The Products From Beyoncé’s Cécred Haircare Line That Live Up to the Hype

Hair is sacred in the Black community. The fragile nature of our natural crimps, curls, and coils makes us especially protective of it. Our hair requires time, knowledge, and care to embody its glorious, full potential. Beyoncé, the multiplatinum megastar, who has worn her hair in myriad resplendent hairstyles throughout her iconic career, knows this—and with her latest business venture, is helping us reclaim and celebrate our crowns. When she officially launched her haircare brand Cécred late last month after teasing the label (“How many of y’all knew my first job was sweeping hair in my mama’s salon?” Bey posted on Instagram late last year), I knew I had to give it a try.

Does the world need another celebrity beauty line? No, definitely not. But if Rihanna’s extended range of Fenty makeup shades proved anything, it’s that consumers are ready for change when it comes to inclusivity. Perhaps Bey’s new haircare line can shift the norm for the highly textured community, to whom the beauty industry markets products that are filled with toxic ingredients. (Case in point: the FDA is pulling several hair relaxers off the market after a causative link between the chemical straighteners and an increased risk in uterine cancer).

Beyoncé spent six years developing her haircare line—and tapped industry veterans Grace Ray from Living Proof as the brand’s CEO and trichologist Kari Williams, PhD, as the line’s head educator. Her mother, Tina Knowles, who has four decades of knowledge as a hairstylist and salon owner, was also involved in the Cécred project. Don’t forget: this ain’t Cowboy Carter’s first rodeo.

Cécred is comprised of eight products: two shampoos, two conditioners, a hair mask, a protein treatment, leave-in lotion, and a hair oil. Most of the range (except for one product) is scented with the line’s signature Temple Oud fragrance, a blend of neroli, Australian sandalwood, and Haitian vetiver. The sculptural, pebbled packaging is reminiscent of the concrete stylings of Tadao Ando, the architect behind Bey’s Malibu abode. And each product is formulated without silicone, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, carcinogens, and hormone disruptors.

I tried the entire line in search of my favorite products, and settled on two: the Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub and the Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual. The former is now a trusted go-to when I’m in need of a scalp detox. Wash day can be quite problematic for me. My hair is thick, dry, and porous. It’s also not chemically straightened but naturally multitextured—from springy 3C curls to super-tight 4C coils—and gets tangled easily. Raking a comb or even my fingers through my frizzy mane when it’s wet can be tough, as it’s usually a jumbled mangle of knots. I try to avoid washing it myself whenever I can; every week—or every other week, if I’m stretching it—I go to my hairstylist Nick Simmons at Marie Robinson’s hair salon in New York City for a silk press (a wash, blowout, and flat iron), and so he can deal with my mane’s delicate care.

But this time, I tried a wash on my own—in the name of Queen Bey. I must confess: I’ve never used a scalp scrub before. I always envision tiny, sand-like granules trapped in my thick, coarse mane for days. Quelle horreur! Such was not the case with Cécred’s version. Its minty scent and skin-friendly ingredients of tea tree oil, niacinamide and purple willow bark, made the process feel like a soothing facial for my scalp instead. My scalp and hair were deeply decongested from a buildup of flakes, oils, and styling products without feeling overstripped.

The Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual harnesses the time-honored power of rice water to strengthen the hair. (On YouTube or TikTok, there are a multitude of videos detailing the merits of this ingredient and method. The practice dates back to ancient Japan, when Yakumi women used the starchy, fermented rinse left over from washing the grain to bolster their strands.) Cécred’s iteration refines the method into an easy two-step process, which features a finely milled fermented powder boosted with biotin, honey, rose, and amino acids that instantly transforms into a water-activated, fortifying hair rinse treatment.

The first step involves mixing the fermented rice and protein powder in the brand’s shaker (which is sold separately, unless you buy the bundle on Cécred’s site) with 24 ounces of warm water and shaking it up until it dissolves, then pouring the solution over your mane. Per the instructions on the packet, I let the ferment mixture sit on my locks for only five minutes. Since it is a protein-based product, I didn’t want to overdo it. This is not a conditioner that you can leave on overnight, or even for an hour.

I washed out the treatment, then proceeded with the second step, the silk rinse. The 28-ml. sachet may not look like it can cover a massive head of hair, but it did. I dumped the contents of the silk rinse packet into my hands and then rubbed the serum between my palms before saturating it onto my strands. This step was key—I was able to stretch the product out so that I had more than enough to cover all of my shoulder-length locks. I usually struggle to glide a comb or brush through my hair when it’s wet, even after a deep conditioner, but after I rinsed the silk treatment out of my hair, it felt moisturized and soft. Moreover, there were no tangles, no snarls, no shedding. (And no tears! Hallelujah!) I’ve decided these two products are potent and efficacious enough that I’m adding them into my permanent hair repertoire for good.