Maya Smith is the CEO and Co-Founder of her award-winning natural haircare brand, The Doux. Maya works as a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, licensed cosmetologist for nearly 28 years, and beauty creator all while being a loving wife and mother to 5 sons. From obtaining her cosmetology license while she was in high school to now over two decades of experience working with a variety of textured hair and in the general beauty space, Maya saw the category need and answered in a big way with her professional haircare brand.
In 2008, Maya was living with her husband in Germany, where he was stationed for the military. Together, they saw an opportunity to open a salon focused on textured hair needs and equip her clients with the tools they needed for long term growth and health. This inspired the creation of her product line – focused on delivering salon quality results for all natural hair types in a fraction of the time, using just one comprehensive system.
Maya worked extensively with chemists for two years to make The Doux – a sucka free haircare line formulated for results and performance – no matter if you wear your natural hair coily or straight. Each product is inspired by the music and nostalgia of 90’s Hip Hop merging the culture with her understanding of professional haircare. The packaging features bright, eye catching colors and graphics that Maya creates herself!
In 2022, Maya was in a commercial for Target as well as a part of Sally Beauty’s initiative for Black History Month with their round table chat, blog posts, and more. Maya was alongside key players in the natural haircare space such as Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, and more.
To date, The Doux has quadrupled sales over the past four years and has sold more than half a million units of the number one bestselling hero product, Mousse Def Texture Foam. The brand is rapidly growing, sold in major retailers across the country such as Target, Walmart, Sally Beauty, CVS, JCPenney, and more. Additionally, the brand has taken home award wins across Allure, Essence, Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan and Byrdie.
Follow @ilovethedoux and @ouidoux to stay tuned for what’s up next.
