Latest news with #Prose
Vogue
3 days ago
- Health
- Vogue
Do You Really Understand Your Hair's Texture?
At some point, the algorithm decided I should see many videos in which women with luscious waves discuss how a handy survey from the custom hair care company Prose revealed to them their true hair type. I'm not typically one for online quizzes, but I was intrigued by the notion of a secret hair type—was it possible I, too, lacked this particular form of self-knowledge? 'I see it all the time,' Jae-Manuel Cardenas, a senior stylist at Ollin NYC, says of people thinking their hair is one thing when it's actually another. Why all the confusion? Sometimes clients are conflating overall thickness with the texture of individual strands. 'They might have the density, but the hair is fine. Or vice versa,' he says. Another reason: it's possible to lose touch with your natural hair type, intentionally or otherwise, through treating and styling, or as Cardenas puts it, 'damaging it into submission.' Then there's the culprit of—what else?—time. First comes puberty, which can sprout new kinds of locks, and then comes adulthood. Not only do hair follicles shrink with age, but the new hair grow in thinner, shorter, nonuniform strands that might be more or less curly than their predecessors, I'm told by Lars Skjøth, a scalp health expert and the founder of the Danish product line Hårklinikken. Additionally, the shafts become more porous—hence, frizz. During perimenopause and menopause, women experience a relative increase in testosterone, which may contribute to this so-called hair miniaturization process, on account of a decrease in estrogen, a hormone that 'extends the hair's anagen (or growth) phase and supports sebum production,' says endocrinologist Caroline K. Messer, MD. Another thing that dips with the years is keratin, a protein that strengthens and smooths. In other words, you're simply bound to undergo hair changes—no wonder my own hair, once incontrovertibly straight and silky, has lately seemed wavy and dry—and since these shifts are rarely sudden, there might be a lag before you clock them. Of course, a hair type-specific approach is nothing new. Think of the Black is Beautiful movement, which emerged in the 1960s and celebrated natural hair in lieu of racist European beauty standards. A few decades later, in 1997, Miko and Titi Branch opened Curve Salon, catering to women with curly, coily, and wavy hair, in their Brooklyn brownstone. Born to a Japanese American mother and a Black American father, they'd been largely on their own when it came to learning how to care for and style their hair, which was multi-texture, and enjoyed sharing what they'd gleaned with others. (The sisters debuted their brand of products, Miss Jessie's, in 2001.) To determine your hair type, Miko suggests first 'looking at your hair and describing it with your own adjectives—what you see, how it feels,' before consulting the internet. There, you'll find an updated version of the classification system created by Oprah Winfrey's stylist Andre Walker in the 1990s, with types spanning from 1A (pin-straight) to 4C (tightly coiled), though many advocate for a broader definition of hair type that considers texture, density, porosity, and other factors. (Cardenas recalls a test meant to measure porosity from his cosmetology school days, when he and his classmates were told to put a strand of their hair into a cup of water. 'If it floats, your hair is moisturized. If it sinks, it means it was so thirsty it drank all the water and fell to the bottom,' he says.) The idea being that the better you know your hair, the better equipped you'll be to make it look amazing. For my part, I've started using Kérastase's Gloss Absolu Glaze Drops to define my waves and lock in moisture. With any luck, I'll soon embody Skjøth's view that optimized care can result in 'something magical, where you almost can't believe it's the same person.' History notwithstanding, the topic of hair type is coming more and more into focus. In May, Tracee Ellis Ross (who has her own line for curly and natural hair, Pattern Beauty) hosted a celebratory runway show put on by Echelon Noir Productions and The Texture of Change—a L'Oréal Professional Products Division initiative that seeks to improve textured hair education within the industry—that celebrated the artistry of Black hair culture. Last year saw the launch of Being, a company with different collections of products designed for a wide range of hair types, as well as Brooke Shields's brand, Commence, geared toward people over 40 looking to combat issues like thinning and scalp dryness. As Yaèle Nasso, a senior R&D product manager at Prose, says, we as a culture 'are moving away from one-size-fits-all beauty.' She tells me that, in its current iteration, Prose's quiz has over 85 data points, which allows for a high degree of both personalization and inclusivity. I also like that a person's answers to the assessment will evolve over time, because as long as you're changing, self-knowledge can be something you keep acquiring.
Fashion Network
05-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Prose expands with new customization center in California
New York-based custom hair and skin care brand Prose is growing its manufacturing capabilities with a new customization center in Commerce, California. The 43,000-square-foot facility represents a $9 million investment and mirrors the advanced automated systems of the brand's flagship site in Brooklyn. With this expansion, Prose aims to significantly increase production capacity for its offerings, which also include personalized supplements. "This expansion marks a significant step forward in Prose's evolution, enabling us to meet growing demand from customers across the U.S. and Canada," said Prose CEO and co-founder, Arnaud Plas. "We look forward to leveraging this new state-of-the-art customization center to further drive personalized beauty solutions and set a new standard for the industry.' With 29% year-over-year growth and $165 million in revenue reported for 2024, Prose's momentum has driven the need to expand its capacity. The new location in Southern California was chosen strategically to shorten delivery times and improve operational sustainability. Notably, the new facility is expected to cut downstream shipping emissions by 50%, amounting to a projected savings of over 1,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. "The Los Angeles area was the ideal choice for our new customization center due to its proximity to our West Coast customers," added Anthony Perdigao, Prose COO. "By strategically positioning our operations in Southern California, we are significantly reducing shipping times for nearly 50% of customers, enhancing our ability to deliver customized beauty solutions quickly and efficiently."
Fashion Network
05-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Prose expands with new customization center in California
New York-based custom hair and skin care brand Prose is growing its manufacturing capabilities with a new customization center in Commerce, California. The 43,000-square-foot facility represents a $9 million investment and mirrors the advanced automated systems of the brand's flagship site in Brooklyn. With this expansion, Prose aims to significantly increase production capacity for its offerings, which also include personalized supplements. "This expansion marks a significant step forward in Prose's evolution, enabling us to meet growing demand from customers across the U.S. and Canada," said Prose CEO and co-founder, Arnaud Plas. "We look forward to leveraging this new state-of-the-art customization center to further drive personalized beauty solutions and set a new standard for the industry.' With 29% year-over-year growth and $165 million in revenue reported for 2024, Prose's momentum has driven the need to expand its capacity. The new location in Southern California was chosen strategically to shorten delivery times and improve operational sustainability. Notably, the new facility is expected to cut downstream shipping emissions by 50%, amounting to a projected savings of over 1,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. "The Los Angeles area was the ideal choice for our new customization center due to its proximity to our West Coast customers," added Anthony Perdigao, Prose COO. "By strategically positioning our operations in Southern California, we are significantly reducing shipping times for nearly 50% of customers, enhancing our ability to deliver customized beauty solutions quickly and efficiently."
Fashion Network
05-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Prose expands with new customization center in California
New York-based custom hair and skin care brand Prose is growing its manufacturing capabilities with a new customization center in Commerce, California. The 43,000-square-foot facility represents a $9 million investment and mirrors the advanced automated systems of the brand's flagship site in Brooklyn. With this expansion, Prose aims to significantly increase production capacity for its offerings, which also include personalized supplements. "This expansion marks a significant step forward in Prose's evolution, enabling us to meet growing demand from customers across the U.S. and Canada," said Prose CEO and co-founder, Arnaud Plas. "We look forward to leveraging this new state-of-the-art customization center to further drive personalized beauty solutions and set a new standard for the industry.' With 29% year-over-year growth and $165 million in revenue reported for 2024, Prose's momentum has driven the need to expand its capacity. The new location in Southern California was chosen strategically to shorten delivery times and improve operational sustainability. Notably, the new facility is expected to cut downstream shipping emissions by 50%, amounting to a projected savings of over 1,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. "The Los Angeles area was the ideal choice for our new customization center due to its proximity to our West Coast customers," added Anthony Perdigao, Prose COO. "By strategically positioning our operations in Southern California, we are significantly reducing shipping times for nearly 50% of customers, enhancing our ability to deliver customized beauty solutions quickly and efficiently."
Cision Canada
05-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
PROSE EXPANDS OPERATIONS WITH NEW WEST COAST CUSTOMIZATION CENTER
LOS ANGELES, June 5, 2025 /CNW/ -- Today, Prose, the NY-based global leader in personalization known for delivering AI-powered custom hair and skin care, announced the expansion of its operations with a new state-of-the-art customization center in Commerce, California. This expansion highlights Prose's dedication to serving its rapidly growing customer base on the West Coast and beyond, while advancing sustainable and innovative manufacturing practices. At the heart of Prose's success is Singular, its proprietary AI-powered beauty-tech platform unveiled last year, which has revolutionized personalized beauty at scale. Prose's momentum—marked by 29% growth and $165M in revenue in 2024 —has driven the need to expand Singular's capacity. The new customization center will play a pivotal role in supporting this expansion, enabling even greater efficiency and scalability in custom beauty production. The new customization center spans 43,000 square feet and is designed to mirror the advanced automated customization systems of Prose's flagship Brooklyn location. With an investment of $9M, this expansion enables Prose to significantly increase its overall production capacity for bespoke haircare, skincare and supplement products. "This expansion marks a significant step forward in Prose's evolution, enabling us to meet growing demand from customers across the U.S. and Canada," said Prose CEO and Co-Founder Arnaud Plas. "We look forward to leveraging this new state-of-the-art customization center to further drive personalized beauty solutions and set a new standard for the industry." "The Los Angeles area was the ideal choice for our new customization center due to its proximity to our West Coast customers," said Anthony Perdigao, Prose COO. "By strategically positioning our operations in Southern California, we are significantly reducing shipping times for nearly 50% of customers, enhancing our ability to deliver customized beauty solutions quickly and efficiently." Sustainability is a cornerstone of Prose's made-to-order operations. Not only will the expansion reduce shipping time, it will also result in a 50% emissions saving for downstream shipping—or 1.04 ktCO2e of carbon. Other features of the customization center include incorporating renewable energy and energy-efficient design elements in lighting, water consumption, and overall layout. The automated customization system will minimize excess waste and reduce the carbon footprint through an innovative, scalable made-to-order manufacturing process. "Our new customization center represents our dedication to sustainable and responsible manufacturing," said Helen Nwosu, VP of Social Impact. "We are proud to leverage cutting-edge technology and strategic planning to minimize carbon impact and reduce our overall environmental footprint while maintaining the highest quality in our products." About Prose Prose is a DTC beauty-tech brand known for creating custom, made-to-order hair and skin care products to disrupt the CPG industry. Prose shattered the notion that mass retail production is the only solution. Marrying a technology driven approach with an apothecary-style concept, Prose products are made-to-order and provide the highest quality of natural ingredients. The brand is committed to sustainable operations and is Climate Neutral, a Public Benefit Corporation and a Certified B Corporation. About Singular Singular is a proprietary AI-powered beauty-tech platform, transforming personalized beauty at scale through both innovative software and hardware technologies. By analyzing a wide range of factors—from individual preferences to environmental influences—Singular enables brands like Prose to create truly customized haircare and skincare formulations. The platform powers Prose's end-to-end customization process, from ingredient selection to sustainable, made-to-order manufacturing.
