News

Kate Assaraf on AI, “digital pollution,” and why the future of commerce belongs to human connection, local retail, and trust-based shopping.  Listen to more on the Boss Mode podcast.   YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xw3MPyJT1vo Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3I1dWk3EgXFWf3OzlEbDxU?si=KRRyzia9Q6yKNgUnh7xiOQ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/boss-mode-podcast/id1843995312?i=1000761980080

The origin of Dip is wonderfully unglamorous in the best possible way: Kate was frustrated. She had spent about 20 years in the beauty industry and more than a decade trying to reduce plastic in her own life. She had made a lot of sustainable swaps already. But haircare was the one area that kept letting her down.

After nearly two decades in the beauty industry, Kate Assaraf stopped asking how to sell more products and started asking a different question: what if businesses encouraged people to buy less? In this candid conversation, the founder of dip shares lessons from failure, motherhood, sustainable beauty, and building a company that refuses to chase growth at any cost. From rejecting Amazon and influencer culture to supporting independent retailers and redefining success, Assaraf offers a refreshing perspective on entrepreneurship, authenticity, and what it means to build a business with a soul.

On the Boss Mode podcast, Kate Assaraf challenges AI-driven commerce and leads interviewer David Lee to a key realization: even in an AI-powered future, in-person shopping delivers trust, expertise, and human connection that digital commerce cannot replace.

This isn’t really about shampoo. Kate Assaraf built Dip to support small businesses...and once you understand that, it changes how you think about what you buy.

What is digital pollution? Can AI make commerce more human? Explore authentic commerce, refill stores, local shopping, and the future of sustainable retail according to Kate Assaraf, founder of Dip.

What is digital pollution? Kate Assaraf of Dip defines the hidden waste of fake reviews, ad saturation, digital manipulation, and misleading commerce.

Reef safe haircare is a misleading term. Learn what actually protects oceans, what to use after swimming, and why pre-swim products aren’t needed. The Dip conditioner bar says "after swim detangler" right on the front for this very reason.  

An Interview with Kate Assaraf and Refill Store owner turned Dip Account Executive Jackie Bassett If you own a refill shop, eco-boutique, salon, or independent retail store, you’ve probably noticed a surge in plastic-free hair care brands promising sustainability. But not all shampoo bars and conditioner bars are created equal. At Dip, we work with hundreds of independent retailers across the United States who are proving that high-performance shampoo and conditioner bars can outperform traditional bottled products: while also reducing plastic waste.

The trust recession describes a widening gap between how products are marketed and what customers actually experience. In the past, buying something often involved a conversation with a real person. You could ask questions. You could touch the product. You could compare options with someone who knew what they were talking about. Today, the path looks very different.Customers encounter review farms, sponsored influencer content, paid endorsements, and algorithm-driven advertising before they ever see a product in person. Many of those signals are difficult—if not impossible—for consumers to verify. The result is a kind of collective recoil.