Mielle Organics Joins P&G Beauty in a Major Move for Black Entrepreneurs Serving Black Women
Mielle will continue to be led by co-founders Monique and Melvin Rodriguez, as CEO and COO, respectively, and will operate as an independent subsidiary of P&G Beauty.
P&G Beauty and Mielle Organics®, a popular textured hair care brand rooted in natural ingredients, announced today that it will join P&G Beauty, pending regulatory approval, further expanding access to healthy hair products and services for Black women around the world.
Founded by wife-and-husband duo Monique and Melvin Rodriguez in 2014, Mielle Organics has become a leading brand for consumers with textured hair through innovative, technology-driven products, natural ingredients, and inspirational and educational content.
Mielle will continue to be led by co-founders Monique and Melvin Rodriguez, as CEO and COO, respectively, and will operate as an independent subsidiary of P&G Beauty.
“From the moment we stepped into P&G, we saw a diverse team of leaders who share our values and vision for innovation, education and community empowerment, including several Black leaders who play a key role in the hair care and beauty businesses,” said Monique Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO. “This partnership gives Mielle an opportunity to serve more textured hair consumers with the great products and formulas that our community loves.”
“Today is a remarkable moment for our brand and for the climb of Black entrepreneurs everywhere as we collectively continue to break barriers and accelerate the opportunities for growth,” added Ms. Rodriguez. “I am thrilled that we will make an even greater impact in how we give back to the community.”
Mielle and P&G have each committed $10 million to Mielle Cares, a non-profit aimed at providing resources and support to advance education and economic opportunities in Black and Brown communities. P&G’s investment in Mielle Cares further expands its work in advancing gender and racial equity through award-winning platforms like My Black is Beautiful and Widen the Screen.
“We founded Mielle Cares to give back to our community who has been so instrumental in the success of Mielle,” said Melvin Rodriguez, co-founder and chief operating officer for Mielle Organics. “Mielle remains committed to leading with purpose and impact and serving as a beacon in historically underserved communities. Expanding our impact in Black and Brown communities will become an even greater focus in the years ahead.”
The news caps an impressive period of growth for Mielle. Over the last three years, Ms. Rodriguez was able to secure funding from the New Voices Fund for Women of Color and a subsequent nine-figure investment from Berkshire Partners at a time when less than one percent of Black women secured $1 million in funding.*
“This moment was made possible by our hardworking team, the visionaries who came before us, and the trust and partnership with investors like New Voices and Berkshire Partners,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “Now we can pay it forward by continuing the cycle of investment and mentorship through Mielle Cares.”
“Monique, Melvin and their entire team have done an incredible job building Mielle Organics into a leading hair care brand beloved by millions of Black women, and we’re excited to help them continue their success,” said Lela Coffey, vice president of P&G’s multicultural hair care business. “P&G Beauty’s role will be to support the Mielle Organics team with what they need to achieve their vision – including increased access in Black and Brown communities and investing in research and innovation – while enabling the core tenets of their success to continue as they are today.”
“P&G Beauty is a best-in-class organization, and we are excited that this partnership will bring additional resources so that Mielle can continue to serve our incredible customers with rapid innovation and greater reach in the community,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “Melvin and I will continue to lead Mielle with the focus on excellence, customer commitment and integrity that have been the core of our brand since day one nearly nine years ago.”
About Mielle Organics
Founded in 2014 by CEO Monique Rodriguez, Mielle Organics is a popular Black-founded, woman-led global beauty brand that is rooted in natural ingredients. With a heavy emphasis on incorporating healthier ingredients as its "root to results," Mielle Organics' collection of beauty products is designed for Black women. Their products can be found in more than 100,000 stores across the U.S. in retailers such as Ulta Beauty, Sally Beauty, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Walmart.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit https://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands. For other P&G news, visit us at https://www.pg.com/news.
*Source: ProjectDiane 2020 biennial report on the state of Black and Latina women founders by the organization digitalundivided
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