After more than two decades of transforming lives and hair from Atlanta, Georgia, Briana Hickman is preparing for her most ambitious leap yet: launching her beauty empire in Dubai.
The founder and CEO of B. Xquisit Beauty, Hickman has spent her career championing professional salon services and high-quality products for naturally curly hair. Now, she’s bringing that mission to one of the world’s fastest-growing beauty markets and planting roots in the UAE.
“We cater to people with naturally curly hair of all races,” Hickman says. “That would be our target audience. At the same time, of course, we can do any texture.”
For Hickman, the move is more than geographic; it’s generational. She’s part of a growing wave of Black beauty entrepreneurs who are addressing an often-overlooked market: the nuanced needs of textured hair, particularly in regions where straight hair has historically dominated the shelves and salon chairs.
Licensed since 2006, but styling hair since the age of ten, Hickman’s journey began with a deep belief in beauty as a form of empowerment. “I love when people have confidence after having certain beauty services,” she says. “I like it when people feel good after they look good, and I would love to be a part of anything that helps contribute to that.”
She launched her company in 2008 and opened her first salon just two years later. At one point, she was managing two locations. But when the pandemic hit, Hickman made a bold pivot, consolidating operations and purchasing the real estate for her flagship studio. That decision allowed her to focus on long-term brand growth while enhancing service quality. “A lot of people think having multiple locations is the ultimate goal. Sometimes it’s not. Buying the building and consolidating was one of the best things I ever did.”
Today, B. Xquisit holds a reputation for its unique style and reliability. “We’ve been changing lives for a while,” Hickman says with pride.
Dubai’s booming beauty industry is a magnet for global brands, but few focus on the textured hair segment with the experience and authenticity Hickman brings. As she plans her UAE launch, Hickman is focused on three key pillars: education, representation, and product distribution. “I definitely would love to go to Dubai and teach what I know, especially with some of the coarser textures,” she says. “That’s so easy for me. I can do that in my sleep.”
Hickman plans to offer in-person classes for salon professionals across the UAE, helping stylists learn the science and technique behind caring for curly hair of all textures. Her goal is to empower local salon owners to better serve an increasingly diverse clientele, especially families navigating the learning curve of mixed-race children’s hair textures. “There’s a lot of mixed races, which has a lot to do with curly hair,” she explains. “If you have a mixed-race child, now you have a different hair type that one parent may not be used to. We want to tap into that market fast.”
At the centre of B. Xquisit’s expansion is a curated line of salon-tested products developed specifically for curly hair. Each formula is designed to maintain moisture, a necessity not just for curl definition, but also for protecting colour-treated hair in harsh climates like the UAE’s. The lineup includes a shampoo, conditioner, hair treatments, leave-in conditioner, and hair moisturiser, each engineered to meet varying hydration needs. “Some people with very coarse hair need more moisture, while others might not,” Hickman explains. “These products are highly moisturising and great for colour-treated hair, especially in the Middle East temperatures.”
While e-commerce will play a key role in distribution (with an Amazon UAE presence on the horizon), Hickman’s strategy is deeply rooted in education and partnership. She plans to collaborate with local salons, offering training and revenue-sharing models that align with B. Xquisit’s ethos of professional excellence.
Hickman isn’t shy about her long-term ambitions. “It would be a dream to get product placement in a major beauty retailer,” she says. “There are not really a lot of products that represent curly hair on those shelves.”
As she prepares to introduce her brand to the Dubai market, she’s not just exporting a product; she’s introducing a culture of care. With deep industry knowledge, a tested track record, and a magnetic passion for transformation, Briana Hickman is poised to become one of the UAE’s leading voices in textured hair care.
“We want to set a different tone and help people feel beautiful in the process.”
In a market that’s hungry for authenticity and underserved by traditional players, B. Xquisit’s arrival signals a powerful shift. And with Hickman leading the charge, it’s clear: this is more than a business move. It’s a mission.
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