Earlier this year, Pantene introduced its Gold Series, an eight-piece collection of hair products formulated to address the specific needs of black women. The argan oil-infused range includes shampoo, conditioner, co-wash, curl-defining pudding, leave-on detangling milk, hydrating butter crème, hydrating serum and a reparative mask.
Last night during Empire, Pantene debuted its first Gold Series campaign video. Per Pantene’s YouTube page, the spot celebrates “women and girls who are beautiful, confident, vibrant, and elegant and who draw personal strength from the strength of their hair — its texture, its style and its history.”
In the one-minute clip, black women of all ages and skin tones — including Nigerian artist Demi Grace (who also took part in Beyoncé’s earth-shattering VMAs performance) — flaunt their hair for the camera, demonstrating that black hair, and beautiful hair, isn’t limited to one texture. “We are proudly born with hair that grows strong as a storm and doesn’t conform to a beauty norm,” recites the narrator, spoken-word style, as Kelela’s “Gomenasai” plays softly in the background.
It’s beautiful to see big-name beauty brands Pantene and L’Oréal Paris taking steps to greater acknowledge their non-white, natural-haired customers. Watch the full ad above, then check out the clip below for more on Gold Series’ origin story.
