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In honor of Women's History Month, Price sits down to discuss her entrepreneurial journey, her biggest inspirations, and what's next for her.
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00:00Hey Essies, I'm Akili King, Senior Beauty Editor at Essence Magazine, and today in honor of Women's
00:06History Month, I'm so excited to present our series Makeup Herstory, where we highlight some
00:12inspiring black women in the beauty industry and their journeys. Today I have the complete pleasure
00:18of sitting down with the Lisa Price, founder and president of Carol's Daughter, one of my favorite
00:25brands. I'm honored to be with you today, how are you? I am very well, thank you, and I'm very happy
00:32to be here. Oh, we're happy to have you, looking lovely and colorful, ready for spring. I love the
00:38hair as well. Thank you. Gorgeous. Yes, so yes, we can definitely just jump right in. So the brand
00:47launched in 1993. Amazing. And, you know, you launched it in your kitchen in Brooklyn. I'm
00:56curious if you could take us back to that time. What inspired you to launch the brand? What was
01:02your hair journey and career journey like leading up to that? Well, in 1993, I didn't think that I was
01:09launching a brand. I thought that I loved making fragrance and body care products, and my mom said
01:16they smell really good. I think people would buy them and you should sell them, and I started to sell
01:22them. But I really thought of it as, you know, a way to make some extra money. I didn't think I was
01:29starting a brand. Of course, that changed later. And as far as hair goes, we started the brand with just
01:38fragrance and body. And when I would go out to sell, people would ask me for hair care products. So I
01:45remember saying to my husband, it's like, I have to research herbs and oils for hair because people
01:51keep asking me for hair care. And I began to do that. And I remember putting these essential oils
01:58together in a base of olive oil, and I infused lavender and sage herb into it. And I made my very
02:04first hair oil. Nice. And I started to use it for myself. And that process of making things for other
02:10people, learning and making things that other people were asking me for, but then trying it on
02:16myself, it made me realize that I settled for what I could get for hair care. Right. I just figured,
02:23well, this is it. This is what we have. This is what's available. And then I realized I didn't have to
02:28settle and kept going back and making new and different things. And it grew from there. And
02:36before I started the business, I worked in television and film production. So that's what I thought my job
02:43was and what it was going to be. And this was my hobby and my craft and my fun. And then it turned
02:50into my life. I love that. We love when our passion and side projects and side passions turn into our
02:57careers. That's beautiful. And so you also mentioned your mother briefly just now. I know the brand is
03:06named after her. Tell me about how your mother inspires you, how she inspired the name of the brand and a
03:14little background there. My mom was a glasses half full person. Always. My mom was
03:22you're always blessed, even when you're going through an adversity. That was the way that she
03:28looked at life. And she taught me that in my business. She was not a business person. But some of the best
03:36business lessons that I live by today, I learned from my mother. And I named the company Carol's
03:42daughter because it was something that I was very proud of about myself. And I wanted to celebrate
03:50that. I loved being a part of my family. I loved being Carol's daughter. I also loved being Robert's
03:56daughter, but Carol's daughter just sounded better. Right. And after my mom passed, because my mom
04:03passed in 2023, 2003, 2003, not 2023, 2003, it was something that you don't, you can't prepare
04:16yourself for. It's not, it's unlike anything that you experience, you know, even though, even though I
04:22had experienced grief in my life, it was not the same as losing my mother. And that process was better
04:31for me or as good as it could be because every day I saw her face. I saw her name. And my mom was the
04:40type of person that when she talked about when she passed, you know, when that time comes, she didn't
04:47want you crying and upset. And, you know, and I'm like, yeah, but you're my mother. So I'm going to cry,
04:53get used to it, you know. But knowing that about her, when I walked into work every day,
04:59and I saw her name everywhere on all the jars, on the website, on my computer, you know, it's just
05:04everywhere. I thought about that, you know, and I was like, okay, I'm not, I'm not going to cry.
05:09I'm going to, you know, get the work done. I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do. And I just felt
05:14like she was always around me. And then for all of these years, I get to talk about her. I get to tell
05:21her story. I get to talk about what a great person she was. So I'm grateful that I named the company
05:27what I did, because she never leaves my side, ever. I love that. That's beautiful. And, you know,
05:32you're keeping her legacy alive through the work you do. And that makes me curious, too. What are
05:38some maybe beauty and confidence lessons that you learned from your mother? My mother hated makeup.
05:45Okay, yeah. It makes sense, though, because for a long time, we didn't have shades that worked with
05:50our skin. Right. And my mom had freckles. So she just, she hated makeup. Right. Didn't like foundation.
05:58She had a mascara, a blush, and a lipstick in her medicine cabinet. Nice. Forever. But like the same
06:05one. Right. Forever. Until something dried up, and then she would go get a new one. So she didn't
06:13encourage me to wear makeup. And when I went through a period in my 20s where I was putting on foundation
06:20all the time, you know, she said, you know, you should be comfortable with what your face looks
06:24like. Mm-hmm. And just use makeup to enhance it. You shouldn't cover up your face. Right. So I
06:30ended up with this philosophy that has worked well for me. You know, I wear makeup, but I don't wear
06:38makeup to be somebody who I'm not. Right. I wear makeup to enhance some things. I might want to conceal
06:46my dark circles. Like when I was getting my face done for today, I said, I don't need to be glammed
06:50up. Right. But I don't need to look tired, you know. Right. No. But I learned that from her,
06:55that when you look in the mirror, you need to know who you are and what you look like and love that
06:59above all else. Right. And then you can just enhance what's already there. But you have to love
07:04the person you see in the mirror. Exactly. And that way you won't feel, you know, like chained to makeup.
07:11Right. You won't feel like, oh, I need to have this to face the world. Right. So I love that.
07:15That's beautiful. Yeah. Well, also zoom in on this glam, too, because you're looking really good.
07:21Thank you, Billy. Love the eyeshadow. Yes, shut up, Billy. I love it. I love it. So fast forward
07:27to today, you are found in pretty much every major retailer that you can walk into. And you have some
07:36of my favorite lines. Goddess strength is a staple for me, for sure. And then you've been a part of the
07:43L'Oreal family for maybe almost a decade or a little over 10 years. Yeah, a little over 10 years since
07:502014. And now you are returning. You've announced that you're returning to your independently owned
07:57roots. Yes. What inspired this pivot? What does it mean to you? And what do you want consumers and
08:04fans to know? What inspired the pivot? Missing that independence and feeling like I did the thing
08:19that I was supposed to do. You know, you have investors, your investors need to exit. We exit by
08:25joining a strategic partner. I stayed there for 10 years. It was a great experience. I learned a lot.
08:31I don't regret one minute. But I think there's more. And I think there's different. I don't want
08:39to say that it's going to be better, per se, because I think better is relative. It might be
08:44better for me because I'm not a corporate girl. Never have been. Never will be. Some people are,
08:53some people aren't. I'm one of those who isn't. And, you know, what I want people to understand that
09:00some people have never understood. This entire time, I never went anywhere. So I've been running
09:07my brand, developing product, writing copy, writing labels, researching ingredients, talking to
09:14consumers, educating, et cetera. The whole time, there's this perception that you sell and you
09:20disappear. Right. So I'm still present. But now I get to be more present. Now I don't have to walk
09:28into a corporate boardroom and talk to people and plan things and figure out ideas. I can sit
09:34at a table in my kitchen with key people and say, what are we going to do? Exactly. And that's how we
09:41built it. So I love that. It feels good to be back there. I love that. That's beautiful. Returning to
09:47your roots, keeping that authenticity alive, which you've done throughout. But now you can apply, you know,
09:53what you've learned maybe along the way. And to be able to be more nimble, because when you're in a
09:57really big company, you do have to follow process and protocol just so that everything is above board
10:04and as it should be. And when you're smaller, you can be more nimble. It doesn't have to take 24
10:10months to launch a new product. Right. Exactly. Exactly. No, I love that. So I'm excited to see what you
10:17guys will do going forward. Speaking of that, you've been around, the brand has been around for
10:23over 30 years, which is incredible. What are you hoping for the next 30 of the brand, the future of
10:30the brand? What excites you? When I first started Carol's Daughter, the only other brand that I knew
10:39of in that space was Madam Walker, which didn't exist anymore. And I always thought it would be so
10:48great if we could walk into a store and see Madam Walker's products. Now, since I had that thought,
10:55Madam Walker did become a line that was on shelves. But at the time that I thought that that wasn't the
11:01case. And so what I wanted for myself was for my heirs, my great, great, great grandchildren to be
11:10in a store one day and say, oh, yeah, my great, great grandmother started that line that that's
11:15that's in my family. Right. Because for us, we don't always get to have that legacy. We built things and
11:26then, you know, we lose things or they go away. And it's it's in a history book somewhere, but it
11:32isn't still around. And I wanted it to be still around. Right. And I thought that it would be still
11:38around in the L'Oreal family. But it's still around. I love it. No, I love that. And I love what you said
11:46about keeping the legacy for your future, you know, children's children, etc. Whether they want to be a part
11:52of the business or not, just that being on the shelf. Right now, of course, today, we're we're all
11:59very blessed that there's Carol's daughter, there's Shane Moisture, there's right, Mayel, there's Cantu,
12:05there's Camille wrote, well, not Cantu, so much. Cantu exists, but not the same category. Camille Rose,
12:11you know, the Dew. We have so many more brands, you know, I didn't get to grow up with that. So yeah,
12:20I'm grateful to be a part of that. Absolutely. And the brands, your brand and the brands you just
12:26mentioned are what helped me accept my natural hair back in the early 2000s. So, you know, you are
12:34a Black Herstory maker. Absolutely. And when we walked in here today, our head intern in charge,
12:41as he likes to call himself, Mr. Rich Dennis, mentioned Madam CJ Walker, he said, there's Madam CJ Walker,
12:48and then there's Miss Lisa Price, right there. So you are absolutely a game changer,
12:55Herstory maker. What does it mean to you to be a history maker? Honestly, it isn't something that I
13:02think about often. I think if I thought about it, I would just be overwhelmed and I wouldn't be able
13:08to do what I do every day. But when I announced this new chapter of Carol's Daughter last week,
13:16Monday, someone wrote in a caption, I don't think anybody's done this before. Not a Black woman
13:22anyway. Guess you're making Herstory again, huh, Lisa? And I just, I had this moment and I was like,
13:29oh my God, I did. I did. But I think if I thought about that as I negotiated and went through the
13:37process, it would have been too much. Totally. So I'm grateful that someone brought it to my
13:42attention, but also grateful that I didn't have to focus on it. Absolutely. I could just focus on the
13:48work. Right. And that shows you're just walking in your authentic path. Yeah. And doing what was
13:54meant for you to do. Absolutely. And we love to see it. Yes. And so, you know, on top of running this
14:03incredible brand that makes myself included and everyone feel so seen and held, you are also
14:11leading the charge with Love Delivered. Tell us more about this program. Well, during COVID,
14:19COVID, when we were all stuck inside the house and couldn't go anywhere, I became a huge fan of audio
14:25messages. And I, you know, because you couldn't always, even though we were all home, you couldn't
14:31always talk to people because sometimes we were busy doing things like washing our groceries. And so
14:37I left this message for my friend Latham Thomas, who is the founder of Mama Glow. Yes. And I said,
14:46Carol's daughter wants to do a philanthropic thing. And the thing that we're all really passionate about
14:53is Black maternal health. Do you know of any not-for-profit groups that cater to Black maternal health?
15:02There were maternal health programs, but not Black maternal health programs. And she said, I'm filling out
15:08the paperwork for mine right now. Right. And so we started with these audio messages. And then when it was
15:16safe to be around people outside, we started to go on walks. And by 2021, we gave birth, as we like to
15:22say, to Love Delivered. And it's a partnership between her organization, Mama Glow, and Carol's
15:29daughter. And it has been so amazing since 2021 to have not just your consumer, but people on your staff
15:40volunteering to do events because they're so passionate about it. Right. And now we have
15:47two new moms on our staff. They're delivering April. They're both April 25th. They have like roughly the
15:55same due date. Nice. And they've been able to benefit from the information that has been in the office for
16:03the past four years in planning their families and their pregnancies. Amazing. Well, it's amazing. We need
16:10platforms like this to educate our community and just keep us safe, too, because we hear so many horror stories
16:17with, you know, the Black women delivery situations and rates, death rates, complications. So. Yeah. It's not as it should be.
16:27And, you know, when we first started, Latham and I, it was very important for us to share that information
16:34and awareness and to point out the statistics. And then as we continued in our journey, we also wanted
16:40it to be celebration because the last thing you want is for, you know, a parent going into delivery
16:47feeling scared. Right. Exactly. You know, you want them to feel confident and empowered and you want
16:52their birthing partner to feel that they can be their advocate so that that's the work that we do
16:59because we want every delivery to be the amazing, wonderful, transformative experience that it should
17:05be. Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. Amen. Mic drop. Yes. And so, you know, you're obviously a pro at what
17:14you do. I'm curious what your advice would be to the next generation of upcoming beauty entrepreneurs,
17:21especially Black women and people hoping to maybe launch their own brand or embark into the beauty
17:27world. The most important thing to me for any entrepreneur is knowing your why, knowing your
17:36story, knowing what it is that you're passionate about and not letting anyone else tell that story
17:43better than you. Someone else can tell the story, but just not better than you. And they have to tell
17:48the story that you wrote. Exactly. And you do have to pivot and shift because the world changes. You
17:58know, I remember when I had catalogs because there was no internet. There was no social media. We didn't
18:06have phones with pictures and it didn't exist. So you took photos and you typed and you wrote little
18:13books and that's how people read about you and knew what to buy. And I, I love that process. I loved
18:20writing the stories and all of that. If I stayed stuck in the written word, even though I'm passionate
18:28about the written word, I can't stay stuck there. So I had to learn how to write captions. Now my captions
18:35tend to be a little long. That's okay. I'm older. I'm different. But you know, I, you have to adapt
18:42with the, with the time so that you don't lose your audience, but your why and your passion don't
18:48shift the way you communicate might shift, but what you're saying doesn't shift. Right. Absolutely. I
18:54love that. Yes. And you've embodied that definitely as you've shifted and grown and expanded. So I love
19:01that. And then, so you're very busy, obviously. I'm very curious what self-care looks like for you
19:08these days. Self-care is making sure that I exercise. Um, it was something I did earlier today.
19:16I was multitasking, leaving messages for people while I was riding my Peloton. Right. Um, and recently
19:23I've had to go to physical therapy, which sounds like, Ooh, what's wrong with her? Um, but I had
19:29an issue with my back back in November. I ended up at this physical therapist office in January
19:35and it has been such a blessing for me because he's taught me a different way to walk and move
19:42and exercise. Um, and I just feel so much strength and balance and everything. So I think I'm just
19:49going to tell people I'm going to the gym because when I say I'm going to physical therapy, they're
19:53like, what happened? Um, but it really is exercise at this point. And I've also learned to put on my
20:02schedule baths at least two a week, but preferably three. And they're always magnesium baths at least
20:1020 minutes. Um, it makes a difference. I sleep better. I'm calmer. Um, and you know, I, I'm,
20:18I'm older, so I'm, I'm 62. I'll be 63 in May. I have to take care of myself. There's, there's no
20:26negotiation. Right. There's no, Oh, I'll do it later. There's no beast mode. Beast mode stops.
20:32Right. No, exactly. It doesn't work when you get to a certain point. Um, so yeah, it's, it's
20:41bads. I knit. I love to knit. I love to crochet. I love doing things with my hands. I am obsessed
20:47with fragrance. Yes. It's a little bit of a problem. I just got a delivery today. I'm so
20:52happy. Everything smells so good. I love it. Uh, but yeah, that those are my self-care things
20:57and movies. I love movies. Oh yes. I love film. You're naming all the things I love. So I'm like,
21:02yeah, exactly. Exactly. And I think they invented streaming platforms for me because I watch everything.
21:10I love that. No, that sounds lovely. Love that you're into fragrance. You smell amazing.
21:15Noticed when you came in. What are some fragrances that you love?
21:19Well, today I'm wearing a new one from Amouage and it's called Purpose 50. Okay. Um, but I love
21:25ouds and I love tuberose. I love rose. Uh, there's a perfumer called Lucky Armstrong and his company
21:33is Shansou. Okay. His scents are great. Harlem Fragrance Company. Their, their fragrances are so
21:40beautiful. Yes. The candles and the fragrances. I'm waiting for some of the candles to become
21:46fragrances. Right. I have Josephine for Josephine Baker and I have Billy and they, they're beautiful.
21:52Yes. We just featured their Nina Simone, uh, for our beauty awards. Yeah. Oh, it's new or less
21:59launched last year, but yes. Oh, yeah. So good. And speaking of products, do you have a favorite
22:06of your own or favorites that you're, you know, always returned to?
22:12It's so hard to pick a favorite sometimes, but, um, interestingly enough, a favorite, one that has
22:21become a favorite that I never thought would be a favorite. I've never been a person who likes gel,
22:26but I love our black vanilla jelly. I really do. I really, really do. Um, but I've never liked gel,
22:33but I love that gel and a less popular item within our line, but I adore it is the wash day delight
22:40micellar shampoo, especially when I'm wearing braids because I can clean my scalp, get my hair clean
22:48efficiently. It, there, there's not too much lather, so there isn't too much friction and my braids don't
22:52get messed up. No, I love that one too. And it smells like grass. Yes. The nozzle is so nice. Yeah.
22:59Yes. Love that one. Okay. Amazing. Yeah. I could imagine it's hard to choose. It's hard for me to
23:04choose as well. Favorites from your brand. So I can only imagine as the founder. Um, and so next up,
23:12I'm curious, you know, it's women's history month, obviously right now, who's inspiring you
23:18right now? Who would you love to give your flowers to? Oh, wow. It's a tough choice to narrow down to
23:29like one person. Um, but Joe take a Edy. She is one of the founding members of when with black women,
23:40her company is full circle strategy. She has an, she's an amazing thinker and connector
23:47of people. And she's just, just, she's not just a person. She's a force. You know, you, you say her
23:58name and people listen and pay attention. If, if she asks someone to come to something, listen to
24:07something, be a part of something, they're coming solely based on the strength of her word that it's
24:13important for them to be there. And she's such a powerful woman that so many people don't know,
24:19and they don't realize how much she's impacted their lives because of the people that she connects.
24:24So yeah, I would give Joe take a Edy all the flowers. I love that. I'm going to look into her
24:29word because she sounds phenomenal. She is. Yeah, she is amazing. As are you, you're a phenomenal woman,
24:36entrepreneur, inspiration. I got flowers from Tracy today. And I totally fangirled. I love it.
24:43That's amazing. Yeah. That's really amazing. I looked at the car and I said, oh. Yeah. Speaking of flowers,
24:50Tracy Ellis Ross. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. I, I, I adore her. Yes, me too. Love when your
24:57own inspirations are inspired by you as well. Yeah. So that's really cool. And I love when something,
25:04you admire somebody and then you meet them and they don't disappoint. Right. You know,
25:09they, they live up to that. And Tracy's always been that. I agree. I have met her and would have
25:15to agree. She's incredible. She is. Yeah, she is. Okay. Well, you're amazing. I'm like fangirling
25:23over here. I was trying to keep it together, but just seeing the products in my bathroom as a kid.
25:30Did you see her in American fiction? Did you see that? I did. I loved it. Yes. I don't want to
25:35spoil it. Did you see that movie? American fiction. Oh, okay. What you, what happens with her in the
25:43film? Right. Right. Yeah. So Tracy looks to me a lot like my mom when my mom was young, the big eyes,
25:52the freckles. And so sometimes in different roles and photos, like she turns her face and I'm like,
26:00whoa, it's Carol. You know, and it like, it's kind of jarring. Right. Yeah. And so watching that movie
26:07with what happens to her. Wow. That's what happened to my mom. Wow. And I was not good
26:15in the theater. It was like, it was like watching the thing that I didn't watch. Right. I knew what
26:22happened. I wasn't present when it happened. Right. And I felt like I was watching what happened.
26:26Wow. When she's in the ER and all of that. Wow. I'm sure you've shared this with her.
26:30I haven't. You haven't. Oh wow. No. I'm like, if you ever have a movie about your life, maybe she
26:36could play. That's my dream. That's my dream that she, she plays my mom, you know, younger. Cause
26:43I've always wanted to say that to her, but I need to do it like in person because she's younger than
26:50I am. So it sounds weird to be like, I need you to play my mom. No, I get that. Yeah. So you want
26:55younger version. You want to say in context. Right. Right. Of course. Wow. No, that's, that's
27:00powerful. So yes, I could see that connection being even more, you know, an inspiration. And
27:06it's something that I noticed a long time ago. I remember I was watching something with her and I
27:12took a screenshot and I sent it to one of my siblings and I said, who does that look like? And
27:16he's like, oh my God, that's Ma. I said, I know. Wow. But it's not. Wow. I mean, that's kind of
27:24amazing. And her having her own hair care brand too. There's so much synergy. We are just so
27:29honored that you stopped by here today. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you everyone
27:34for tuning in and we will see you very soon.
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