Madison Reed Delivers Salon Quality Color in a Box

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

There's a lot happening in wearable tech, with Google Glass and smartwatches trying to infiltrate the fashion world. But there's also growing buzz that tech-friendly startups are poised to disrupt the traditional beauty business model. It's not that these companies have yet to infiltrate the market: Seattle-based Julep and NYC-based Birchbox are in households across the country (and spreading internationally). But when Grace Choi, the founder of Mink, pledged to take down Sephora, it was an official declaration of war. Now, San Francisco-based hair color brand Madison Reed has entered the fray.

The beauty tech startup is bringing hair care into the home with an app and products that work. "When you see a $10 billion (home hair color) industry that has gone largely unchanged and dominated by the same handful of brands for decades, it wasn't hard for us to come in and innovate the whole experience," Madison Reed's CEO Amy Errett tells SF Business Times. "While L'Oreal and other brands on the shelves are spending money on branding and celebrities faces, we put our focus on professional tutorials and creating a seamless experience right in your phone."

Perfect highlights in the comfort of your bathroom at whatever time is convenient for your schedule? That sounds alright to us.
· Why VCs see beauty tech as the next hot space [San Francisco Business Times]
· Madison Reed Raises $12M To Disrupt Hair Dye Market [TechCrunch]
· Madison Reed [Official Site]
· How Chloe Harris Plans to Dominate San Francisco Publishing [Racked SF]