sally Beauty Cultivate - For Women by Women program can apply via the Sally Beauty website between June 18th and July 18th, 2018.