The third major collection drop from Cécred is officially here—and I’m not even going to pretend to be chill about it. The first two hair collections were all about repair and restoration, but this one is where things get decidedly more fun. Cécred’s new Styling Collection, which launches March 19, is really about the payoff: the shine, the bounce, the hold, the ‘do that actually lasts longer than your commute.
Created by Beyoncé, her matriarchal mother Tina Knowles, and tested by her longtime hairstylist Neal Farinah, this drop feels like it’s answering a question we’ve all had for years: “What is she actually using in her hair to make it look so damn good—and stay that way? You don’t get that level of gloss, movement, and zero-frizz consistency without some serious BTS magic, and now, we’re finally getting the tea.
The collection includes six stylers from a Thermal Shield Mist to a Wrap & Set Foam (see all below) and an edge brush designed for pretty much every vibe—sleek and straight, soft curls, braid-outs, big body blowouts. But what really makes it dope is the built-in protection. Every single product is created with the brand’s proprietary StemShield Complex that protects hair against up to 450-degree heat as well as humidity. And these formulas have been put through the wringer. For the last few years, the Cécred team has been secretly testing the new stylers on tour, in salons, and during Beyoncé’s everyday comings and goings. The superstar has been the ultimate test subject, which honestly tells me everything I need to know.
I got to try the collection a few weeks before the launch and—unsurprisingly— I was impressed. I opted for the Cécred Signature Blowout, which is all about big, bouncy volume. What stood out the most to me was watching my stylist work the new Volumizing Mousse through my damp hair before blow-drying. Not because I don’t use mousse, but because I don’t use it for my silk presses. It can feel too heavy, especially before blow-drying and the heat of the flat iron. But in this moment, it was perfection. My hair was light, airy, and a full-on slay! I couldn't stop touching it in amazement.
And again, there’s the protection piece. Instead of relying on a few heavy spritzes of a heat protectant at the beginning of my silk press routine and hoping for the best, every product in this lineup is doing that work. By the end, my hair didn’t just look good — it felt protected in a way that was new for me.
The whole “generational wisdom, advanced with modern science” ethos that Cécred prides itself on is definitely a real thing. It’s less about fixing your hair after the fact and more about styling it well from the start!
Cécred Styling Collection
Cécred Thermal Shield Mist
Cécred Heat Activated Silk Glaze
Cécred Volumizing Mousse
Cécred Flexible Hold Hairspray
Cécred Wrap & Set Foam
Cécred Strong Hold Gel
More details on the full Cécred line, plus my review of the initial launch:
This exclusive review was written in February 2024, just before Cécred's big debut:
There is no doper is feeling than your inbox being blessed with an email titled: “Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s Haircare Brand: CONFIDENTIAL NEWS + INVITE.” Right? And my reaction was definitely as expected—an instantaneous squeal of sheer excitement and disbelief followed by a prompt response, legally agreeing to keep everything I hear or experience a secret until…RIGHT NOW!
Let’s just say, I was pleasantly surprised by the product selection, how everything felt in my 4b hair, and that Ms. Tina Knowles (aka Beyoncé’s mama) was all up in my scalp during my top secret Cécred test drive. More on that in a minute.
Since the moment the world first learned about Cécred (pronounced “sacred”)—via a stunning yet cryptic video on Beyoncé’s Instagram captioned “Hair is sacred. The journey begins Feb 20”—I’ve been racking my brain about what the superstar could be offering up. I immediately assumed styling products and wigs because she has literally served up nearly 30 years’ worth of covetable ’dos. I mean, the showstopping hair in Beyoncé’s film Black Is King alone could warrant that prediction. I was wrong.
The initial product line, called the Foundation Collection, is all about hair and scalp health and harnessing a patent-pending technology called Bioactive Keratin Ferment. So, what’s included? Seven hair/scalp care products, a small cosmetic bag, and a “Shaking Vessel” (aka a mixing bottle) to use with the line’s most innovative product—the Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual,a water-activated powder that transforms into a hair rinse. The official press release eloquently proclaims the brand “honors global traditions while delivering what hair craves: rich conditioners and fortifying protein, patent-pending technology and fermentation, sensorial luxury and exceptional performance for visible strength, moisture and shine.”
I put that claim to the test during a super hush-hush appointment (no phones! no recorders! no anything!) at the Neal Farinah Salon in Brooklyn. Neal, Beyoncé’s longtime hairstylist, was there along with Cécred vice chairwoman Tina Knowles, Cécred head of education Dr. Kari Williams, Cécred CEO Grace Ray, and a small camera crew to document all the magic. And no, Beyoncé was sadly not there (ugh!). But there were plenty of musings from the icon being shared by Ms. Tina and Neal: “Beyoncé loves how lightweight this oil is on her hair and scalp” and “Beyoncé was very intentional about making sure the scent of the products was calming and not overwhelming,” just to name a few.
The Renaissance singer was directly quoted in the press release saying,“My vision is to be an inclusive force of excellence in the haircare industry while celebrating hair rituals across global cultures and helping dispel hair myths and misconceptions on all sides.”
While this is Beyoncé’s first-ever haircare brand, her devotees know that she spent her childhood hanging out at her mom’s former hair salon, Headlines in Houston, Texas. Add that to over 25 years of statement-making hairstyles and four decades of hairstyling expertise from her mother, and you’ve got yourself a brand that is well-positioned to make big waves.
Here’s everything you need to know…
What Cécred products are available?
The brand first debuted with the Foundation Collection— a lineup crafted to boost the health of your scalp and strengthen your hair. This collection includes the Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub, Hydrating Shampoo, Moisturizing Deep Conditioner, Reconstructing Treatment Mask, Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual, Moisture Sealing Lotion, and the Nourishing Hair Oil. For the record, the products do indeed smell great thanks to the brand’s signature scent called Temple Oud—a beautiful combo of warm musk, night-blooming jasmine, Haitian vetiver, violet leaves, and oud.
What type of hair is Cécred made for?
Believe it or not…everyone! I assumed the products would be exclusively for curly textured hair, but the brand says it’s crafted for “hair textures from straight to coily and hair states—including virgin, color-treated, chemically processed, and heat-styled—that need extra moisture and strength.”
What is Cécred’s Bioactive Keratin Ferment technology all about?
This is Beyonce’s innovative take on the bond-building haircare craze led by brands like Olaplex and K-18. The keratin used in Cécred products is derived from wool, honey, and lactobacillus (aka probiotic) ferment. The brand boasts that the actual keratin proteins are small enough to penetrate the cortex of each strand, making it a game-changer for hair’s strength and length retention.
My Cécred experience and results:
As I mentioned above, the salon appointment was top secret—I was met with an NDA at the door and told phones were not allowed. After signing my allegiance to temporarily keeping Bey’s haircare secrets and burying my phone deep down in my bag, the experience began. There were only three other editors on hand, and we were all pumped to see the big reveal. The first hour was spent learning about each product, the nuanced process around their formulation, and having Dr. Kari Williams look at our scalps with a trichoscope.
From there, I hit the sink with one of the salon’s stylists to get these products applied and working their magic. The Clarifying Shampoo and Scalp Scrub was divine. I loved how gentle the fermented purple willow bark was on my scalp. I rarely use physical exfoliants because particles (usually sugar or salt) never fully wash out and I’m left with them sporadically falling out of my hair days later. The tiny purple willow bark grains in this shampoo literally dissolve as you scrub. The next step was the Hydrating Shampoo, which did exactly as advertised. I appreciated that my hair didn’t feel stripped of moisture. Ms. Tina was walking around making sure we were reaching back to touch our own hair as the stylists went through the full Cécred arsenal.
After a thorough cleanse, my hair was ready for the two conditioning products. First up, the Moisturizing Deep Conditioner. This bb serves as your go-to conditioner for your typical Wash Day. My stylist was detangling my curls easily with the ultra-creamy formulation. I didn’t feel any tugging or breakage. The next two steps—both treatments—were a bit more extensive. The Reconstructing Treatment Mask was applied from root to tip. My hair was then covered with a plastic shower cap and I sat under a hood dryer for about 15 to 20 minutes. They made it very clear that this hardworking mask shouldn’t be left on for more than 30 minutes—because the Bioactive Keratin Ferment technology doesn’t need a lot of time to be fully effective. My hair definitely felt juicy and hydrated after the mask. Finally, it was time to test the most innovative product: the Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual. My stylist took one of the individually dosed powder packets and poured it into the Ritual Shaking Vessel before adding warm water. After shaking the bottle to ensure the powder was completely dissolved, it was poured directly onto my hair and scalp. Since it’s a thin liquid and doesn’t thicken, a lot of it goes down the drain. Make sure to scrunch it into your hair as you pour for optimal absorption. It was only left on for five minutes and then rinsed out with the second step in the ritual: the silk rinse. When it came to picking a style for my hair, I opted for a silk press.
So, after finishing up with the Ritual treatment, my stylist added a tiny bit of the Moisture Sealing Lotion. The best way to describe the lotion is a lightweight leave-in conditioner. It certainly helped achieve an extra smooth blow-dry. Once my stylist started pressing my hair, I could tell just how beautifully conditioned my strands were. There was very little smoke coming off the iron—and my hair was exceptionally shiny. So shiny that I was confused when my stylist told me she hadn’t even used the oil yet. But once she did apply the Nourishing Hair Oil (only three drops), my hair was peak polished! The silk press lasted for a solid week without me having to add any more heat. I’m impressed...and looking forward to using the products at home to see if I can re-create my salon experience. My favorite products from the collection are the Reconstructing Treatment Mask and the Nourishing Hair Oil.
My final thoughts:
Of all of Beyoncé’s business ventures, this one makes the most sense. Thanks to her history with haircare via Ms. Tina, all the iconic hairstyles she has slayed us over the years, and the precious few glimpses we’ve gotten of her long, healthy, natural hair. We know the Beyhive is going to do what it does and sell out these products quickly. But I’m hoping Cécred has a level of success and longevity that’s fueled by consistent storytelling from its creator. I love how Rihanna (Fenty Beauty) and Tracee Ellis Ross (Pattern Hair Care) are dedicated to speaking directly to consumers via their social media—even showing up without makeup or hair undone to prove the efficiency of their products. It would be truly inspiring to see Beyoncé offer that same level of transparency and vulnerability as she rolls out Cécred to the masses. Either way, she’s gonna soar. We’re talking about Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, a certified Alien Superstar—the sky is never the limit!
Julee Wilson is Beauty Editor at Large at Cosmopolitan. Previously, Julee was Beauty Director at Cosmo and Global Beauty Director at Essence and has held various editorial positions at Huffington Post and Real Simple. She counts herself lucky AF that she gets to play with beauty products for a living and tell dope stories. And if you’re as obsessed with beauty as she is, make sure to follow her on Instagram for plenty of product recs, natural hair inspo, skincare testing, and Black girl magic shenanigans.
