Celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Kahh Spence has turned fragrance brand Samir Grey into a profitable business with more than $500,000 in sales, bolstered by a viral moment involving Tina Knowles and Kelly Rowland.
Samir Grey has been profitable since its launch and is projected to reach $1 million in sales by the end of 2026, according to Entrepreneur. The brand launched its first fragrance, ONE, in August 2025.
Spence spent more than a decade as a celebrity hairstylist and beauty expert before moving into entrepreneurship. Rather than launching the haircare company some might have expected, he built Samir Grey around fragrance and personal care.
“I want
to make sure what I’m bringing to the marketplace is actually going to be valuable, and I didn’t think I had anything, at that moment, valuable to say in haircare. But I did have something valuable to say in fragrance and in personal care,” he said to BLACK ENTERPRISE.The company, whose name is inspired by Spence’s middle name and favorite color, also honors his late mother, who died of colon cancer.
“My mom and the women that were around me were the full inspiration — watching women and how they sacrifice themselves to take care of the world, essentially,” Spence told the outlet.
Samir Grey’s growth accelerated after Spence shared positive reviews of ONE on Instagram. Rowland, a former client, saw the posts and asked to try the fragrance. Spence sent her a bottle.
In April, Knowles posted a video of Rowland doing her hair, and Spence noticed ONE in the frame. After viewers began asking about the fragrance in the comments, Spence identified the product.
Within two hours, Samir Grey sold out of inventory expected to last two weeks. Spence said website sessions increased about fivefold, while the company’s email list grew three to four times its previous size. The fragrance remained sold out for about five weeks.
When Samir Grey restocked in May, the company recorded the equivalent of five months of sales in one month.
ONE, which features notes of candied peach and vanilla, retails for $138 on Samir Grey’s website. The company describes the fragrance as vegan, cruelty-free, IFRA-compliant, and CMR-free.
Spence said the viral exposure continues to benefit the business, but he views direct consumer engagement as central to its long-term growth.
“On my end, it’s really, how can I connect with the consumer and our community as best as possible?” Spence said to the outlet.
“Because that was the idea going into this from day one, of wanting this to feel a bit more human.”
RELATED CONTENT: Tina Knowles Is The Ultimate ‘Matriarch’ In Kurt Geiger’s Mother’s Day Fashion Campaign