The founder who turned $30,000 in life savings into a beauty empire

Speakers

Cassandra Morales Thurswell — Founder & CEO, Kitsch

Julia Boorstin — Interviewer, CNBC

Kitsch has grown from $30,000 in personal savings to over $300 million in sales without taking any external venture capital funding.
The company has expanded into 27,000 retail stores globally, including major partners like Target, Ulta, Walgreens, and Whole Foods.
A significant consumer behavior shift is occurring in the beauty sector, moving away from plastic-bottled liquids toward solid bars (shampoo/conditioner) and sustainable materials.
The founder attributes the company's ability to scale without debt to maintaining control of manufacturing and warehousing early on, allowing for better margin management and direct customer feedback loops.

Ticker	Direction	Speaker	Thesis	Time
SUSTAINABLE PERSONAL CARE /ECO-FRIENDLY BEAUTY	LONG	Cassandra Morales Thurswell Founder & CEO, Kitsch	The speaker highlights a massive shift in consumer behavior where customers are willing to switch from traditional liquid hair products to solid bars (shampoo/conditioner) to reduce plastic waste. Kitsch has generated over $300 million in sales capitalizing on this trend. Consumers are increasingly seeking "bottle-less" options, but efficacy remains key. By building trust through lower-risk accessories (hair ties, shower caps), a brand can successfully cross-sell customers into higher-margin, recurring consumable products like shampoo bars. The market is rewarding brands that combine high efficacy with sustainability (40% of Kitsch products are eco-friendly). Kitsch's expansion into 27,000 major retail doors (Target, Ulta, Whole Foods) and $300M+ revenue without external funding proves the viability and high demand for this product category. Consumer adoption hurdles remain for those accustomed to liquid products; success depends on the ability to educate the consumer and prove product efficacy matches traditional options.	—