Curlsmith

Curlsmith is a British curly-haircare brand founded in London and built around products for wavy, curly and coily hair. It grew out of an online community before launching a product line, expanded quickly into the United States, and in April 2022 was acquired by the American consumer-products group Helen of Troy for $150 million in cash [4]. It continues to operate as an active sub-brand under that ownership.

The company markets itself under the tagline "Gourmet Curl Care" and is known for "food-inspired formulas" that lean on ingredients it calls superfoods. Sources disagree on its exact start: the founders' own account dates the brand to 2018, while a trade report places its origin in 2017, most likely the year its educational blog and community began ahead of the first products.

Curlsmith began not as a product range but as a community. According to the company, it started "as a community of curlies on Instagram and YouTube, sharing tips, tricks, tutorials and natural haircare recipes," and only moved into manufacturing "after countless requests" from its followers. A first-person founder account names Kate Berski and Michal Berski as co-founders and dates the brand to 2018 [5]; Beauty Independent's coverage of the later acquisition credits only Michal Berski and gives a founding year of 2017 [4]. The brand's first office was in North Acton, London, before it expanded to the US market.

The route to a product line ran through content. The founders launched an educational blog for textured-hair readers that drew 10,000 readers within three months and 70,000 within a year, demand that the trade press described as validating the move into products [4]. Early backers included the rapper J. Cole and the entertainment executive James Lassiter with his wife Mai Lassiter [4].

Curlsmith is owned by Helen of Troy, which acquired it in April 2022 for $150 million in cash [4]. At the time of the deal, the brand was projected to generate $40–42 million in sales for 2022, and the trade press reported a valuation of roughly ten times EBITDA [4]. Within Helen of Troy's portfolio, its sister brands include the hair-tools line Hot Tools. Co-founder Michal Berski left the business after the acquisition, stepping away from the industry [4].

The brand's stated purpose is "to inspire curl confidence in everyone," which it pursues by combining what it calls high-performing "clean" curl-care products with education on styling techniques for different hair textures. Underlying this is the belief, in the company's words, that "everyone can love the hair they have, with the right care." Its positioning has been summarised by co-founder Kate Berski with the line that "frizz is not a hair type, it is curl potential" [5], and it frames itself as an inclusive brand serving the large share of people the founders estimate have some texture in their hair.

In trade coverage, Curlsmith has been described as a leading textured-haircare brand, and the company itself claimed to be the "#1 textured haircare brand in the U.S." around the time of its sale [4].

Curlsmith's range spans shampoos, conditioners, leave-in conditioners, stylers, treatments, curl refreshers, tools and accessories, and temporary colour. The company identifies the Weightless Air Dry Cream as its top-selling product, alongside items such as the CurlFit Reviving Mist, the Hydro Style Flexi Jelly, the Multi-Tasking Conditioner and the Curl Defining Styling Soufflé.

The brand presents its formulas as vegan and cruelty-free, and says they exclude silicones, sulfates, parabens, mineral oils, DEAs, drying alcohols, artificial dyes and phthalates. According to Curlsmith, a survey of 166 respondents conducted between December 2024 and February 2025 found that 95% of participants felt happier with their curls after using its products.

Curlsmith reports US-based manufacturing and several packaging measures: plastic bottles and jars made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, tubes made from 45% recycled plastic, and FSC-certified cartons. The company also describes partnerships with Project Beauty Share in the United States and The Hygiene Bank in the United Kingdom.

Curlsmith's status is acquired: it has operated as part of Helen of Troy since the April 2022 purchase rather than as an independent company [4]. It remains commercially active, with current product launches, an on-site customer survey that ran into early 2025, and storefronts across the US, UK and EU.