Introducing The Mint by Richualist™, a revolutionary beauty tool designed specifically for textured hair. Launched in February 2023 by founder Dawn Myers, an attorney-turned-entrepreneur, recognized the need for a better solution to care for and manage textured hair styles.
Over the past 15-20 years, numerous liquid product formulations have been developed to address textured hair concerns, but there has been little progress in creating tools that simplify the styling and maintenance process.
This led Myers to develop The Mint, a groundbreaking device that reduces the time spent on hair care by an average of 50%.The Mint aims to address the significant gap in the textured hair care market by offering an innovative and multi-purpose solution for styling and maintenance.
The Mint features patented technology that provides unprecedented ease and convenience, faster detangling and styling, increased hair health, and reliable wash-and-go results. Designed with 4c hair types in mind, it accommodates short and transitioning hair and includes a variety of attachments to achieve highly defined, voluminous, or frizz-free styles. The device also increases moisture retention, extending the time between wash days.
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One of the unique aspects of The Mint is its styling pod, which can be filled with the user's preferred textured hair care product. Once filled, the pod is gently warmed by the device, which then evenly distributes the product before detangling and styling.
This method offers better product penetration, more slip, faster detangling, and improved moisture retention. Achieving the optimum temperature is crucial to the product's success, as gentle warmth provides unprecedented value for natural hair and unlocks greater efficacy for consumers seeking an easier way to manage their textured hair.
This innovative approach reduces the time spent on hair care by an average of 50%. Users have praised The Mint as a "game changer," with testimonials highlighting the benefits of even product distribution, soft and healthy hair, and reduced pain during the styling process.
The Mint also offers an ultra-compact design for easy travel and TSA-compatible styling pods for on-the-go convenience. In addition to its impressive features, The Mint has the potential to form partnerships with other textured hair care brands, given its flexibility to accommodate various products.
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The Mint by Richualist is a promising innovation in the world of textured hair care, with the buying power of African American shoppers in the U.S. expected to reach $1.8 trillion in 2024, and hair care being the top category for Black consumers, The Mint is well poised to revolutionize the hair care experience for individuals with textured hair," said Retail Expert, Jeanel Alvarado.
As the textured hair care market continues to grow and evolve, it will be interesting to see how consumers respond to this groundbreaking product and whether other companies will invest in similar technology.
We sat down with Founder, Dawn Myers at Beauty Tech and Innovation Summit 2023 for an exclusive interview to learn more about The Mint by Richualist™, the future of beauty and her thoughts on attending this years conference.
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What was the inspiration behind starting your brand?
Hello and thank you for taking the time to learn about Richualist!
This brand really sprung from a classic, real-world founder scenario. I had a problem that affected me deeply, I saw that others had it too, and I went about designing a solution. As you know, The Mint by Richualist makes washdays faster, easier, and healthier by streamlining the process of detangling, product conditioning, and product application. Our goal is to improve the logistics around natural, textured hair care and give consumers an uplifted experience that makes them feel seen, acknowledged, and catered to.
Where did you first come up with the idea to merge science and beauty?
I had no idea what I was doing when I started. I learned all of this incrementally over years. I saw how women’s eyes would light up when I would tell them about our concept and that kept me going searching for a design that worked. After testing out several mechanical and non mechanical approaches, it just so happened that the best way to solve this problem was to leverage engineering and manufacturing, so I had to learn engineering and manufacturing management to get results for our deserving customers. As with all things that you are passionate about, when you’re presented with a challenge, you figure out a way.
How does your education (or professional experience) play a role in creating products?
I am a lawyer by training and eventually landed in the tech space. Though I never practiced, I use my law degree every day to craft compelling persuasive arguments in negotiations, whip up contracts on the fly, and generally research and perform due diligence on a myriad of issues that arise day to day. Also, coming to the tech space a little later in my career gives me a huge advantage. I had so much experience to lean on that I wasn’t intimidated by the challenges. It’s been the professional ride of a lifetime.
What did you learn from attending the Beauty Tech & Innovation Summit?
The summit was an amazing venue for meeting colleagues I’ve only been able to interact with virtually throughout the pandemic. Most importantly, however, I got some great guidance on sustainability, raising money in the beauty vertical, and best practices for hardware companies in the beauty industry. The contacts were amazing and I am very excited to see where they lead!
Would you recommend other beauty brands to attend? And if yes, what stage of their business should they be in?
I really think there is something for everyone of every stage. Our space is an ecosystem and, no matter what stage your company is in, we rely on each other to share knowledge, ideas, and bleeding edge insights. That’s precisely what the summit facilitates.
Where do you see the future of beauty in the next five years? What technology advancements do you think will go mainstream?
I believe there is a growing opportunity for hardware, particularly hardware that drives customization. As new engineering and manufacturing techniques drive down the cost of product development, more entrepreneurs will be able to access the space and drive physical product innovation that improves users’ experiences and outcomes.
Share with us one of your best selling products, and why do you think its been such a hit?
Our featured offering, The Mint by Richualist, leverages culturally informed engineering to solve for one of the biggest issues in the lives of women and girls with curly hair. For our audience, this was a huge and invisible pain point that no one was addressing. We identified a massive white space and developed a technology not available anywhere else on the market.
Follow us Richualist on instagram @getrichualist or sign up at www.richualist.com to be a part of the movement for easy, healthy curls.
