Lisa Price Repurchased Carol’s Daughter From L’Oreal

The brand founder reclaimed ownership of the company she established in her Brooklyn kitchen back in March 2025.

Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Beauty

Gouache-painted illustration of a single hand-poured candle in a glass jar, evoking the humble, artisanal origins of a legacy beauty brand.
Founder Lisa Price has repurchased beauty brand Carol’s Daughter from L'Oreal, re-establishing independent control ten years after the initial sale. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Founder Lisa Price repurchased Carol’s Daughter from L’Oreal in March 2025, exactly a decade after selling the business. Price now serves as the president of the brand, having formed a partnership with Joe Wong to lead the company forward.

Why it matters

Price stated the move occurred after an opportunity for a strategic pivot emerged, allowing her to regain control of the entity she started in the 1990s. This shift marks a significant return to independent leadership for the veteran beauty brand.

The brand was founded 30 years ago in a Brooklyn kitchen. The transition occurred 10 years after the initial sale to L'Oreal.

The players

Lisa Price

She is the founder and current president of Carol's Daughter who originally grew the brand from her kitchen.

Joe Wong

He is a partner at Carol's Daughter who serves in a leadership role alongside the founder.

L'Oreal

This global beauty conglomerate owned Carol's Daughter for a decade before the 2025 repurchase.

Tamron Hall

She is a television host who interviewed the brand founder regarding the recent change in ownership.

The details

Lisa Price has reclaimed her role as president of the company she built, establishing a new partnership with Joe Wong to oversee operations. She cited the necessity of a strategic pivot as the primary driver for the change in ownership structure.

Timeline

  1. Carol's Daughter was founded in Brooklyn during the 1990s.

  2. The brand was sold to L'Oreal in 2014.

  3. Lisa Price repurchased the company in March 2025.

  4. Price discussed the repurchase on the Tamron Hall show on October 5, 2026.

Culture Shift

This repurchase follows the documented trend of beauty brand founders reclaiming their companies to regain creative control. It reflects a broader movement where original creators pivot away from multinational ownership to preserve brand legacy.

Consumers should not expect immediate changes to their daily beauty routines following the ownership shift. The transition maintains the brand's established product availability and pricing while transitioning to independent management.

The takeaway

The return of a brand to its original founder often signals a return to core values and original product formulations. Readers can learn from this that business pivots are sometimes necessary to align a company with its original mission after a period of corporate scaling.

Further reading

For more on the current landscape of the industry, explore our Beauty section.

Live Poll

Do you believe Black ownership of established consumer brands is essential for their future success?