Who Gets to Decide What Good Value is for Hair Accessories?

The other day, deep in one of our costing spreadsheets (hello, tariffs), I had an aha moment. The kind that makes everything click.

The thought?

We’ve been letting the wrong people define what value means in our industry.

Let me explain.

For over a decade, we’ve been building ethical, environmentally responsible, high-performance hair accessories. We’ve made them to last. We’ve made them with care. And we’ve made them with premium, plant-based materials that are kinder to your hair and the planet.

That kind of integrity isn’t cheap—but the frustrating part isn’t the cost. It’s that we’re being compared to brands that aren’t playing by the same rules.

Why? Because sheer scale and market dominance have allowed those brands to define what a pack of hair ties or scrunchies should cost.

And that’s the problem. Their prices may reflect what they pay—but they don’t reflect the true cost.

What’s Missing From the Price Tag

1. Human accountability. 
   
   In many factories, particularly in unregulated sectors of the garment industry, brands push for lower costs until corners start getting cut. The factory can’t meet those prices with fair wages or safe conditions, so they outsource the work to subcontractors, often with no oversight. That’s how human rights abuses happen, including forced labor and child labor.
   
   Without third party certifications and therefore, transparency, there is no proof of conditions. And in our experience, when a brand isn't proud of their manufacturing story, they remain mute on the subject. An example: Shein was found to have workers clocking 18-hour shifts for pennies per item.
   
   
2. Environmental cost at the factory level.
   
   When production isn’t held to account through certifications, dyes and chemicals used in textile manufacturing are often dumped straight into waterways. In fact, untreated dye waste from textile factories is a leading cause of water pollution in countries like India, China, and Bangladesh—turning rivers unnatural shades of red, blue, and black.
   
   The problem is widespread, because without certifications or oversight, there’s no consequence. And no incentive to clean it up.
   
   
3. Environmental cost after use.
   
   Most hair accessories are made from synthetics - nylon, polyester, elastane, acrylic - all of which are fancy words for plastic. When they inevitably snap or stretch out, they don’t disappear. They become microplastics. And those microplastics end up in oceans, food chains, and our bodies. In fact, we conservatively estimate that 15 million (!!) synthetic hair ties are lost or tossed every day in the USA alone - see the math here! 

When you're not accountable to any of the above, it becomes really easy to bring costs down, down, down.

But here’s the thing: while it may look like a good deal on the shelf, someone, somewhere, is paying the price.

So What Are We Paying For?

In 2022, we traveled to Japan to meet with our newest manufacturing partner at the time - a 4th-generation family business that had once made ropes and now applies that same engineering precision to crafting hair ties.

We went because they could make round hair ties, something our Fairtrade-certified partners in India couldn’t do at the time. We also went because we believe in building relationships face-to-face. When you’re in the business of accountability, site visits matter.

As part of our visit, we came prepared with a presentation to help them better understand the U.S. market. In it were Nielsen stats on the top-selling hair tie SKUs in the country. We pointed out that the average retail price among the top 10 was $4.15—and the average quantity per pack was 55.

Being rather numb to seeing Western pack sizes, we shared this casually. But when we said “55,” the room went quiet.

Eventually, the Operations Manager raised his hand and asked,

“Why do people need 55 hair ties in a pack?”

And that, in a nutshell, tells you everything that's wrong with the industry.

He went on to explain that in Japan, the average pack size for hair ties is two. Yes, you read that right - 2 hair ties!!

So how do two cultures, with the same proportion of folks with long hair, end up with such vastly different pack size expectations?

The answer lies in what the North American market giants have deemed “innovation” over the past 30 years.

Instead of pursuing better materials, higher quality, or greater accountability to people and planet, they leaned into the opposite — declaring that real value meant larger and larger pack sizes, at lower and lower prices.

And the only way to make more for less? Cut more corners.

Less quality.
Fewer certifications.
Avoid all accountability.

And the gross part? You design the product to fail.

For a retail business to thrive, you need repeat customers. Fifty-five well-made hair ties could last someone a lifetime. That’s not going to work if your success depends on people coming back once, twice, or four times a year.

So what’s the solution?

It’s called planned obsolescence — the practice of deliberately designing products with a limited lifespan. (come with us on a separate journey examining planned obsolescence in the hair accessory industry here)

This is the business model that built this category.

We’re Not Playing Their Game. We’re Changing the Rules.

We're tired of letting those who cut corners define what value means.

And that’s the aha moment: the recognition that as KOOSHOO grows, so does our responsibility to lead - to reshape how value is understood in this industry.

Our job is to make real value unmistakable.

To deliver a product experience so thoughtful, so durable, so beautifully made. that its worth is immediately clear.

We’re not here to justify our prices. We’re here to show you why they’re extraordinary.

And we believe the value proposition we offer is unlike anything in the hair accessories industry today.

The KOOSHOO Equation

Style + Quality + Performance + Ethics = Real Value

Style.
Every KOOSHOO product is grounded in trend and colour research, designed with timeless utility, and made from materials chosen to flatter, function, and last.

Quality.
From our Japanese hair ties triple-tested for strength, to the hand-sewn finishes from our Fairtrade-certified partners in India - our products are made to last. We’ve lab-tested them against the competition, and they outperform by 2 to 6 times. Why buy 55 plastic hair ties when you can get a 4-pack that lasts longer, is healthier for your hair, and does better by others - people and planet. 

Performance.
You don’t need 55 hair ties if the ones you have actually work. KOOSHOO ties hold through workouts, meetings, beach days, and bad hair days—and they go the distance without snapping or sagging.

Ethics.
Proudly plastic-free. Cruelty-free. And yes, BS-free.  

We believe transparency creates accountability—so we won’t hide a thing. We’re not perfect, but we’re working every day to do better. That means materials that are kind to the earth, certifications that back up our ethics, and the better option at every step. 

This Is What Value Looks Like

Value isn't just about what you get for your money. It's about what your choices create.

When you choose KOOSHOO, you're choosing quality over quantity. Performance over plastic. And integrity over industry shortcuts.

You're choosing hair accessories that look good, feel good, and do good. And you're helping prove that true value is not a race to the bottom.

This isn’t just about hair ties. It’s about reshaping expectations. It’s about reclaiming the definition of great value.

And thanks to you, we’re already doing it.

Let’s keep going.