Get To Know: Bread Beauty Supply

Last Updated on November 20, 2022

What do you call a brand that makes sure you have the most sensorial, spine-tingling experience on wash day? Bread Beauty Supply, that’s what. BREAD is so addictive, your whole bathroom will smell like your favorite candy store.

Introducing Bread Beauty Supply (a.k.a BREAD), an award-winning, black-owned haircare brand that is filling up bathroom cabinets around the world.

TL;DR: Bread Beauty Supply’s brand profile

Who is Bread Beauty Supply?

Bread Beauty Supply is a Black-owned brand for people with textured curly hair, from soft-curls to the thickest of them all: 4C hair. It was founded by Maeva Heim, who aimed to fill the ever-apparent gap in the industry when it comes to black hair.

The origin of Bread Beauty Supply goes way back to the 90s, when Maeva worked at her mum’s salon in Australia. She spent a lot of time witnessing the hair tutorials, client stories, familiar faces and a diverse range of women with curly, coiled, and textured hair. These left a huge impression on her, and would later become an inspiration to create one of the fastest growing haircare brands in the melanin beauty space today.

Upon graduating from college, she went on to spend the early years of her career working for global beauty brands. However, she quickly recognized that there was an institutional problem not many were willing to address – there wasn’t much conversation around black hair. Moreover, there weren’t as many hair care brands that provided clean products that were simple and fun to use. Then, a frustrating trip down the beauty aisles of the United States persuaded her to resolve the very issue which plagued not only her, but fellow textured-hair girls around the world. And just like that, Bread Beauty Supply was born.

BREAD officially launched in July 2020 as part of Sephora’s Accelerate Program that provides mentorship, support and funding for small brands. The pandemic was also a catalyst for BREAD because, for so long, we didn’t have access to salons. So, Maeva found a lot of inspiration from those who were just making it work where they could.

The Bread Beauty Supply philosophy

Bread Beauty Supply is a brand that looks and thinks differently for women of color with varied hair textures. It believes that haircare shouldn’t feel like a forced ordeal or a chore, it should be fun. To keep it fun, the company started small and simple, with the aim of helping their customers win on wash day – the most poignant event of a black woman’s hair routine. The name BREAD embodies what they stand for – a simple, staple essential you can reach for, whenever you want.

“I like to say that Bread Beauty Supply is here for your hair essentials and must-haves, like a loaf of bread is a staple in your kitchen.”

MAEVA HEIM, FOUNDER
Source: Instyle Magazine

Not only did Maeva set out to simplify complicated haircare routines, she also intended to challenge the status quo when it comes to textured hair. Who set the rules anyway? is a question she rhetorically asks. She encourages fellow curly hair types to be themselves and wear their hair however they want. Through BREAD, she seeks to empower customers by re-defining narratives around textured hair. For instance, you won’t find the term ‘anti-frizz’ anywhere in their packaging, marketing, or advertising. Across BREAD’s communications, the everyday woman’s curls is celebrated in all its glory. The brand is almost like an ode to people who have a casual, unapologetic approach to their hair.

Bread Beauty Supply‘s product range

Bread Beauty Supply provides a line of nourishing hair necessities presented in sleek, colourful packaging (hello, gingham lovers!), hair oil in minimalist glass bottles, and shampoo and conditioner in fruit juice pouches. These are accessible almost worldwide for naturalistas everywhere to simplify their hair routines. So, what do products do they range?

The brand currently retails 8 main products and 6 kits, with the occasional limited edition items like pouches and beads. The main collection features wash day essentials, including a Hair Wash, Hair Mask, and Hair Oil that cleanse and won’t weigh your hair down, not forgetting the cute, oversized scrunchie which they call ‘Bread puff’.

Each product is vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and the formulas are filled with natural oils and extracts, such as Australian Kakadu Plum, Argan Oil and Safflower Oil, known for nourishing hair. Prices range from $16 – $38 for their single items and $20 – $58 for their sets, if you purchase directly from their website. Some of the basics come in mini sizes and deluxe-sized travel kits if you are not ready to commit or are jetting off on a vacation.

Where can you buy BREAD products?

BREAD is currently stocked in over 100 Sephora stores across the U.S, Australia and New Zealand, with plans to expand into more stores globally. Alternatively, you can buy directly from their website, but they only ship to U.S addresses. If you’re in the U.K, you can find them in Cult Beauty and Selfridges.

“Our priority is existing where our customer wants us to exist, and we’re constantly refining what that looks like in the next 3-5 years, and where we need to go and exist internationally because this issue and this gap exist not just in the U.S., but also in pretty much every Western market.”

MAEVA HEIM, FOUNDER
Source: Glossy Magazine

Why should you buy Bread Beauty Supply?

So, what’s in it for you? Here are four reasons to love Bread Beauty Supply:

1. Made For Curly Hair Types

The company offers hair products for curly types 3a to 4c, specifically formulated to tackle the typical dryness these hair types are prone to. It’s all about providing your hair with sufficient moisture, and you can see this in the ingredients they use. In saying that, however, the company has stated that their products isn’t really for those whose hair are “thin, or tends to get greasy very easily”, curly or not. But if you’re after shine, hydration and moisture, BREAD is for you. Furthermore, for many of us with low porosity hair, BREAD’s hair wash, mask and oil are great treatments due to their moisture-rich, light to mid-weight consistency.

Extensively, BREAD products aren’t just for natural hair, they can also be used for braid maintenance. Braids and twists are often kept in as long as four weeks, or even more, making it a chore to shampoo and condition. BREAD products make this process easier, as you can easily apply the essentials to keep your locks from dryness and scalp from dandruff. The hair oil keeps the braids fresh and glossy, until it’s time to take them out.

2. Award-Winning Products

Although they only officially started trading in 2020, the brand has already gained a strong reputation in the industry. It has won over 18 beauty awards, recently snagging itself Cosmopolitan’s 2021 Beauty Award for Best Hair Oil. Some of their other accolades include:

• HelloGiggles Beauty Crush Awards 2021 – Best For Coily Hair
• Glamour Beauty Awards 2021 – Best Pro Hair Oil/Serum
• GQ Grooming Award 2021 – Best Product For Textured Hair
• Men’s Health Wards 2021 – Best Curly Hair Cleanser
• Women’s Health Awards 2021 – Best Afro Conditioner
• Allure Best of Beauty Awards 2020 – Best Hair Oil
• GQ Grooming Awards 2020 – Best Product For Clean Curls
• Elle 2020 Future of Beauty Awards – Best Hair Wash

Among their various award-winning products is the hair oil, which quite frankly has gained cult status. Despite this, Maeva expressed in an interview with Vogue that the company is most reliant on the Hair-Wash, in part due to its delicious “fruit loop cereal milk” scent. It is no wonder the Hair-Wash is currently their most awarded product till date.

3. Gets All The Rave

Reviews for their products express that Bread Beauty Supply is quite literally the best thing since sliced bread! From their aesthetically-pleasing packaging to their sensorial textures and scents, BREAD is fast becoming a staple in many curly-haired girls’ cabinets. In fact, the BREAD community refer to themselves as “bread heads”, with an endearing hashtag #getthatbread. If this isn’t loyalty, we don’t know what is.

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A post shared by Bread Beauty Supply (@breadbeautysupply)

People are in love with the fact that they are finally being equipped with the right tools and ‘hair necessities’. Much like edible bread, each mask, shampoo, oil, or scrunchie is a basic essential that helps make their life easier. According to the founder Maeva, BREAD is an indie brand that “resonates” with her customers in a way “that a giant, multinational corporation can’t.” Sales for the brand, which has a core customer base of young women who are early in their careers and on that cusp between Gen Z and millennial, have tripled to date!

Part of the brand’s appeal is also how well they connect with their customers on a daily basis. They go as far as inviting their followers to be part of their “trial team” every time there is a new product in the works. They actively ask them what products they would like to see in the future, down to their preferred colours, shapes and sizes. Clearly, the company has plenty of room for growth, with potential to expand their product range into other necessities like leave-in conditioner, edge control, scarfs, hair picks and pins, even bath robes.

4. Clean, Cruelty-Free and Vegan

If you are big on supporting ethically-sourced and environmentally friendly companies, then you’ll be pleased with their vegan, cruelty-free basics. Their products are not tested on animals, and their ingredients are plant-based. The company also prides its products as being silicon-free, so you can be confident your hair is getting all the goodness and none of the nasties. For those who dye their hair, BREAD hair care is color-safe as it’s sulfate-free and paraben-free. They get a “Clean At Sephora”-approved tick for being truly clean. In addition, they are working towards upgrading their packaging to be recyclable and more user friendly. This should surely make unboxing an experience to look forward to every time.

Wrap-Up

BREAD takes a minimalist, no-fuss approach to hair care, so you can apply, style and go about your day. Each product is specifically formulated for hair types 3a to 4c, from the light curls to the kinky. With its cute packaging and sweets-like scents, wash day becomes a day to look forward to. The brand promise is a healthy, nourished and glossy hair, and so far, they’ve got nothing but great reviews. Despite the packaging being a little on the small side, apparently, a little goes a long way. You’ll be satisfied with the quality you receive and the simplicity of making haircare fun for you again.