Good Dye Young

Good Dye Young is a United States hair-color brand founded in 2016 by Hayley Williams, lead singer of the band Paramore, and Brian O'Connor, a hairstylist and makeup artist [1][6]. It makes semi-permanent vivid hair color, lightening products and hair makeup, positioned around bright, fashion-forward shades and formulas the company describes as free of harmful ingredients. The brand remains active, with the United States as its largest market and retail distribution across several other countries.

The company grew out of the friendship and creative collaboration between Williams and O'Connor. Its first product was tied to "Riot," the orange shade Williams wore in Paramore's 2007 breakout music video. For much of its first decade the brand kept Williams' music separate from its marketing, a stance it began to change in 2025.

⚑ Thinner sourcing. The article relies largely on the brand's own statements (T2–T3). Glowpedia is seeking independent sources.

Williams and O'Connor established Good Dye Young Inc out of a long working relationship, with O'Connor styling Williams' hair before the two turned vivid color into a business [1]. The orange "Riot" shade from Paramore's 2007 video gave the brand its starting point and its early identity in the alternative and music-fan communities that first adopted it. O'Connor is credited as a co-founder and serves in an executive role; he has described hair color as something that gave him "the courage to be different," a personal idea the brand carries into its wider messaging.

Good Dye Young centers on semi-permanent vegan hair color, sold alongside lightening kits, color-depositing treatments and temporary hair makeup. Among its named hero products are the GDY Lightening Kit, the Semi-Permanent Hair Dye line, DYEposit, One Night Only and the Color Kind Wash & Rinse range. The brand's shades are grouped into collections such as The OG Shades, Infusions, Greenhaus and Metalheads, spanning the full spectrum of bright colors.

The semi-permanent color is formulated without PPD (a common hair-dye ingredient linked to allergic reactions), peroxide or ammonia, and the company states it lasts roughly 16 to 24 washes [2]. DYEposit, a color-depositing mask, uses a licensed bonding agent called Fiberhance, which the brand says penetrates the hair's cortex to form new bonds [2]. Hair-care formulas such as the Wash and Rinse draw on ingredients including bergamot and other essential oils, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, hibiscus extracts and shea butter.

The brand frames its mission as "vibrant color for all," making what it calls "rockstar-grade, hair-healthy products" so customers can experiment with color safely and express themselves [1]. It describes a goal of building a community "centered around color, connection, and creativity" rather than operating as a conventional company. Its stated values include vegan and cruelty-free formulation, hair-healthy formulas and a "For the Good" commitment it summarizes as people- and planet-friendly. The brand also runs a professional arm, GDY PRO, serving certified stylists and salons, and has signaled interest in expanding a full professional cosmetics line [4][6].

According to the company, all Good Dye Young products are vegan and cruelty-free, and the brand says it is Leaping Bunny Certified [2]. It positions its formulas as both gentler on hair and more responsible than conventional dyes, grouping this under its "For the Good" value alongside the vegan and cruelty-free claims.

After launching in 2016, the brand built its early following through direct-to-consumer sales and a niche, community-driven base before moving into mass retail. In the year leading up to 2023 it entered Target, Walmart and Amazon, and in May 2023 it launched at Ulta Beauty in stores and online — its fourth major national retail partnership in twelve months [7]. Coverage of that launch reported about 78 stock-keeping units across categories and cited a "67% year-over-year compound annual growth rate" since 2016 [7]. By the mid-2020s the brand was also sold internationally, including in Australia, India, Mexico and Canada, with retail and salon partners in markets such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom [6].

In 2025 the brand created a dedicated shade tied to Williams' new album — the first time, according to co-founder O'Connor, that it explicitly linked her music to the business [6]. Around the same period it expanded music-led marketing and named a collaboration with the musician SZA [6].

Good Dye Young is active. Its most recent publicly documented activity dates to 2025, with the album-linked shade release and broader music-driven marketing reported in a trade-press interview with its co-founders [6]. The company operates primarily through its own website in the United States, which remains its largest market, supported by national retail in the U.S. and partner retailers and salons abroad.