Plenty of celebrities have their own beauty brands — some of them better than others. Lawsuits aside, Jessica Alba’s Honest Company is celebrated for its non-toxic, eco-friendly products (among them an Allure-acclaimed Healing Balm and the cult favorite Everything Primer). Salma Hayek’s Nuance, a CVS-based line of hair and makeup products, gets top marks thanks to its Style & Finish Firm Hold Hairspray. And then there’s Drew Barrymore’s Flower, whose makeup products — especially the Glisten Up Highlighter Chubby stick — actually live up to the company’s banner proclamation of “exceptional, luxury quality at affordable prices.” And the list goes on.
The number of respected beauty lines backed by black celebrities is significantly smaller. Iman’s eponymous skincare and cosmetics line is one of the few A-list and beauty editor-endorsed brands that specifically targets women of color (its signature creamy foundation comes in 14 inclusive shades).
That said, Gabrielle Union’s new venture, a haircare line dubbed Flawless by Gabrielle Union, will (hopefully) do for women with textured hair what Iman’s line does for women with darker skin. Given that the 10-product range was developed in part with Macadamia Beauty — the company responsible for the Macadamia Professional Weightless Moisture Masque (insert heart eyes emoji here) — we’ve got high hopes.
Flawless by Gabrielle Union; Image: Courtesy
The line will include shampoos, conditioners, a blow dry cream, a mask, sprays for protection and shine, an oil treatment and an edge control gel. As far as haircare lines go, Flawless by Gabrielle Union will be relatively affordable — prices range from $19 to $29. The line will be available on the brand’s forthcoming website beginning March 1. It’ll be stocked at Ulta Beauty starting April 16.
If nothing else, try the avocado-, marula- and argan-oil-infused hair mask, advises Andy Rah, vice president of global marketing at Flawless. “The argan oil is one of the most highly searched oils for hair on Google out there,” he told WWD. “It’s our baseline oil that everyone knows and understands. The marula oil, aside from all the health benefits that it gives, also has a unique fair-trade story to it. It’s sourced in South Africa by indigenous women, so it’s bringing jobs.”
Union hopes to give back to the black community in more ways than one. Her primary goal is to help women with textured tresses live their best hair life. “I want women with textured hair to have great hair days,” she affirmed. “I went through a phase where I would leave my relaxer on so long, thinking the longer I leave this relaxer on, the straighter it’s going to be. Cut to lesions, like open wounds in my scalp, trying to chase something that was unrealistic, and eventually probably in my mid- to late-20s I decided to give up my relaxer, and I went natural. By natural I mean underneath the weaves, extensions, clips and the hair color was my natural hair — thriving.”
[ via WWD ]
