07.27.21
Fairy Tales Hair Care & TBH Kids
Risa Barash, CEO & Co-Founder
Founded: 1999 & 2019
You left a career as stand-up comic because of lice. Tell us about that.
Stand-up comedy is the hardest job I ever had and I thought building a brand sounded easier—that was a joke! My boyfriend at the time had a cousin who owned a children’s salon on Long Island and he had a bottle of Rosemary Repel Shampoo that he couldn’t keep in stock. Rob told me about this idea and I thought it sounded like a wonderful challenge. I am a fourth generation entrepreneur so the urge to build a company was in my blood. I dabbled in both for a bit, but Fairy Tales was taking off and I liked controlling my destiny. As a comic/actress you have no control and that was starting to take its toll. I auditioned for every TV show that was never made in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
When you started to build Fairy Tales what was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge we faced was getting people to understand that while we made high quality hair care for kids, the parents were the ones buying it! We started in the salon business where no line of pro hair care for kids succeeded. The learning curve was steep and it took a long time to overcome.
Fairy Tales is more than lice prevention now. How do you approach product expansion?
We started creating our other lines because our customers/fans asked us for them! Sun & Swim, Curly Q, Tangle Tamer and the new Daily Cleanse collections all came about because not only did I need them as a parent, but my customers did as well. We have incredible brand identity and loyalty and we love to engage with our audience. Fairy Tales Hair Care isn’t really interested in the kids wanting our products; however, it is certainly the bonus. We created each product because parents needed them to make bath time less stressful and because kids should use healthy, chemical free hair care. It is a theory that has served as well for the last 20 years. It is also the theory behind our new tween line, TBH Kids.
Tell us about that new brand, TBH.
TBH Kids was created because the Fairy Tales customer is growing up and needed personal care for this awkward phase called puberty! Oily hair, body odor, greasy skin are the lovely things that happen to our kids as they grow up. We saw a void in the marketplace as many products have too many chemicals and not enough natural ingredients. Some are way too expensive and most importantly, we noticed that active ingredients were too harsh for younger, sensitive skin. So, we made affordable products, used minimal ingredients and kept the actives at a lower percentage. For example, we use .5% salicylic acid in our Spot Wash & Wipes, not the typical 2% many other brands use. Our TBH Shampoo uses natural ingredients to help absorb oils such as nettle and meadowsweet instead of harsher ingredients that can strip the hair.
How has the business changed over the years since Fairy Tales came onto the scene in the late 1990s?
Wow! There is not enough space here to tackle this question! For starters, there was no online shopping. We began selling online very early in 2002. Funny to say now, but we have been advocates for clean beauty since our inception but we just called out our “good for you ingredients and no harsh chemicals.” The industry and the customer need for high quality, affordable products have been the cornerstone of our brand since inception.
Risa Barash, CEO & Co-Founder
Founded: 1999 & 2019
You left a career as stand-up comic because of lice. Tell us about that.
Stand-up comedy is the hardest job I ever had and I thought building a brand sounded easier—that was a joke! My boyfriend at the time had a cousin who owned a children’s salon on Long Island and he had a bottle of Rosemary Repel Shampoo that he couldn’t keep in stock. Rob told me about this idea and I thought it sounded like a wonderful challenge. I am a fourth generation entrepreneur so the urge to build a company was in my blood. I dabbled in both for a bit, but Fairy Tales was taking off and I liked controlling my destiny. As a comic/actress you have no control and that was starting to take its toll. I auditioned for every TV show that was never made in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
When you started to build Fairy Tales what was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge we faced was getting people to understand that while we made high quality hair care for kids, the parents were the ones buying it! We started in the salon business where no line of pro hair care for kids succeeded. The learning curve was steep and it took a long time to overcome.
Fairy Tales is more than lice prevention now. How do you approach product expansion?
We started creating our other lines because our customers/fans asked us for them! Sun & Swim, Curly Q, Tangle Tamer and the new Daily Cleanse collections all came about because not only did I need them as a parent, but my customers did as well. We have incredible brand identity and loyalty and we love to engage with our audience. Fairy Tales Hair Care isn’t really interested in the kids wanting our products; however, it is certainly the bonus. We created each product because parents needed them to make bath time less stressful and because kids should use healthy, chemical free hair care. It is a theory that has served as well for the last 20 years. It is also the theory behind our new tween line, TBH Kids.
Tell us about that new brand, TBH.
TBH Kids was created because the Fairy Tales customer is growing up and needed personal care for this awkward phase called puberty! Oily hair, body odor, greasy skin are the lovely things that happen to our kids as they grow up. We saw a void in the marketplace as many products have too many chemicals and not enough natural ingredients. Some are way too expensive and most importantly, we noticed that active ingredients were too harsh for younger, sensitive skin. So, we made affordable products, used minimal ingredients and kept the actives at a lower percentage. For example, we use .5% salicylic acid in our Spot Wash & Wipes, not the typical 2% many other brands use. Our TBH Shampoo uses natural ingredients to help absorb oils such as nettle and meadowsweet instead of harsher ingredients that can strip the hair.
How has the business changed over the years since Fairy Tales came onto the scene in the late 1990s?
Wow! There is not enough space here to tackle this question! For starters, there was no online shopping. We began selling online very early in 2002. Funny to say now, but we have been advocates for clean beauty since our inception but we just called out our “good for you ingredients and no harsh chemicals.” The industry and the customer need for high quality, affordable products have been the cornerstone of our brand since inception.
How will you define fame and success? “Fame and success for a former comic turned entrepreneur? My own sitcom based on my entrepreneurial journey starring Jennifer Aniston?? Too much?? In all seriousness, fame doesn’t mean much to me as I’ve gotten older but it is super fun when I meet a parent and they find out I own Fairy Tales Hair Care! I do feel a bit like a celebrity when I’m in my local CVS and I help out a customer standing in front of our products! I’m proud of my journey and I have always considered myself a success. I started a brand that is sold in most retailers in the US, my children are smart, kind and lovely teenagers and I work with an amazing group of people who allow me to lead them as we explore, grow and learn every day. Having the #1 Conditioner in the entire category on Amazon for a few weeks each August and September is definitely a career highlight!” —Risa Barash |
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