Is Urban Hydration Black Owned? The Truth Revealed
Black-owned businesses are quite the hot topic these days.
When it comes to our favorite haircare brands, a lot of us are curious about where the company came from and what it stands for. And no matter what the angle, it’s always interesting to find out a bit more background on our haircare faves.
Is Urban Hydration Black Owned?
Yes, grassroots haircare company Urban Hydration is a certified black owned business; it’s also certified woman-owned, too! This is good news for those who want their consumer dollars to go towards supporting Black businesses.
What Else Does Urban Hydration Stand For?
Okay, so Urban Hydration is Black owned. But what else do they do?
In today’s climate, that can be a pretty relevant question. A lot of us choose to support brands, causes, and people that promote our own personal values. A lot of us don’t want our hard-earned dollars going to just anyone.
Urban Hydration has a lot going for it in terms of being a business that you can feel good about supporting. Urban hydration is on a mission to change the world through clean beauty products. These products offer “Clean Beauty With a Purpose.”
A Brief Look at the Urban Hydration Brand
In addition to being a certified minority-owned business, Urban Hydration was founded and is currently run by African American businesswoman Psyche Terry, a wife and mother of three.
History
Urban Hydration was born when its founder, Psyche Terry, was helping a local nonprofit she sat on the board for. Well into her career at Whirlpool at the time, the nonprofit project piqued Psyche’s interest in creating beauty products.
According to an interview with Black Enterprise, it was only one year later that Psyche was pitching her business idea to a big-time retailer. That idea, of course, would become Urban Hydration. Now that’s driven!
The Essential Ingredients
It seems that Psyche’s entrepreneurial senses told her that she was on to something, and she was right. She knew that while customers would be interested in all-natural beauty products, those products also needed to be affordable.
And so with these two goals—affordability and clean ingredients—Urban Hydration has become the market powerhouse that it is today.
As a customer, it’s nice to know that we don’t have to turn over to the back label and read through a long list of unpronounceable chemicals. No more double-checking that there’s nothing in there that you’re trying to avoid (I’m not the only one who does this, right?).
In fact, you can find a list of ingredients and chemicals on their website that Urban Hydration DOES NOT use in their products. This is a really convenient feature for the ingredient-particular consumer.
What’s Happening Now
Psyche knew, as a sufferer of chronic dry skin, that moisture would be the key feature of her new product line. And, obviously, if you’re after moisture, you need water!
And thus began the Urban Hydration obsession with water. In fact, their micellar cleansing water is among their bestselling products. From its humble beginnings, Urban Hydration has now become a nationwide phenomenon.
You can find Urban Hydration at several national retailers, including Target, as well as drugstore giants CVS and Walgreens. Not sure where to look in your area? Try using their store locator to find the products closest to you.
Urban Hydration and the Black Community
When it comes to being a positive force within the Black community, Psyche Terry has taken on this role with gusto. As an executive-turned-entrepreneur, Psyche has become a force to reckon with in the business world and beyond, and a role model to thousands.
Psyche and the Terrys
Psyche Terry may be a bombshell businesswoman, but her story is really incomplete without talking about her husband, Vontoba, and their three children.
All of the Terrys struggled with dry and sensitive skin issues, and trying to find solutions to their skincare woes began the tinkering process that would eventually blossom into Urban Hydration.
The Terry children call themselves their best friends (!). On her personal website, Psyche says that their family life is the core that keeps their business running well. It does seem that calling the group the modern-day Cosby family might just be pretty apt.
Psyche and Vontoba are college sweethearts and have been growing and changing together ever since. An avid chess player and video game lover, Vontoba helped support and founded Urban Hydration as well as all of Psyche’s business endeavors.
Psyche, the Entrepreneur
And Psyche’s business ventures have gone far beyond just being the CEO of a clean beauty giant, although that’s quite the accomplishment on its own.
After establishing Urban Hydration and solidifying the company’s mission, Psyche and Vontoba went on to found UI Global Brands in 2009.
UI Global Brands includes the Urban Hydration product line and goes on to encompass the nonprofit and charity arm and the company’s global partnership with WATERisLIFE.
And as if all that isn’t impressive enough, Psyche has also dabbled in the lingerie market. Her line, Urban Intimates, focused on using different shades more inviting to women of color and sought to include designs for women of all sizes. It was featured at Macy’s and JCPenney.
Giving Black To the (Global) Community
The Terrys are a little obsessed with giving back. Psyche believes that to whom much is given, much is required, and it’s evident by her actions that she’s going to live that out.
Her company, UI Global Brands, works with nonprofit WATERisLIFE to donate one gallon of clean water for every product sold. Recently, this partnership worked on a project to help provide access to 300 students in Kenya.
The list of charities and organizations blessed by the Terrys and Urban Hydration is pretty long. These folks are a powerhouse of not just getting wealthy but giving wealth too. The company has given to the local Boys and Girls Club, funded scholarships for students studying business, and funded food pantries, just to name a few.
Is Urban Hydration Black Owned? Final Thoughts
Urban Hydration is certainly a product line that we can all feel good about buying. But is Urban Hydration Black-owned? Yes, Urban Hydration is not only founded and owned by two Black entrepreneurs, but it also continues to give back and make a difference in the community and on a global scale.
