Cécred is forging new ground with its newest category.
The hair brand, founded in 2024 by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, is bridging the gap between styling and hair care with the launch of its styling collection. The suite of seven products debuts Thursday on Cécred’s website before rolling out with retail partner Ulta Beauty the following April.
The styling collection includes a Thermal Shield Mist, Heat Activated Silk Glaze, Volumizing Mousse, Wrap & Set Foam, Strong Hold Gel, Flexible Hold Hairspray and Edge Brush.
Prices range from $18 to $38. Although the brand has wide-ranging appeal — it was the largest prestige hair care launch in Ulta’s history when it debuted last year — the need for styling products was personal, Knowles-Carter told WWD.
“A lot of these products were designed from a desire to solve my own issues with my hair while on tour. I don’t use relaxers, so I’m very big on protecting the hair from heat damage when I style. Tour weather is unpredictable. Pouring rain, crazy humidity, some shows in 100 degree weather. I’m drenched in sweat and those styles must make it through a three-hour show. I wasn’t finding stylers that could perform at the necessary level without affecting my hair health.”
Knowles-Carter tested the range of stylers throughout her Cowboy Carter Tour last year.
“People assume my fans on stage are blowing just for the drama and hairography, but the heat under those lights gets real,” she continued. “I need products strong enough to keep my style while keeping it weightless enough to take flight. It’s taken years with lots of trial and error to find the best formulas. We have put each one of these to the test and I use it on my daughters before everything: blow dry, silk press, braid-out. We tested the mousse on my big Texas blowout all the way back in 2024 for the Super Bowl.”
Furthermore, she expects them to resonate as broadly as the brand’s existing hair care products. “There is a styling product in the collection for whatever hair you are wearing: silky straight, big-body blowouts, buss-downs, braid-outs, slick-backs. And our advanced new technology, StemShield Complex, is something special to keep your hair healthy. I am proud that we have you covered from wash day to everything in between, and we will continue to invest in the best innovation for everyone’s hair needs.”
Cécred’s styling campaign.
Courtesy of Cécred/Adrienne Raquel
Knowles-Carter developed the products alongside Cécred’s lead global stylist Neal Farinah and Knowles-Carter’s own mother and Cécred vice chairwoman Celestine “Tina” Knowles, who is commonly referred to as “Ms. Tina.”
“When we started Cécred, we had this idea to have a working lab and test salon within the headquarters. We also set up a content studio to capture the process and document our growth,” Knowles said. “It was important for us to give our customers a bird’s eye view of the day-to-day of running Cécred while making sure they were part of the process.”
The expectations of the product are steep, Knowles said. “Clean is important to us. We do so much research and development on that, and on the styling. I’m a hair stylist, so I know the effects of products. Even the hairspray is pliable. It’s not going to make your hair sticky or like you’ve got a helmet on.”
Knowles-Carter’s own needs weren’t the only things Cécred solved for. There was a robust amount of consumer listening involved, too.
“We listen to the customers, what their needs are, what our needs are,” Knowles said. “When you see the new ads, we got very bouffant, big Texas hair. It’s almost impossible to get but with these products, you get firm hold and it’s still pliable.”
Testing was done in laboratories as well as with the entire team, Knowles said. “The final thing is Beyoncé and me, whether we can use the product, we love the product and feel like it’s working. It’s effective, it’s easy to use. We try to make it as easy as possible.”
The brand’s success doesn’t just come from the notoriety of its founder. “We’ve built a really strong base rooted in product performance and education and consumer connection, and our customers move really quickly from that initial curiosity to deep brand loyalty,” said Grace Ray, Cécred’s chief executive officer. “We’ve had this approach of augmenting that generational wisdom with superior technology. And I’m focused on intellectual property, that we hold more patents than most traditional tech firms, and because the market is flooded with so much sameness, our IP is our moat.”
Ray, whose own background spans hair care (Living Proof) and makeup (Milani), continued: “Most brands focus on hair texture as their need state. We actually look at the pain points, and because we focus on that underlying need, we’re able to transcend across multiple hair textures. Whether it’s strength or density or moisture, we are dedicated to solving the problem and we develop it first by developing proprietary technology.”
The stylers took “years and years” to ideate and perfect before launching, Ray said, and the through-line is the range’s proprietary StemShield Complex. “It is designed to shield and protect hair, allowing you to do the most without doing the damage,” Ray said. “This is a three-part complex consisting of shape-memory polymers, plant stem cell lipids and black honey fermentation. They work synergistically to protect the hair from 450-degree heat, humidity, pollution and other styling-related damage.”
Ray feels the entire range will get a strong response from consumers, with an emphasis on the silk glaze and volumizing mousse. The mousse, as well as the wrap and set foam, are Knowles’s personal favorites from the line.
“What makes the approach so different is you get this incredible weightless movement and body without residue,” Ray said, noting the absence of silicones, in the glaze. “Education is a very critical part of the launch of this line, and we want to make styling as easy and straightforward as possible. It does not need to be complicated.”
There will be a heavy focus on before-and-after visuals. “It’s so visual and the transformation can be so extreme,” Ray said. “The new campaign will come to life through high-energy visuals, in-store displays and a few other activations up our sleeves. And you’ll see it across touch points.”
