Kelly Rowland and Tina Knowles helped this Black-owned fragrance brand surpass $500K in sales

Celebrity hairstylist Kahh Spence’s Samir Grey sold out within hours after an unexpected viral boost.

Kahh Spence’s fragrance brand Samir Grey has surpassed $500,000 in sales after a viral boost involving Kelly Rowland and Tina Knowles. The sales milestone follows Spence’s transition from celebrity hairstyling to entrepreneurship and connects two figures associated with Black beauty, including Rowland’s Beautycon appearance and Knowles’ support for Black-owned businesses.

Yahoo Finance reported that the hairstylist built Samir Grey after stepping away from styling stars including Rowland, Cardi B, Kehlani, Normani and Victoria Monét. Spence launched the brand in August 2025 with One, a $138 unisex parfum.

Spence said he intentionally avoided leaning on most of his celebrity relationships when Samir Grey launched because he wanted the company to establish credibility on its own. That changed after Rowland saw his posts about the fragrance and asked to try it.

He sent her a bottle, and in April, Tina Knowles posted a video of Rowland doing her hair with Samir Grey’s fragrance visible in the frame. Spence said the business sold out within two hours, exhausting inventory that had been expected to last about two weeks.

The exposure had an immediate effect. Spence said website sessions increased about fivefold, the company’s email list grew roughly three to four times, and the brand stayed sold out for five weeks.

After Samir Grey restocked in May, Spence said the company generated the equivalent of five months of sales in a single month. The brand has remained profitable since launch and has now generated more than $500,000 in sales.

The company carries a personal connection to Spence’s late mother, Sharisee. He has said the fragrance was inspired by memories of her and by a dream of the vacation they never had the chance to take together.

Spence first tried fragrance entrepreneurship in 2019, using lottery winnings his mother left him after her death from cancer in 2017. He later closed that business, saying he had not yet understood concepts such as profit and loss.

Before launching Samir Grey, Spence spent time learning from beauty founders and developing the company from late 2023. He worked with perfumer Cécile Hua and product developer Eliane Treadwell on One while self-funding the venture.