The hair-dye brand Good Dye Young was founded all the way back in 2016, making it an early entrant into the celebrity beauty brand wave. Co-founded by cosmetician Brian O’Connor and Paramore lead singer Hayley Williams, the brand has notably shied away from making Williams and her music central to the brand. Instead, it has built a loyal community over the last nine years by focusing on vegan products and vibrant colors.
But now, the brand is incorporating more music into its marketing and messaging, both with Williams herself and through partnerships with other musicians like SZA. Speaking at the Glossy Beauty & Wellness Summit in California this week, Williams and O’Connor spoke with Glossy’s editor-in-chief Jill Manoff about their plans for the brand.
“We did a shade for [Williams’s new album, released this year], which is really the first time we’ve incorporated what Hayley does and the business of the brand,” O’Connor said.
Williams agreed, saying that the vibrant colors the brand is known for weren’t widely seen as part of the overall hair and beauty space, instead being reserved for punk and rock subcultures. But, she said, she wants the brand to expand beyond those confines.
“We waited a long time to mix the music with the brand,” Williams said. “It felt like a really good trajectory for GDY to grow and become more accessible first, for more people in fashion to take notice. I think we’re growing exactly how we should be. We’re excited because we’ve always wanted to be more in the beauty conversation.”
One way the team is using Williams’s other career is by offering customers of the brand early access to new music. The aforementioned shade tied to the new album also came with a link to listen to the album early, before its release, for a limited run of around 2,000 boxes, O’Connor said.
These days, Good Dye Young is sold in retailers around the world, including in Australia, India, Mexico and Canada, although the U.S. remains the largest market for the brand. And while the consumer side of the business remains strong, O’Connor said his next big priority is catering to cosmetic professionals with new products.
“I’ve spent my entire career doing pro, and I want to give back to that,” he said. “I’d love to have a full pro line, but right now, it’s about deciding the right first pro product to release.”
