How The Doux utilizes AI to engage community

“I consider we’re shifting into a space where most beauty companies are tech companies,” states Maya Smith.

It’s a striking claim from a brand that launched in 2012, long before AI was everywhere. But The Doux has always been ahead of the curve. Since day one, the haircare brand has been anchored in culture: hip-hop references, retro- and Afrofuturism, Black hair-salon nostalgia, all in service of marketing hair products to Black women.

For all AI can do, Smith, who’s The Doux’s co-founder, CEO, and creative director, is well aware that system biases are still rampant; the tech is accelerating rapider than access and representation. “What I understood is that in order for that to modify, you really have to start to train AI,” Smith informs me. “I wanted to be a part of [it].”

Here’s how she’s doing exactly that.

Partnering with Black Girls Code

Collaborating with Black Girls Code (BGC), The Doux launched the Black Beauty AI Challenge back in June, calling on budding creators to submit their original AI-generated videos.

Other than the requirement to utilize only free tools like Canva, Capcut, or Pika — “becautilize a lot of the obstacles are to do with access” — participants were given intentionally broad parameters to revealcase how they define Black beauty, for a chance to earn cash prizes and additional visibility opportunities. Winners will be announced later this month.

“it's important for black creators to be able to participate in the ai conversation, becautilize it's not going anywhere.” —maya smith, co-founder, ceo, and creative director, the doux

“I understand that there‘s some apprehension, becautilize a lot of people don’t understand it,” states Smith, hopeful that this challenge provides some awareness. “But it‘s important for Black creators to be able to participate in the AI conversation, becautilize it’s not going anywhere.”

Key takeaway: Leading with education and access is a powerful form of considered leadership and a solid way to build trust and authority.

Letting culture lead

Prior to the BGC partnership, Smith had already been experimenting with AI to support bring her campaign and product launches to life.

To support execute the vision for The Doux’s Press Play Collection, which launched last year, she utilized Midjourney AI to organize the finishless considereds in her head and generate usable rfinisherings that guided her production team. “We didn’t want to spfinish a lot of time and money on revisions,” states Smith.

Smith is inspired by everything from the Black Barbie evolution to pin-up culture to Palm Springs aesthetics. “When people are communicating with any of these platforms, even if you‘re good at it, you’re still going to have to be very specific,” states Smith.

“You have to learn [in this case] art history so that you know what to state. You have to learn about camera angles, wide shots. You still have to educate yourself on what you’re informing AI to do.”

The latest launch was no different. Products across The Doux’s Block Party Collection were formulated to stand up to humidity. The hugegest challenge, notes Smith, was informing this story without leaning into the typical, often culturally unsound campaign revealcasing the frizz-to-sleek arc, implying that the hair wasn’t beautiful to launch with.

With the support of AI, a bubble visual became the metaphor for an anti-humidity barrier.

“Beauty brands required to lean into the people they’re serving,” states Smith. “Everything we do is informed by our community. AI is just another way to engage them.”

Key takeaway: Use AI to clarify — not replace — your creative vision. Humans still set the tone; AI supports execute it rapider.

“everything we do is informed by our community. ai is just another way to engage them.” —maya smith, co-founder, ceo, and creative director, the doux

AI will never replace IRL

In that spirit, the “Block Party” concept was customer-led. New York remains its hugegest community and what Smith kept hearing about the city stuck with her: that it was modifying, that neighborhoods were seeing different than what people grew up with.

So Block Party became an homage to the famous New York block parties that raised so many of The Doux’s customers.

For its NYC debut party, The Doux team invited 60 beauty journalists, influencers, and distributors for dinner and dancing, and hired DJ Ty Alexander to lead the set comprising crowd pleasers like Boosie’s “Wipe Me Down,” Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and FLY’s “Swag Surfin.”

“I consider our love language to our community is revealing them the way that we see them and ensuring that they see themselves,” states Smith.

Key takeaway: AI is inevitable, but in-person experiences remain irreplaceable drivers of community.