Pattern Beauty

Tracey Ellis Ross spent 10 years trying to convince beauty executives that the curly and coily hair care market was dramatically underserved. Every large brand passed. In 2019, she launched the brand herself. Ross had grown up with curls her mother Diana Ross famously styled on stage and had spent her acting career trying to find products that worked for her natural hair texture. She began pitching curly specific hair care concepts to major cosmetics companies around 2009. No corporate parent was willing to fund the line because category forecasts undervalued the textured hair care segment. Ross eventually gave up pitching and partnered with Beauty Inc. and Ulta Beauty to launch pattern independently in 2019, retaining significant founder equity.