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.
00:00I'm Akili King, senior beauty editor at Essence Magazine.
00:04And today, in honor of Women's History Month,
00:07I'm so excited to present our series, Makeup Herstory,
00:11where we highlight some inspiring black women
00:13in the beauty industry and their journeys.
00:16Today, I have the complete pleasure
00:19of sitting down with the Lisa Price, founder
00:22and president of Carol's Daughter,
00:25one of my favorite brands.
00:26I'm honored to be with you today.
00:28How are you?
00:29I am very well, thank you.
00:31And I'm very happy to be here.
00:32Oh, we're happy to have you, looking
00:35lovely and colorful, ready for spring.
00:38I love the hair as well.
00:39Gorgeous.
00:40Yes.
00:42So yes, we can definitely just jump right in.
00:46So the brand launched in 1993.
00:50Amazing.
00:51And you launched it in your kitchen in Brooklyn.
00:56I'm curious if you could take us back to that time.
01:00What inspired you to launch the brand?
01:02What was your hair journey and career journey
01:04like leading up to that?
01:06Well, in 1993, I didn't think that I was launching a brand.
01:11I thought that I loved making fragrance and body care
01:15products.
01:15And my mom said, they smell really good.
01:18I think people would buy them, and you should sell them.
01:21And I started to sell them.
01:23But I really thought of it as a way
01:26to make some extra money.
01:28I didn't think I was starting a brand.
01:31Of course, that changed later.
01:33And as far as hair goes, we started the brand
01:38with just fragrance and body.
01:40And when I would go out to sell, people
01:43would ask me for hair care products.
01:45So I remember saying to my husband,
01:47I have to research herbs and oils for hair,
01:50because people keep asking me for hair care.
01:53And I began to do that.
01:56And I remember putting these essential oils together
01:58in a base of olive oil.
02:00And I infused lavender and sage herb into it.
02:03And I made my very first hair oil.
02:05And I started to use it for myself.
02:08And that process of making things for other people,
02:11learning and making things that other people were asking me
02:14for, but then trying it on myself,
02:17it made me realize that I settled for what
02:20I could get for hair care.
02:22I just figured, well, this is it.
02:24This is what we have.
02:25This is what's available.
02:27And then I realized I didn't have to settle.
02:29And kept going back and making new and different things.
02:34And it grew from there.
02:36And before I started the business,
02:38I worked in television and film production.
02:40So that's what I thought my job was
02:44and what it was going to be.
02:45And this was my hobby and my craft and my fun.
02:49And it turned into my life.
02:51I love that.
02:52We love when our passion and side projects and side passions
02:56turn into our careers.
02:58Absolutely.
02:58That's beautiful.
03:00And so you also mentioned your mother briefly just now.
03:04I know the brand is named after her.
03:08Tell me about how your mother inspires you,
03:11how she inspired the name of the brand,
03:13and a little background there.
03:15My mom was a glasses half full person always.
03:21My mom was, you're always blessed,
03:24even when you're going through an adversity.
03:27That was the way that she looked at life.
03:29And she taught me that in my business.
03:33She was not a business person.
03:35But some of the best business lessons that I live by today,
03:38I learned from my mother.
03:40And I named the company Carol's Daughter
03:43because it was something that I was very proud of about myself.
03:47And I wanted to celebrate that.
03:51I loved being a part of my family.
03:52I loved being Carol's daughter.
03:54I also loved being Robert's daughter.
03:56But Carol's daughter just sounded better.
04:00And after my mom passed, because my mom passed in 2023, 2003,
04:06not 2023, 2003, it was something that you
04:15can't prepare yourself for.
04:18It's unlike anything that you experience.
04:22Even though I had experienced grief in my life,
04:24it was not the same as losing my mother.
04:27And that process was better for me, or as good as it could be,
04:33because every day I saw her face.
04:37I saw her name.
04:39And my mom was the type of person
04:41that when she talked about when she passed,
04:45when that time comes, she didn't want you crying and upset.
04:50And I'm like, yeah, but you're my mother, so I'm going to cry.
04:53Get used to it.
04:55But knowing that about her, when I walked into work every day
04:59and I saw her name everywhere, on all the jars,
05:02on the website, on my computer, it's just everywhere,
05:05I thought about that.
05:07And I was like, OK, I'm not going to cry.
05:09I'm going to get the work done.
05:11I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do.
05:13And I just felt like she was always around me.
05:16And then for all of these years, I get to talk about her.
05:20I get to tell her story.
05:22I get to talk about what a great person she was.
05:25So I'm grateful that I named the company what I did,
05:28because she never leaves my side, ever.
05:30I love that.
05:31That's beautiful.
05:32And you're keeping her legacy alive through the work you do.
05:36And that makes me curious, too, what
05:38are some maybe beauty and confidence lessons
05:41that you learned from your mother?
05:43My mother hated makeup.
05:45OK, yeah.
05:46It makes sense, though, because for a long time,
05:49we didn't have shades that worked with our skin.
05:51And my mom had freckles.
05:54So she just hated makeup, didn't like foundation.
05:58She had a mascara, a blush, and a lipstick
06:01in her medicine cabinet.
06:02Nice.
06:03Essentials.
06:04But like the same one, forever, until something dried up.
06:09Then she would go get a new one.
06:11So she didn't encourage me to wear makeup.
06:15And when I went through a period in my 20s
06:18where I was putting on foundation all the time,
06:21she said, you should be comfortable with what
06:23your face looks like.
06:25And just use makeup to enhance it.
06:27You shouldn't cover up your face.
06:30So I ended up with this philosophy
06:34that has worked well for me.
06:36I wear makeup, but I don't wear makeup
06:40to be somebody who I'm not.
06:42I wear makeup to enhance some things.
06:45I might want to conceal my dark circles.
06:47Like when I was getting my face done for today,
06:49I said, I don't need to be glammed up,
06:51but I don't need to look tired.
06:53But I learned that from her, that when
06:56you look in the mirror, you need to know who you are
06:58and what you look like and love that above all else.
07:02And then you can just enhance what's already there.
07:04But you have to love the person you see in the mirror.
07:07And that way, you won't feel chained to makeup.
07:11You won't feel like, oh, I need to have this to face
07:13the world.
07:14So I love that.
07:15That's beautiful.
07:17We'll also zoom in on this glam, too,
07:18because you're looking really good.
07:21Thank you, Billie.
07:22Yes, shut up, Billie.
07:24I love it.
07:24I love it.
07:25So fast forward to today, you are
07:28found in pretty much every major retailer
07:32that you can walk into.
07:35And you have some of my favorite lines.
07:38Goddess strength is a staple for me, for sure.
07:41And then you've been a part of the L'Oreal family
07:44for maybe almost a decade.
07:47Yeah, a little over 10 years.
07:48Yeah, a little over 10 years, since 2014.
07:52And now you've announced that you're
07:55returning to your independently owned roots.
07:59What inspired this pivot?
08:01What does it mean to you?
08:02And what do you want consumers and fans to know?
08:06What inspired the pivot?
08:10Missing that independence and feeling like I did the thing
08:19that I was supposed to do.
08:20You have investors.
08:21Your investors need to exit.
08:24We exit by joining a strategic partner.
08:27I stayed there for 10 years.
08:29It was a great experience.
08:31I learned a lot.
08:31I don't regret one minute.
08:33Of course.
08:34But I think there's more.
08:36And I think there's different.
08:38I don't want to say that it's going to be better, per se,
08:42because I think better is relative.
08:44It might be better for me because I'm not a corporate
08:47girl, never have been, never will be.
08:50OK, you heard it.
08:52Some people are.
08:53Some people aren't.
08:54I'm one of those who isn't.
08:55And what I want people to understand that some people
09:01have never understood, this entire time,
09:04I never went anywhere.
09:06So I've been running my brand, developing product,
09:09writing copy, writing labels, researching ingredients,
09:13talking to consumers, educating, et cetera, the whole time.
09:17There's this perception that you sell and you disappear.
09:21So I'm still present, but now I get to be more present.
09:26Now I don't have to walk into a corporate boardroom
09:29and talk to people and plan things and figure out ideas.
09:34I can sit at a table in my kitchen with key people
09:38and say, what are we going to do?
09:40Exactly.
09:40And that's how we built it.
09:42So I love that.
09:43It feels good to be back there.
09:45I love that.
09:46That's beautiful, returning to your roots,
09:48keeping that authenticity alive, which you've done throughout.
09:52But now you can apply what you've
09:54learned maybe along the way.
09:55And to be able to be more nimble,
09:57because when you're in a really big company,
10:00you do have to follow a process and protocol
10:02just so that everything is above board and as it should be.
10:05And when you're smaller, you can be more nimble.
10:08It doesn't have to take 24 months
10:10to launch a new product.
10:11Right, exactly.
10:13Exactly.
10:14No, I love that.
10:15So I'm excited to see what you guys will do going forward.
10:20Speaking of that, you've been around,
10:22the brand has been around for over 30 years,
10:25which is incredible.
10:27What are you hoping for the next 30 of the brand,
10:30the future of the brand, what excites you?
10:33When I first started Carol's Daughter,
10:36the only other brand that I knew of in that space
10:41was Madam Walker, which didn't exist anymore.
10:45And I always thought it would be so great
10:48if we could walk into a store and see Madam Walker's
10:52products.
10:53Now, since I had that thought, Madam Walker
10:56did become a line that was on shelves.
10:58But at the time that I thought that, that wasn't the case.
11:02And so what I wanted for myself was for my heirs,
11:07my great-great-great-grandchildren
11:09to be in a store one day and say, oh, yeah,
11:12my great-great-grandmother started that line.
11:14That's in my family.
11:17Because for us, we don't always get to have that legacy.
11:24We've built things, and then we lose things, or they go away.
11:29And it's in a history book somewhere,
11:31but it isn't still around.
11:34And I wanted it to be still around.
11:36And I thought that it would be still
11:38around in the L'Oreal family, but it's still around.
11:42I love it.
11:43No, I love that.
11:45And I love what you said about keeping
11:46the legacy for your future children's children, et cetera.
11:51Whether they want to be a part of the business or not,
11:53just that being on the shelf.
11:56Now, of course, today, we're all very blessed
11:59that there's Carol's Daughter.
12:01There's Shea Moisture.
12:02There's Miel.
12:04There's Cantu.
12:05There's Camille Rose.
12:06Well, not Cantu so much.
12:08Cantu exists, but not the same category.
12:10Camille Rose, The Dew.
12:14We have so many more brands.
12:17I didn't get to grow up with that.
12:19So I'm grateful to be a part of that.
12:23Absolutely.
12:24And your brand and the brands you just mentioned
12:27are what helped me accept my natural hair back
12:31in the early 2000s.
12:32So you are a black herstory maker, absolutely.
12:37And when we walked in here today,
12:39our head intern in charge, as he likes to call himself,
12:42Mr. Rich Dennis, mentioned Madam CJ Walker.
12:46He said, there's Madam CJ Walker,
12:49and then there's Miss Lisa Price right there.
12:51So you are absolutely a game changer, herstory maker.
12:57What does it mean to you to be a history maker?
13:00Honestly, it isn't something that I think about often.
13:04I think if I thought about it, I would just be overwhelmed,
13:07and I wouldn't be able to do what I do every day.
13:10But when I announced this new chapter of Carol's Daughter
13:15last week, Monday, someone wrote in a caption,
13:19I don't think anybody's done this before.
13:21Not a black woman, anyway.
13:23Guess you're making herstory again, huh, Lisa?
13:27And I just had this moment, and I was like, oh my god, I did.
13:31I did.
13:33But I think if I thought about that as I negotiated and went
13:37through the process, it would have been too much.
13:39Totally.
13:40So I'm grateful that someone brought it to my attention,
13:43but also grateful that I didn't have to focus on it.
13:47I could just focus on the work.
13:49And that shows you're just walking in your authentic path
13:52and doing what was meant for you to do.
13:55Absolutely.
13:56And we love to see it.
13:58Yes.
13:59And so on top of running this incredible brand that
14:05makes myself included and everyone feel so seen and held,
14:10you are also leading the charge with Love Delivered.
14:14Tell us more about this program.
14:17Well, during COVID, when we were all stuck inside the house
14:21and couldn't go anywhere, I became
14:24a huge fan of audio messages.
14:26And because you couldn't always, even though we were all home,
14:31you couldn't always talk to people
14:32because sometimes we were busy doing things
14:35like washing our groceries.
14:37And so I left this message for my friend, Latham Thomas,
14:43who is the founder of Mama Glow.
14:45And I said, Carol's daughter wants
14:49to do a philanthropic thing.
14:51And the thing that we're all really passionate about
14:53is Black maternal health.
14:56Do you know of any not-for-profit groups
14:59that cater to Black maternal health?
15:02There were maternal health programs, but not
15:04Black maternal health programs.
15:06And she said, I'm filling out the paperwork for mine
15:10right now.
15:11And so we started with these audio messages.
15:16And then when it was safe to be around people outside,
15:18we started to go on walks.
15:20And by 2021, we gave birth, as we like to say,
15:23to Love Delivered.
15:25And it's a partnership between her organization, Mama Glow,
15:29and Carol's daughter.
15:30And it has been so amazing since 2021
15:35to have not just your consumer, but people on your staff
15:42to do events because they're so passionate about it.
15:46And now we have two new moms on our staff.
15:49They're delivering April.
15:51They're both April 25th.
15:53They have roughly the same due date.
15:57And they've been able to benefit from the information
16:01that has been in the office for the past four years
16:05in planning their families and their pregnancies.
16:07Amazing.
16:08Well, it's amazing.
16:09We need platforms like this to educate our community
16:13and just keep us safe, too,
16:15because we hear so many horror stories
16:17with the Black women delivery situations and rates,
16:22death rates, complications.
16:25Yeah, it's not as it should be.
16:27And when we first started, Latham and I,
16:30it was very important for us to share that information
16:34and awareness and to point out the statistics.
16:37And then as we continued in our journey,
16:39we also wanted it to be celebration
16:41because the last thing you want is for a parent
16:45going into delivery feeling scared.
16:48Right, exactly.
16:49You want them to feel confident and empowered.
16:52And you want their birthing partner
16:53to feel that they can be their advocate
16:57so that that's the work that we do
16:59because we want every delivery to be the amazing,
17:02wonderful, transformative experience that it should be.
17:05Absolutely.
17:06Couldn't agree more.
17:07Amen.
17:08Mic drop, yes.
17:10And so, you know, you're obviously a pro at what you do.
17:15I'm curious what your advice would be
17:17to the next generation of upcoming beauty entrepreneurs,
17:21especially Black women and people
17:23hoping to maybe launch their own brand
17:25or embark into the beauty world.
17:28The most important thing to me for any entrepreneur
17:33is knowing your why, knowing your story,
17:38knowing what it is that you're passionate about
17:40and not letting anyone else tell that story better than you.
17:44Someone else can tell the story,
17:46but just not better than you.
17:47And they have to tell the story that you wrote.
17:50Exactly.
17:50And you do have to pivot and shift
17:55because the world changes.
17:58You know, I remember when I had catalogs
18:02because there was no internet.
18:04There was no social media.
18:06We didn't have phones with pictures
18:08and it didn't exist.
18:09So you took photos and you typed and you wrote little books
18:14and that's how people read about you and knew what to buy.
18:17And I loved that process.
18:19I loved writing the stories and all of that.
18:22If I stayed stuck in the written word,
18:26even though I'm passionate about the written word,
18:29I can't stay stuck there.
18:31So I had to learn how to write captions.
18:35Now my captions tend to be a little long.
18:37That's okay.
18:38I'm older, I'm different.
18:40But you know, you have to adapt with the time
18:43so that you don't lose your audience,
18:45but your why and your passion don't shift.
18:49The way you communicate might shift,
18:51but what you're saying doesn't shift.
18:52Right, absolutely.
18:54I love that.
18:55Yes, and you've embodied that definitely
18:57as you shifted and grown and expanded.
19:00So I love that.
19:02And then, so you're very busy, obviously.
19:05I'm very curious what self-care looks like
19:07for you these days.
19:10Self-care is making sure that I exercise.
19:14It was something I did earlier today.
19:16I was multitasking, leaving messages for people
19:19while I was riding my Peloton.
19:21Right, nice.
19:22And recently, I've had to go to physical therapy,
19:26which sounds like, ooh, what's wrong with her?
19:28But I had an issue with my back back in November.
19:32I ended up at this physical therapist's office in January.
19:36And it has been such a blessing for me
19:38because he's taught me a different way
19:41to walk and move and exercise.
19:45And I just feel so much strength
19:46and balance and everything.
19:48So I think I'm just gonna tell people I'm going to the gym
19:51because when I say I'm going to physical therapy,
19:53they're like, what happened?
19:54Right, right, they get scared.
19:56But it really is exercise at this point.
19:58And I've also learned to put on my schedule baths
20:05at least two a week, but preferably three.
20:08And they're always magnesium baths, at least 20 minutes.
20:12It makes a difference.
20:13I sleep better, I'm calmer.
20:16And I'm older, so I'm 62, I'll be 63 in May.
20:23I have to take care of myself.
20:25There's no negotiation.
20:27There's no, oh, I'll do it later.
20:29There's no beast mode.
20:31Beast mode stops.
20:32Right, no, exactly.
20:33It doesn't work when you get to a certain point.
20:39So yeah, it's baths.
20:41I knit, I love to knit.
20:43I love to crochet.
20:45I love doing things with my hands.
20:46I am obsessed with fragrance.
20:48Yes.
20:49It's a little bit of a problem.
20:50I just got a delivery today.
20:52I'm so happy.
20:53Everything smells so good.
20:54I love it.
20:55But yeah, those are my self-care things.
20:58I love movies.
20:59Oh, yes.
21:00I love film.
21:00You're naming all the things I love.
21:02So I'm like, yeah, exactly, exactly.
21:04And I think they invented streaming platforms for me.
21:09Because I watch everything.
21:10I love that.
21:11No, that sounds lovely.
21:13Love that you're into fragrance.
21:14You smell amazing.
21:15Noticed when you came in.
21:17What are some fragrances that you love?
21:19Well, today I'm wearing a new one from Amouage
21:22and it's called Purpose 50.
21:25But I love ouds and I love tuberose.
21:29I love rose.
21:30There's a perfumer called Lucky Armstrong
21:33and his company is Chansol.
21:35His scents are great.
21:36Harlem Fragrance Company,
21:38their fragrances are so beautiful.
21:40Yes.
21:42The candles and the fragrances.
21:43I'm waiting for some of the candles to become fragrances.
21:47I have Josephine for Josephine Baker and I have Billie
21:51and they're beautiful.
21:52Yes, we just featured their Nina Simone
21:55for our beauty awards.
21:57Yeah.
21:58It's new or launched last year, but yes.
22:02Yeah, so good.
22:03And speaking of products,
22:05do you have a favorite of your own
22:07or favorites that you always return to?
22:13It's so hard to pick a favorite sometimes,
22:15but interestingly enough,
22:19a favorite, one that has become a favorite
22:23that I never thought would be a favorite.
22:24I've never been a person who likes gel,
22:27but I love our black vanilla jelly.
22:29I really do.
22:30I really, really do.
22:32But I've never liked gel, but I love that gel.
22:35And a less popular item within our line,
22:38but I adore it is the Wash Day Delight Micellar Shampoo,
22:42especially when I'm wearing braids
22:44because I can clean my scalp,
22:46get my hair clean efficiently.
22:49There's not too much lather,
22:50so there isn't too much friction
22:52and my braids don't get messed up.
22:54No, I love that one too.
22:55And it smells like grass.
22:57Yes, the nozzle is so nice.
22:59Yeah, I love that one.
23:01Okay, amazing.
23:02Yeah, I could imagine it's hard to choose.
23:04It's hard for me to choose as well,
23:06favorites from your brand.
23:07So I can only imagine as the founder.
23:10And so next up, I'm curious,
23:14it's Women's History Month, obviously right now.
23:17Who's inspiring you right now?
23:19Who would you love to give your flowers to?
23:21Ooh.
23:23Wow.
23:26It's a tough choice to narrow down to like one person,
23:32but Jyoteka Eadie.
23:36She is one of the founding members of Win With Black Women.
23:41Her company is Full Circle Strategy.
23:44She's an amazing thinker and connector of people.
23:49And she's not just a person, she's a force.
23:57You know, you say her name
23:59and people listen and pay attention.
24:02If she asks someone to come to something,
24:06listen to something, be a part of something,
24:09they're coming solely based on the strength of her word,
24:12that it's important for them to be there.
24:15And she's such a powerful woman
24:17that so many people don't know
24:19and they don't realize how much she's impacted their lives
24:22because of the people that she connects.
24:24So yeah, I would give Jyoteka Eadie all the flowers.
24:27I love that.
24:28I'm going to look into her work.
24:30She sounds phenomenal.
24:31She is.
24:32Yes, she is amazing.
24:33As are you.
24:34You're a phenomenal woman, entrepreneur, inspiration.
24:38I got flowers from Tracy today.
24:41And I totally fangirled.
24:42I loved it.
24:43That's amazing.
24:44Yeah.
24:45That's really amazing.
24:47Yes.
24:48Speaking of flowers, Tracee Ellis Ross.
24:52That's amazing.
24:53Yeah.
24:53That's beautiful.
24:54I adore her.
24:55Yes, me too.
24:56Love when your own inspirations are inspired by you as well.
25:01Yeah.
25:02So that's really cool.
25:03And I love when you admire somebody
25:06and then you meet them and they don't disappoint.
25:09Right.
25:10You know, they live up to that.
25:12And Tracy's always been that.
25:13I agree.
25:14I've met her and would have to agree.
25:16She's incredible.
25:17She is.
25:18Yes, she is.
25:19Okay.
25:21Well, you're amazing.
25:22I'm like fangirling over here.
25:24I was trying to keep it together,
25:25but just seeing the product in my bathroom as a kid.
25:30Did you see her in American Fiction?
25:32Did you see that movie?
25:33I did.
25:34I loved it.
25:35Yes.
25:35I don't want to spoil it.
25:36Did you see that movie?
25:37American Fiction.
25:39Oh, okay.
25:40Yes.
25:41What happens with her in the film?
25:44Yeah.
25:45So Tracy looks to me a lot like my mom
25:50when my mom was young.
25:51The big eyes, the freckles.
25:53And so sometimes in different roles and photos,
25:57like she turns her face and I'm like,
25:59whoa, it's Carol.
26:01You know, and it's kind of jarring, right?
26:05And so watching that movie with what happens to her,
26:09that's what happened to my mom.
26:12And I was not good in the theater.
26:16No, I can imagine.
26:17It was like watching the thing that I didn't watch.
26:21I knew what happened.
26:22I wasn't present when it happened.
26:24And I felt like I was watching what happened
26:27when she's in the ER and all of that.
26:28Wow.
26:29I'm sure you've shared this with her.
26:31I haven't.
26:31You haven't?
26:32Oh, wow.
26:33No.
26:34I'm like, if you ever have a movie about your life,
26:36maybe she could play it.
26:38That's my dream.
26:39Your mother, yes.
26:39That's my dream.
26:40That she plays my mom younger.
26:43Because I've always wanted to say that to her,
26:46but I need to do it like in person
26:48because she's younger than I am.
26:50So it sounds weird to be like,
26:51I need you to play my mom.
26:53No, I get that.
26:53Yeah.
26:55So you want to say it in context.
26:57Right, of course.
26:59Wow.
27:00No, that's powerful.
27:01So yes, I could see that connection being even more,
27:05you know, an inspiration.
27:06And it's something that I noticed a long time ago.
27:09I remember I was watching something with her
27:11and I took a screenshot and I sent it
27:14to one of my siblings and I said,
27:15who does that look like?
27:16And he's like, oh my God, that's Ma.
27:18I said, I know.
27:20Wow.
27:21But it's not.
27:21Wow.
27:23I mean, that's kind of amazing.
27:25And her having her own hair care brand too.
27:27There's so much synergies.
27:28We are just so honored that you stopped by here today.
27:32And thank you for your time.
27:34Thank you everyone for tuning in
27:36and we will see you very soon.
27:39Bye.