Clean Your Dirty Face Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Clean Your Dirty Face is a skincare franchise operating an express facial bar offering quick, affordable facials and treatments. Franchisees run the studios, managing licensed estheticians, appointments, and retail products.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Clean Your Dirty Face franchise requires a total initial investment of $132K – $334K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $301K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $132K – $334K
- 10th pct Personal Care…
- Avg gross sales
- $301K
- Outlet subset2nd pct Personal Care…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 2nd pct Personal Care…
- Units
- 32
- 28th pct Personal Care…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Personal Care & Beauty · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Personal Care & Beauty avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $132K – $334K including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $301K/year (median $294K) (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 71/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 45.5% CAGR over 3 years with 32 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Mud Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Krishna Chicago, LLC
- Predecessor
- Mud Facial Bar
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Shama Patel
- Incorporated in
- NC
- HQ
- 2485 Penny Road, Suite 140, High Point, North Carolina 27265
- Auditor
- DG Perry CPAs + Advisors
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- vs $895K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Shama Patel
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 12
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 56% below the typical personal care & beauty franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $15K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $72K | $269K |
| Total initial investment | $132K | $334K |
Source: Clean Your Dirty Face 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $132K – $334K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $449 |
| Training fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $17K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 62% below the personal care & beauty norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$69K
23.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
28%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Clean Your Dirty Face unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
28%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Clean Your Dirty Face units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$964K
on $4.8M purchase
Total debt
$3.9M
SBA $2.4M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Avg gross sales
- $301K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $294K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Gross Sales by segment (chair count)
- Sample size
- 23
- vs category median 38
- Range (low → high)
- $100K→$595K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 179 Personal Care & Beauty brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $301K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.3x. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% (near the Personal Care & Beauty average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 45.5% CAGR over 3 years across 32 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Personal Care & Beauty averages
How Clean Your Dirty Face Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 32
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.1%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +45.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +45.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 7
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 11 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-high risk: opaque profitability, past trademark litigation, territorial vulnerability, and short franchise term warrant caution despite modest growth.
Litigation (Item 3)
Make-Up Designory v. Shama Patel, MUD Franchising LLC and Anjmanj Inc. (N.D. Ill., 2017) - trademark infringement and unfair competition claims; dismissed with prejudice June 2017
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DG Perry CPAs + Advisors
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 71 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo net income disclosure (Item 19) despite $304k average revenue — profitability opaque
- 02HIGHTrademark infringement litigation (2017) shows IP vulnerabilities and reputational risk
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from same-brand locations
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($131k–$333k) relative to disclosed revenue with unknown margins
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (typically 10 years), increasing renewal risk
- 06MEDModest unit growth (23.1% YoY) with only 32 franchises suggests limited brand momentum
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | High Point, North Carolina (within 50 miles of principal place of business) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NC |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Make-Up Designory v. Shama Patel, MUD Franchising LLC and Anjmanj Inc. (N.D. Ill., 2017) - trademark infringement and unfair competition claims; dismissed with prejudice June 2017
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 20 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- Chicago, Illinois (corporate training center)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Proprietary POS System (MindBody Online Software referenced in training)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Proprietary POS System (MindBody Online Software referenced in training)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
37 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Clean Your Dirty Face · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Clean Your Dirty Face franchise?
The total investment to open a Clean Your Dirty Face franchise ranges from $132K – $334K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Clean Your Dirty Face franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Clean Your Dirty Face FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $301K. The median is $294K. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Clean Your Dirty Face FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Clean Your Dirty Face FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Clean Your Dirty Face's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Clean Your Dirty Face (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Clean Your Dirty Face franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Clean Your Dirty Face has 32 total units in the United States, including 32 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Clean Your Dirty Face a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Clean Your Dirty Face as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 71 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.