About Xotics & Curtis Smith
Our Purpose
Xotics By Curtis Smith is a brand that uses high-quality, all-natural ingredients derived from the Earth's gifts to produce luxury health and beauty products. Our products are comprised of natural essential oils, butters, herbs, and other carefully selected ingredients that work effectively on all hair textures and skin types. They contain no artificial colors, are completely free of parabens, petroleum, and sulfates, and have never been tested on animals. Xotics By Curtis Smith was created for all who desire to adopt an all-natural lifestyle regime.
Our Story
Xotics products was started with an obsession to create a product that would help to make hair stronger and stop breakage. What ended up being the end result was a product that inspired a collection and changed an industry.
Curtis Smith arrived in the US from Jamaica in 1979 at 7 years old. Curtis gave his friend a haircut at 13 years old and received immediate praise for a job well done. With this experience and many more like it, later throughout life would Curtis develop a passion for the men's grooming business.
As Curtis continued to enjoy cutting hair, he convinced his friends to allow him to cut their hair and surprisingly he received great feedback. While growing a fanbase from cutting hair for the guys on the block and in school, he then started working as a junior barber in a barbershop after school. Curtis continued with his passion over the years, and he fully developed a trade skill set in Harlem. He eventually moved back to the Bronx to grow his business.
Witnessing the growth of other men's grooming businesses during the 90’s, Curtis noticed that customers did not have great choices of natural hair products. After experiencing his first bout with cancer, this motivation pushed him to develop a product within the all natural & organic personal grooming category. This product was called Sweet Jamila. Sweet Jamila was his own personal version of a Natural product which was his shops favorite at the time.
Opening up a barber shop in 1994 and traveling the world as a groomer for celebrities, Curtis learned how to analyze scents, ingredients, formulate and create a brand. He was passionate about creating a product that would make people feel good. From beauty to skincare products, remedying dandruff and breakage, Curtis capitalized on using ingredients that allowed dual use of the product for hair and body while using Aroma Therapy as well.
The Founder
Curtis Smith
Curtis Smith is an industry-leading Barber and Entrepreneur who has served as a personal groomer to mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, Usher Raymond, Maxwell, Pras Michel of The Fugees, and many more actors, musical artists, and celebrities. His work has been seen on the big screen, TV, magazine covers, album covers, and billboards worldwide.
Acknowledged by his peers as the "Godfather" of barbering, Curtis has become a staple in the barber community, promoting the profession to new heights. On top of organizing ground-breaking live shows like "Hair Battle Tours," Curtis was selected as the co-star of the CW network's show "Cedric's Barber Battle," starring Cedric "The Entertainer." Curtis has received numerous awards, including Gillette Man of Style in 2009.
As a husband, father of two, and leader of a 35-member team of elite Barbers and Cosmetologists called "Team Xotics," Curtis quotes, "I believe in family and educating the community."
Awards & Recognition
Gillette Man of Style Award 2009, Barber of the Year Award 2018, Lifetime Achievement Award (Boom Worldwide) 2021, Inspiration Award (CT Expo) 2018, NAACP Entrepreneur of the year award 1997
Our Culture
Living the Xotics lifestyle we work to become the leading minority owned organic and all natural beauty retailer. By pushing positivity, staying natural and making customers happy with the use of our products, we hope to achieve more access to customers worldwide.
Loving products is a must when creating new and innovative approaches to a healthy hair and skincare regimen. Each product on our lineup was created out of necessity and research. When we first create a product it starts as an idea or necessity, then a sample, (Which I and my family use for weeks before letting anyone else even sees it to make sure we love it), then we distribute it to over 100 different customers, then wait to get the feedback, and after multiple renditions we come up with the final product that everyone loves. This all must happen before a product can even be introduced to the public. In essence, we make the customer play a part in what the final product will be.
Our Process
We manufacture 100% of our products at our Middletown, New York facility. Our home-grown, hand-made process ensures the best quality of every product we make, down to each ingredient.
All ingredients we use have been sourced ethically from sustainable distributors of organic products. We only use the best ingredients that we can find. No shortcuts.