“I think we are moving into an area where most cosmetic companies operate Are technology companies,” says Maya Smith.
That’s an impressive claim from a brand that launched in 2012, long before AI was ubiquitous. But The Doux has always been ahead of its time. Since day one, the hair care brand has been embedded in the culture: hip-hop references, retro and Afrofuturism, black hair salon nostalgia, all in the service of marketing hair products to black women.
For all that AI can do, Smith, co-founder, CEO and creative director of The Doux, is keenly aware that systemic bias is still widespread; Technology is accelerating faster than access and representation. “I understood that you really have to start training AI for that to change” Smith tells me. “I wanted to be a part of it.”
Here’s how she does just that.
Partnering with Black Girls Code
In collaboration with Black Girls Code (BGC), The Doux launched this Black Beauty AI Challenge Back in June, it asked aspiring YouTubers to submit their original AI-generated videos.
Apart from the requirement to use it only Using free tools like Canva, Capcut or Pika — “because a lot of the barriers have to do with access” — participants were intentionally given broad parameters to show how they define Black beauty and had the chance to win cash prizes and additional visibility opportunities. The winners will be announced later this month.
“I understand that there is some concern because a lot of people don’t understand it,” says Smith, hoping this challenge will bring some awareness. “But it’s important that Black creators can participate in the AI conversation because it’s going nowhere.”
Key takeaway: Leadership with education and access is a powerful form of thought leadership and a solid way to build trust and authority.
Let culture lead
Prior to the BGC partnership, Smith had already been experimenting with AI to bring her campaigns and product launches to life.
To realize the vision for The Doux’s Press Play Collection, which launched last year, she used Midjourney AI to organize the endless thoughts in her head and generate usable renders that guided her production team. “We didn’t want to spend a lot of time and money on revisions,” says Smith.
Smith draws inspiration from everything from the evolution of Black Barbie to pin-up culture to the Palm Springs aesthetic. “When people communicate using one of these platforms, even if you’re good at it, you still have to be very specific,” Smith says.
“You have to learn art history (in this case) so you know what to say. You have to learn about camera angles and wide shots. You still have to learn about what to tell the AI to do.”
It was no different at the last start. The Doux’s Block Party collection products are designed to withstand moisture. The biggest challenge, Smith notes, was telling this story without relying on the typical, often culturally unsound campaign that flaunts the frizz-to-sleek arc and suggests that hair wasn’t pretty to begin with.
With the help of AI, a bubble image became a metaphor for a moisture barrier.
“Beauty brands need to engage with the people they serve,” says Smith. “Everything we do is informed by our community. AI is just another way to engage them.”
Key takeaway: Use AI to clarify your creative vision, not replace it. People still call the shots; AI helps run it faster.
AI will never replace IRL
With this in mind, the “Block Party” concept was developed with a customer focus in mind. New York remains the largest community, and what Smith kept hearing about the city stuck with her: that it was changing, that the neighborhoods looked different than what people grew up with.
So Block Party became an homage to the famous New York block parties that attracted so many of The Doux’s customers.
For its New York debut party, The Doux team invited 60 beauty journalists, influencers and distributors to dinner and dancing and enlisted DJ Ty Alexander to emcee the set, which featured crowd favorites like Boosie’s “Wipe Me Down,” Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and FLY’s “Swag Surfin.”
“I think our love language to our community is to show them how we see them and make sure they see themselves,” Smith says.
Key takeaway: AI is inevitable, but personal experiences remain irreplaceable drivers of community.
