Ancestry and AI drive equity in Black and Latinx hair care

The global hair care industry is experiencing renewed momentum around cultural inclusivity. SheaMoisture has launched a Black hair culture campaign, Myavana partnered with The Beauty Genie for AI-powered textured hair analysis, and Isima debuted product lines for Latinx consumers.

Innova Market Insights data indicates that hair care product launches with “African/American hair type” claims grew by 67% between April 2020 and March 2025. From April 2024 to March 2025, 36% of these launches were in Europe and 33% in North America, with styling products making up nearly half of the releases.

Globally, the Black hair care market is projected to grow from US$9.56 billion in 2023 to over US$15 billion by 2033, according to the Financial Times.

This market potential intersects with cultural activism and consumer advocacy, prompting a wave of initiatives and product launches to address unmet needs, representation, and formulation gaps.

SheaMoisture on Black hair identity

SheaMoisture has launched its “Yes, And” campaign with a commercial and two-day event in New York City, US. The campaign uses public spaces and print media to illuminate self-expression and the cultural richness of Black hair.

The pop-up newsstand booth featured hair demonstrations, photography installations, and the debut of the brand’s first print magazine. SheaMoisture modeled the magazine after classic Black hair books to honor the history and evolution of textured hair.

SheaMoisture reaffirms hair as “a language of individuality, artistry, and heritage.”The campaign invites customers to “embrace every version of themselves” and reaffirm hair as “a language of individuality, artistry, and heritage.”

The campaign shifts brand communication from product promotion to cultural affirmation — particularly for consumers whose hair has been historically marginalized by Western beauty standards.

Creating convenience

In Atlanta, US, beauty tech company Myavana partnered with The Beauty Genie, a start-up known for smart vending machines, to offer personalized solutions for textured hair.

The partnership integrates Myavana’s AI-driven hair analysis platform with The Beauty Genie’s smart vending technology. Consumers can scan a QR code and complete a digital hair analysis, which generates product recommendations tailored to their hair type and condition.

The system uses a proprietary diagnostic model that accounts for over 900 texture combinations, density, porosity, and other variables standard to textured hair. The tool works to remove the guesswork for consumers often excluded from conventional product labeling and merchandising.

“This is about transforming how we experience beauty through the lens of technology, culture, and care,” says Myavana CEO Candace Mitchell.

The vending model aims to offer convenient, real-time access to suitable hair care products at salons, universities, and retail locations to maximize accessibility.

Isima says mainstream products rarely account for complex Latin community hair needs.Challenging “one-size-fits-all”

Isima says that the products currently available fall short of addressing Latinx needs. Backed by US$12 million in funding, the brand asserts these products rarely account for the complex curl pattern, protein loss, and moisture imbalance typical across Latin communities.

Isima’s product line is designed to deliver targeted repair and nourishment to consumers with specific biological hair care needs. The brand’s portfolio is built on clinical research and ingredient testing across multiple hair textures.

“We devoted years of exhaustive research and clinical testing to addressing the specific diversity of needs harnessed by this expansive community,” says chief science officer at Isima, Anthony Potin. 

“We tapped a panel of trichologists and formulators on a global scale to address hair textures from straight to coiled and states from chemically treated to color-processed. Together, we created formulas that uniquely account for bond breakdown, protein depletion, and moisture deprivation needs in ways the industry has yet to see outside of Isima.”

To support its debut, Isima has entered into an exclusive retail partnership with Ulta Beauty. The brand has launched in all brick-and-mortar stores in the US and on the retailer’s e-commerce site. It plans to roll out in Ulta Beauty Mexico in August of this year.

With its Latinx-centered approach and steady rollout, Isima aims to challenge one-size-fits-all standards and provide meaningful representation for a demographic that it says has been excluded from tailored hair care innovation.