We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kate Assaraf. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Kate, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
In business, I am always wandering, stopping to smell the flowers and take in the views, but I always know where I am going 🙂
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Kate Assaraf, founder of Dip, a plastic-free, salon-grade haircare brand that’s actually trying to save the planet, not just marketing like it. Dip is an environmental company parading as a beauty brand, and everything we do: from our products to our packaging to the stores we choose to partner with—is rooted in sustainability, performance, and community.
I spent years in the clean beauty world before realizing that “clean” often just means “without context.” So I built Dip to be different: high-performance, science-backed, and genuinely low-waste. No greenwashing. No ingredient fearmongering. Just results that make your hair look amazing without trashing the planet.
Dip is proudly not on Amazon, because we believe the real heroes are the small, independent shops on Main Street, and not Silicon Valley warehouses. We support refill stores, surf shops, and eco-salons across the country. If your hair is sun-bleached, sweat-soaked, greasy from the garden, or just plain moody—we’ve got you.
Right now, we’re working on some exciting collabs (including one with the band Guster), expanding our product line, and building even deeper partnerships with our community of indie retailers. I’m also very focused on redefining what sustainable beauty feels like—fun, irreverent, effective, and built to last.
If you’re tired of “clean beauty” that doesn’t work and want to be part of something that actually gives a dip, come hang with us.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
The two people who taught me the most about work couldn’t have been more different, and that contrast shaped everything about who I am today.
My mother raised me humbly. She had a PhD in anthropology, taught at universities, and instilled in me a deep love of learning and a quiet kind of strength. As an immigrant, she navigated academia with grace, grit, and a lot of humor. She never chased flashy success—she chased truth, understanding, and purpose. She showed me that your worth isn’t tied to your job title or bank account; it’s in how you move through the world and what you give back.
On the flip side, my stepmother was this glamorous, magnetic force—absolutely fabulous. Also an immigrant, she opened a small shop in Mineola, NY, that quickly turned into an empire. She taught me the power of presentation, ambition, and taking up space unapologetically. Her work ethic was unmatched, but so was her flair. She showed me that success can be beautiful, loud, proud, and very sparkly.
These two women, so different in how they viewed life, money, and success: each gave me half the map. I learned that you can be humble and hungry, grounded and glamorous, thoughtful and fierce. And that’s the energy I try to bring to Dip every day. We can be an environmental company and a beauty brand. We can be serious about our mission without taking ourselves too seriously.
That duality: that’s where the magic lives.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could give advice to my younger self, I’d say this: Change your hair as much as possible. Pixie it, dye it, cut bangs you’ll regret—do it all. Hair grows back, but the freedom to express yourself without fear is something you’ll come to treasure. I spent too much time trying to look polished instead of playing.
And also: none of it is that serious. I took college incredibly seriously, probably too seriously—because I genuinely loved to learn. I thought getting everything “right” mattered so much. But spoiler alert: as an adult, no one really cares about your GPA or your honors thesis. What matters is how you treat people, how resilient you are when things fall apart, and whether you can laugh at yourself.
So yeah… lighten up, kid. You’re going to do something cool with your life and you don’t have to white-knuckle it the whole way there 🙂
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Where are smart people totally getting it wrong today? Honestly, I think a lot of smart people are so busy being smart, they’ve forgotten how to listen.
I grew up in a beautifully complicated family: a Christian mom from England, a Muslim dad from Iran, an Ashkenazi Jewish stepfather from Poland, a Persian Jewish stepmother—and now I’m married to a Sephardic Jewish man who is half Moroccan and half Swiss. So, let’s just say I’ve been to a lot of different holiday dinners with very different worldviews around the table.
In a family like mine, tolerance isn’t optional, it’s the only way forward. You have to hold space for different beliefs, different parenting styles, different politics, different senses of humor. You learn to ask questions before offering answers. You learn that being right isn’t nearly as powerful as being curious.
But in so many spaces today, I see very intelligent people who are spring-loaded with their rebuttals; ready to win the argument instead of hear the person. Somewhere along the way, listening became a lost art. And I think if we want to build anything truly meaningful—whether it’s a family, a business, or a better world—it has to start there & not in the comment sections.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
The story I hope people tell when I’m gone isn’t about my resume or revenue or some splashy headline. I hope it’s about how I treated them.
I hope someone says, “She made me feel seen.”
Or, “She inspired me to start a company that didn’t sell out to Amazon.”
Or even, “My small store stayed open because she built a brand that gave us a chance; not just the big guys.”
I hope store owners say I was in their corner. I hope fellow founders say I gave them permission to do it differently. And most of all, I hope my kids tell the story of a mom who always made time for them no matter how wild things got, no matter what deadline was looming. That when it came to their lives, I was fully there.
Legacy to me isn’t a product line or a press mention. It’s how people feel when they remember you. I hope they feel warmth, courage, and maybe a little fire to go do the thing their way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dipalready.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dipalready
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-assaraf-b25a741a7/
Image Credits
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