Ouai Haircare
Celebrity-founded haircare brand owned by P&G, sold in Sephora, Ulta, and Target.
On the record
Checkpoint: P&G Q4 FY2026 earnings call, watch for Hair Care/Ouai commentary
The call
Ouai survives on P&G's balance sheet and retail muscle, but its own DTC channel is forecast to shrink sharply in 2026 under a third leadership change.
Ouai makes premium shampoos and styling products sold online and in stores, backed by parent company P&G's supply chain and distribution muscle. The brand is not easy to copy because it has a famous founder, a loyal community of fans, and products people actually use, but other companies like L'Oréal and Unilever sell similar products at similar prices, and cheaper dupes exist everywhere. The biggest question is whether P&G keeps investing in Ouai as a star brand or treats it as a maintenance business, especially if online sales drop sharply in 2026 as some experts predict.
Why
01
AI pressure: AI hairstyle/personalization apps like YouCam and MyEdit. AI try-on tools could replace Ouai's quiz-based product finder, but this isn't yet hitting sales. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.
02
Bigger players: L'Oreal, Unilever, Henkel, Estee Lauder in prestige haircare. Bigger rivals and cheaper dupes are squeezing prestige haircare while Olaplex-style brands lose ground. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. P&G's cash, supply chain, and shelf space at Sephora and Ulta keep Ouai alive even if sales shrink.
What would change this call
P&G's Q4 FY2026 earnings (late July 2026) mentions or omits Ouai as a Beauty growth driver. Shows whether P&G still views Ouai as a priority investment or a maintenance brand.
Whether Ouai's 2026 DTC online revenue actually falls 20 to 50 percent as forecast by Grips Intelligence. Would confirm or refute a real customer pullback from Ouai's direct site.
Whether Ouai undergoes a third CEO or senior leadership change within 2026. Continued executive churn would signal internal instability affecting strategy execution.
Whether Ouai's 2026 DTC online revenue actually falls 20 to 50 percent as forecast by Grips Intelligence. Would confirm or refute a real customer pullback from Ouai's direct site.
Whether Ouai undergoes a third CEO or senior leadership change within 2026. Continued executive churn would signal internal instability affecting strategy execution.
Key numbers
- DTC revenue $31.7M in 2025, up 20-50% YoY
- Forecast: 20-50% DTC decline in 2026
- Two CEOs left within 9 months
Named risks
- Grips Intelligence forecasts 20-50% decline in Ouai's DTC online revenue for 2026.
- Two CEO transitions within nine months (Sept 2025 and May 2026) signal leadership instability.
- Prestige haircare category headwinds: Olaplex's multi-quarter slide and rising dupe/private-label competition.
- AI-driven hairstyle discovery and try-on tools could erode Ouai's quiz-based customer acquisition funnel.
- Revenue figures across third-party trackers are inconsistent and largely unverified, clouding real performance.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Olaplex | gaining on | Olaplex posted 9 straight quarters of revenue decline through 2024-2025 (2025-04-10) while Ouai's DTC GMV rose in 2025 |
| L'Oreal, Unilever, Henkel, Estee Lauder | contesting | Prestige-beauty giants actively acquire/launch rival haircare brands, no structural barrier to copying Ouai's model |
| AI hairstyle try-on apps (YouCam, MyEdit, WigTryAI) | contesting | Third-party AI try-on tools proliferating through 2026 could bypass Ouai's own quiz-based discovery funnel |
Questions people ask
- Who owns Ouai Haircare in 2026?
- Ouai is a wholly owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in December 2021 for an undisclosed sum, its first prestige-haircare deal. Founder Jen Atkin remains Chief Creative Officer; Susan Kim became CEO around May 2026.
- Is Ouai Haircare profitable?
- No independent profit figure is disclosed since P&G bought Ouai in Dec 2021. Founder Jen Atkin claimed a 9-figure ($100M+) business with 40% growth projected for 2025, but P&G does not break out Ouai's standalone profitability in filings.
- Has Ouai had layoffs?
- No layoffs are reported. As of June 2025 Ouai had 96 employees and planned to surpass 100 by end of 2025 and roughly double to about 220 by 2026, driven by international expansion, per an Inc. feature dated 2025-06-27.
- Who is Ouai's biggest competitor?
- Olaplex is Ouai's closest prestige-haircare rival; Olaplex posted about $486M in FY2024 global net sales but reported nine consecutive quarters of revenue decline through 2024-2025, per a 2025-04-10 financial analysis, easing pressure on Ouai.
- Will Ouai's revenue grow in 2026?
- Third-party estimator Grips Intelligence put Ouai's direct-to-consumer online GMV at $31.7M in 2025 (up 20 to 50% year over year) but forecast a 20 to 50% decline in 2026, dated 2026-05-25, though this excludes wholesale sales via Sephora, Ulta and Target.
- Who is Ouai's CEO now?
- Susan Kim, previously of Kopari, was named Ouai's CEO around May 2026, per Business of Fashion (2026-05-12), succeeding Colin Walsh who left in September 2025 to become CEO of Glossier.
Timeline
- 2026-05-25Grips Intelligence estimates 2025 DTC GMV at $31.7M, forecasts 20-50% decline in 2026
- 2026-05-12Susan Kim named Ouai CEO, succeeding Colin Walsh; Jen Atkin stays Chief Creative Officer
- 2025-09-01CEO Colin Walsh departs Ouai to become CEO of Glossier
- 2025-06-27Inc. reports 96 employees, Jen Atkin projects 40% revenue growth for 2025
- 2024-05-14Ouai expands into anti-dandruff and scalp care using P&G R&D
- 2024-02-22Ouai announces two-year exclusive partnership with Barry's fitness studios
- 2022-03-09BeautyMatter details P&G-Ouai deal; Jefferies named as Ouai's sell-side adviser
- 2021-12-06P&G announces agreement to acquire Ouai, its first prestige-haircare acquisition
- 2018Ouai receives minority growth-equity investment from Alliance Consumer Growth
- 2016Ouai founded in Los Angeles by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin
Revision history
23 July 2026
First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Ouai appoints Susan Kim as CEO
- P&G to Acquire Hair Care and Lifestyle Brand, Ouai (2021-12-06)
- BeautyMatter (2022-03-09)
- P&G Beauty teardown (2026-06-23)
- Procter & Gamble vs Colgate-Palmolive (2026-07-04)
- P&G enters prestige haircare with acquisition of Ouai (2021-12-08)
- How Smart Distribution Has Helped Ouai Become a 9-Figure Business (2025-06-27)
- theouai.com eCommerce Revenue (2026-05-25)
- OUAI Haircare 2026 Company Profile
- Ouai Names Susan Kim CEO (2026-05-12)
- Where is OUAI Located? (2024-05-14)
- OUAI Announces Exclusive Partnership With Global Fitness Phenom Barry's (2024-02-22)