Two recent University of Michigan graduate students are aiming to reinvent synthetic hair extensions without plastic, in a way that puts an invasive species to productive use.
Jannice Newson and Nana Britwum have just created their first prototype of a synthetic hair made specifically for Black women that is plant-based and biodegradable.
Their company, Lillian Augusta, is about "hair without harm" — to the environment and to the wearer. "Our hair is going to have the characteristics people desire from synthetic braiding hair," Newson said, "without the harm, the discomfort, and the plastic pollution."
Instead of using the standard plastic to make synthetic hair, Lillian Augusta is making it out of phragmites, an invasive plant species found in wetlands that disrupts ecosystems.
"It's also causing harm to the economy," said Newson. They chose the material because of its fibrous composition. It's local, too. They harvest the phragmites themselves from wetlands owned by the University of Michigan.
Traditional synthetic hair can be worn for one to three months. Britwum says, "When you're done with those braids you toss them, and they end up in a landfill or our oceans."
In addition to creating environmental waste, synthetic hair causes health effects for the customer, because the plastics they are made from are low-quality and carcinogenic, like PVC and acrylonitrile. "You have Black women using this product that have no idea that they're incorporating this into their scalp," said Britwum. Michael Godwin, managing director of venture capital firm Resonant Venture Partners, judged Lillian Augusta in the 2020 Michigan Business Challenge "impact" track that they won. He is also one of their mentors through the University of Michigan Desai Accelerator.
"There seems to be this really massive market out there that isn't being addressed effectively," he said.
While first-time company founders are hard to invest in, he said, there's a precedent in this market — Oakland, Calif.-based Mayvenn specializes in weaves and wigs made of unprocessed human hair.
"They've already raised $36 million, including a $23 million series B from Essence Ventures," Godwin said.
Because the options are limited in the market, many Black women suffer the negative side effects for a product they still aren't satisfied with, Britwum said. The alkaline coating on plastic synthetic hair commonly causes allergic reactions, so many women neutralize it before wearing it by soaking it in apple cider vinegar.
"It's ridiculous," Britwum said. "Why are you buying a product and manipulating it?"
Their solution? "We're just going to bypass that whole step and not include any extra coatings," said Britwum. Any chemicals that are used in the product are nontoxic.
Demand for synthetic hair and wigs is growing. Current projections show the industry will reach $10 billion in revenue by 2023.
And with the demand growing so much, human hair, while an environmentally friendly option, can't meet the demand. It usually comes at a much higher price as well.
"There's a really great market segment where they're going into where there hasn't been a lot of innovation in a long time, specifically around how the materials are made," said William Schleizer, CEO of Delta Institute. Lillian Augusta won Delta Institute's crowd-judged BOOST competition in 2019.
With their extensive market analysis, including over 100 customer interviews, Schleizer says they have "real growth potential." Schleizer said Lillian Augusta won the crowd over because their product was unique from multiple perspectives: the makeup of the product, impact on the industry, and the environmental benefit.
"You have these three things that aligned really well," he said.
To make the product they were using space in a University of Michigan art studio, but had to adjust when COVID-19 hit. So, they created a makeshift lab in their basement, and used wooden tools made by an artisanal woodworker. Their prototype wasn't exactly what they imagined, without access to machinery and equipment. But, they were determined to stay on track to producing their first prototype this year.
Newson and Britwum got the idea for the project when they met at a conference in Seattle. They were complaining about synthetic braids: the itchiness factor, how they cause acne breakouts, their environmental impact and other complications. When they found out they both attended the University of Michigan, they decided to team up and do something about it.
Neither of them had any prior product development or business experience, but found help along the way through business competitions and fellowships, like Delta's BOOST competition, and the Carbon 180 Entrepreneur in Residence Fellowship.
"They found a novel way to take something that is normally burned, and turned it into a product that can now be used," said Peter Minor, fellowship manager of the Carbon 180 Entrepreneur in Residence fellowship. With this fellowship they were awarded $125,000 and mentorship.
One challenge they'll face, like many businesses do, Minor says, is aligning their supply chain.
Additionally, he said, "This has never been done before this way." For this reason they will encounter unforeseen problems along the way, that he said, "are going to come from this kind of novel development."
Since graduating in May, when Newson received her master's in Conservation Ecology, and Britwum received her master's in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, the two are both working full time on Lillian Augusta to continue to develop their technology and experimenting with different fibers before their goal release date in early 2021. Before their product launch, they plan to expand their team with the hire of a chief financial officer and a chief marketing officer, and to secure the provisional patent they filed for in 2020.
Their goal isn't just to offer more options today, but to create awareness around the issue, and create more options for Black communities for future generations. Britwum said if she hadn't learned about this, she would've used the same products on her future kids, as her parents did with her. She says, "It has to stop somewhere."
Godwin says the hair is just the beginning, and their business could expand to producing many other products. "Once you have these fibers in production, they can really be used for all kinds of stuff," he said.
"I think they're going to build a brand that really touches a lot of people who are really in an underserved market right now," said Godwin. "That's something that's not easy to do."
"use" - Google News
October 18, 2020 at 06:00PM
https://ift.tt/3o38lTS
Hair without harm: 2 UM graduates use invasive plant species to create healthier extensions - Crain's Detroit Business
"use" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2P05tHQ
https://ift.tt/2YCP29R
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Hair without harm: 2 UM graduates use invasive plant species to create healthier extensions - Crain's Detroit Business"
Post a Comment