Prerna Singh
Season 13 of ‘Shark Tank’ saw several entrepreneurs pitch their innovative business ventures to the celebrated investors AKA “the Sharks.” One such business that caught our eye was Browndages. As the name suggests, the company sells bandages for a variety of skin tones, specifically for people of color. Since you are keen on learning more about Browndages, here is everything there is to know!
Browndages: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
Browndages was pitched by the husband-and-wife duo, Intisar Bashir and Rashid Mahdi. The couple has three young kids, with their oldest being not more than 11 years as of writing. So, it is not unexpected that the family goes through a fair number of bandages in a year. However, they could not help but notice that the bandages available in the market did not match the skin tone of their kids. Hence, the idea for Browndages came about, and the business started in 2018.
Initially, Intisar and Rashid started producing bandages for adults. However, their kids were keen on customized designs with superheroes and princesses. Since the Ohio-based entrepreneur couple believed in giving their kids an opportunity to have real role models, they collaborated with a UK-based artist to design bandages with astronauts, ballerinas, chefs, and veterinarians on them. This proved to be an interesting change for Intisar and Rashid’s kids as they began to see themselves in a different light.
Browndages sells FDA-approved and latex-free products. A basic pack of 20 bandages comes for $3.99, whereas the “Young Icons” special edition of bandages for kids is sold for $4.99. On the other hand, the elastic bandages cost $5.99, and a first aid kit is priced at $19.99. Browndages come in five different shades – sand, caramel, wheat, mocha, and ebony.
Where Is Browndages Now?
Intisar and Rashid worked full-time jobs in IT management and logistics, respectively. Therefore, Intisar worked on the customer service aspect of Browndages, while her husband worked on fulfilling the orders and chaining in family friends to help their business grow. The IT management expert shared, “We were lucky to have people in our lives help us bring our product to the market…It was really a group, family effort of everybody believing in us.”
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However, what really shot Intisar and Rashid’s business to fame was the feedback from customers, most notably the Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. Soon after the ‘Black Panther’ actress put up a picture donning a Browndage in July 2020, the sales sky-rocketed to such a point that they sold out the stock they thought would last them the rest of the year. Browndages primarily sells its products via the official website as well as some select small businesses in the USA. They have even received orders from Canada and Norway!
Browndages’ phenomenal growth has been covered by various publications, including The Columbus Dispatch, ABC News, Business Wars Daily, and Forbes. Apart from bandages, the company sells first aid kits, healing balms, pajamas, children’s books, hats, and masks, among other things. They even have customers reaching out to them with photographs of their children to be made into characters on the Browndages.
Therefore, Intisar and Rashid’s successful venture is a great example of representation. In an August 2020 conversation, the mother of three stated, “We hope to continue to fulfill our family’s need and continue to inspire other children like ours and see themselves in our characters, to see that representation and grow from that.” With that being said, Browndages is not only addressing an essential gap in the first-aid industry but also helping young minds dream of achievable goals.
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