Note From Our Founders: What Happened To Texture Powder?

A Note From Our Founders

Each month, we send out a letter to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what we're up to, what we're working on, and what's coming up next at Alder New York.

You may have noticed that our much-adored Texture Powder is no longer for sale on our website. You may even be one of the people who has reached out to us to ask what has happened to it, or to check if/when it will be back, or to tell us how it’s the one product that’s worked for you when nothing else had. I want to let you know that I love our Texture Powder as well, and I’m sorry we don’t currently offer it- and I’m going to give you a little behind-the-scenes look at how we made the difficult decision to discontinue it for now.

Our Texture Powder is our OG product. If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember that it was originally called Alder Natural Hair Powder. This was the very first product David and I ever made, back in 2011 when we were roommates, in our little Brooklyn-apartment kitchen. We originally made it for ourselves, with no plans to sell it, and while this phrase is super-clichéd, we made it because we truly couldn’t find anything that met what we were looking for. So we created a safe to use (talc and aerosol free), earth-derived dry shampoo that texturized hair and removed excess oil. Suffice it to say that we were not alone in looking for this genius product, and it became a big hit. It also was the catalyst for Alder New York’s launch of beloved skincare products Everyday Cleanser, Balancing Serum, and Lightweight Moisturizer; a trio of beautiful essentials designed with plant botanicals and science-backed actives. 

But just like with anything that is popular, the big guys started to take notice of Texture Powder’s popularity. It wasn’t long before every heavily-financed beauty conglomerate had their own dry shampoo or texturizer, which of course included loads of ingredients we would never use. In the next few years, the market became over-saturated with these products, and it became difficult for our small, independent company to compete with the marketing spend these companies had. As is so often the case, our higher-quality product got lost in the sea of corporate-juggernauts’ versions. 

At the same time, the cost to keep producing our Texture Powder went up. To continue making it, we would have had to make the choice to either dramatically increase the price or use lower-quality materials, and neither felt like a good option. After a lot of discussion, research, and deliberating, we made the difficult decision to focus our time, energy, and financial resources on our cherished skincare line, and discontinue the Texture Powder for the time being.  

That does not mean that you will never see our Texture Powder again- I am hopeful that we will be able to reintroduce it at the right time. And I hope that this gave you some insight into how we make some of our most difficult business decisions. It is always with the intention to provide you with the highest quality products that we stand behind 100%. Thank you for supporting us!

xx

Nina

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