Beyoncé’s Cécred Line Is Finally Available to Shop—and We Tried It
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The wait is finally over: Beyoncé’s hair brand Cécred is officially available today, for fans and beauty lovers everywhere.
And speaking as a through-and-through Beyoncé fan, my heart jumped when I received an invitation to test the line ahead of its launch, at hairstylist Neal Farinah’s Brooklyn salon. Farinah has worked directly with Beyoncé for over 20 years, making him the perfect person to guide Cécred as its lead global stylist, along with her mother, vice chairman and driving inspiration behind the line’s creation, Tina Knowles. She even shares her daughter’s famous mononym (Beyoncé is Ms. Tina’s middle name), which inspired the first two letters of the new brand’s name.
"How many of ya'll knew my first job was sweeping hair in my mama's salon?" Beyoncé previously wrote in an Instagram post last May teasing the collection. "Destiny's Child got our start by performing for clients while they were getting their hair done. I was exposed to so many different kinds of entrepreneurial women in her salon. I saw first-hand how the ways we nurture and celebrate hair can directly impact our souls. I watched her heal and be of service to so many women. Having learned so much on my hair journey, I've always dreamed of carrying on her legacy," she said.
While many consumers only began piecing together the Beyoncé's hair care offerings last spring, research and development behind Cécred has been in the making for a number of years. The brand is not only science-backed—with extensive clinical, salon, and lab testing to show for it—but also aims to elevate the sacred ritual of hair care maintenance.
It was clear to me that this wasn't just another celebrity beauty brand after laying my eyes on the full line-up in person. The high attention to detail of Cécred's counter-friendly founding collection starts with the design of its bottles, caps, and jars: They each carry a weight and feature a luxe, pebbled texture that's reminiscent of stone from ancient monuments. Cécred also uses a signature fragrance called Temple Oud that mildly scents each product with notes of oud (which you may have guessed), Australian sandalwood, musk, jasmine, Haitian vetiver, and violet leaves.
Along with a color-safe, hyaluronic acid-infused Hydrating Shampoo for regular wash days, the brand has a Clarifying Shampoo that doubles as a scalp scrub to gently remove product build-up, dirt, and oil. The peppermint-scented clarifying shampoo even contains a pointed tip for easy, targeted application. Cécred's launch also includes a lightweight Moisture Sealing Lotion to keep hair moisturized and reduce frizz, plus, an African oil and shea butter-rich Moisturizing Deep Conditioner for supreme hydration.
If you're in need of more intensive treatments, the collection also features a Reconstruction Treatment Mask that's powered by a patent-pending bioactive keratin ferment, as well as a two-step, bone broth-inspired Fermented Rice and Rose Protein Ritual that starts as a powder, and transforms into a strengthening rinse with water. It's first shaken within the brand's Ritual Shaking Vessel and followed with its restorative Silk Rinse. The last of Cécred's essentials is its Nourishing Hair Oil which combines 13 oils and plant extracts to boost shine and seal in moisture.
"As a Black founder, it was important to me to concentrate on where I saw the greatest need for healthy haircare and to place scientific innovation and product performance above all else," Knowles-Carter says in a statement. "We started by prioritizing the needs of textured hair like mine, along with other types and textures that need more moisture and strength. My entire life and career, I’ve worn my hair in so many different ways: natural, flat-ironed, braids, colored, weaves, wigs. I want everyone to have the freedom to express their hair in ways that make them feel good, so I began by creating the essentials for hair and scalp health."
Though I wore my hair in protective crochet braids during my appointment in Brooklyn, I was still able to test a fair amount of Cécred products first-hand. After learning more about the foundation collection from head of education and in-house trichologist Kari Williams and Cécred C.E.O. Grace Ray (formerly of top beauty brands like Living Proof), I received a scalp analysis from Williams so she and my assigned stylist could customize a treatment for my specific needs.
It was anchored with a blend of combination of gel, edge, control, and leave-in conditioner, which is why it's no surprise Williams first suggested a gentle cleanse with the brand's Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub to remove residue from my cornrows. Its exfoliating fermented purple willow bark and tea tree oil formula doesn't feel overly abrasive, and left my scalp feeling clean—but not stripped—once it was rinsed out.
Next, I sat under the dryer to allow my braids to dry, which were later re-hydrated with brand’s featherweight but deeply conditioning Moisture Sealing Lotion. And as an extra special bonus to an already extraordinary day, and a finishing hair touch, I was treated to a quick hand and scalp massage by Farinah himself using the Nourishing Hair Oil, which gave my hair an instant shine boost. I'm still convinced he should moonlight as a professional masseuse—I nearly feel asleep in my salon chair.
There's a through-line of intentionality, efficacy, and honored tradition that runs through Cécred's brand philosophy. As part of its launch, Cécred is even partnering with Knowles-Carter’s philanthropic foundation, BeyGOOD, to create an annual fund laddering up to $500,000 that benefits cosmetology school scholarships and salon business grants.
After testing its beauty staples first-hand, I can happily say that the long-awaited hype is real—the rest of my hair care favorites need to make some extra room in the medicine cabinet. And even though Beyoncé has her name on the actual products, they're undeniably created with you and I in mind, no matter your hair type.
Cécred's foundation collection starts at $20, and is available to shop at cecred.com.
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