Setting the Record Straight: Who Owns Mielle Organics?

There has been considerable controversy in the natural hair community over the 2023 acquisition of popular, Black-woman founded haircare brand Mielle Organics by Procter & Gamble (P&G). Aside from fears of product changes, many loyal Mielle fans were disappointed by the corporate acquisition of yet another popular Black-owned haircare brand.

A smiling Black woman with long curly hair sits in a brown chair holding a circular container with a pink label and white writing. — Mielle Organics CEO Monique Rodriguez

A White man wearing a dark navy/black suit jacket, white dress shirt and yellow tie with small dark polka dots looks at the camera with a slightly upturned smile. The white and gray background includes a large multi-pane window in an office building, and is slightly blurred. — Procter & Gamble CEO Jon Moeller

After investigation into the brand's acquisition, we found details about the purchase and current leadership team that may reassure fans of the brand. So what's the real deal with Mielle Organics, and who really leads it?

The good news here is that Monique and Melvin Rodriguez are still at the helm of Mielle Organics, with Monique serving as CEO and Melvin serving as COO. Procter & Gamble is currently led by CEO Jon Moeller. Per an FAQ found on the Mielle Organics website, Mielle Organics operates as an independent subsidiary of P&G.

According to Investopedia

"In the corporate world, a subsidiary is a company that belongs to another company, which is usually referred to as the parent company or holding company. The parent holds a controlling interest in the subsidiary company, meaning it owns or controls more than half of its stock."

In the case of Mielle Organics, P&G owns more than 50% of Mielle Organics as the parent company and has the ability to elect a board of directors, but Mielle Organics still operates as a separate legal entity. Therefore, the brand is no longer majority Black-owned given its status as a subsidiary, but it is Black-led. We won't get into the business pros and cons of subsidiary relationships (Fashionista gives a thorough breakdown for those interested), but let's talk briefly about what this means for customers.

Pros: product expansion, wider range of collections, greater accessibility and affordability, bigger impact on the Black community via Mielle Cares.
Cons: Product changes, gatekeeping concerns

Some eagle-eyed consumers have already noted ingredient changes since the acquisition in spite of a statement from the company that "[Mielle has] no plans to change the product".

Mielle is cheapening the ingredients in their products after their acquisition by P&G. An example is their curl smoothie by u/fsupremacy in Naturalhair

Whether these changes happened before the acquisition but were merely noticed afterward has yet to be determined.

Despite some of the frustration among consumers, Mielle Organics' acquisition is another win for Black entrepreneurs, in the same vein as the many successes of Shea Moisture founder and mogul Richelieu Dennis. With more "gas in the tank", Mielle Organics is poised for greater expansion and business growth, with much of those funds going back to the Black community that helped build the brand to what it is today. That's a win in our book.