Last week, when Beyoncé and her mother Tina Knowles hosted an all white party for the UK launch of their haircare brand Cécred, the beauty industry lost its collective mind. I had the privilege of being there.
What can I tell you? Yes, it was fun. Yes, Bey looks even more incredible in the flesh, and yes, there were lots of people who pronounced Cécred incorrectly (it’s sey-cred. Like sacred). But let’s park all that. What we really need to talk about are the actual products.
When the brand first launched in the US in 2024, as an editor, a hair obsessive, and yes, a Beyoncé's fan, I was keen (okay, desperate) to try it. Of course, detractors were quick to dismiss the brand as yet another celebrity cash grab with no real credibility.
But the fact is, hair isn’t some random category Beyoncé just parachuted into. Her mother was famously a hairstylist and salon owner in Houston; Beyoncé grew up sweeping hair from the salon floor and has spent decades colouring, heat-styling, braiding, straightening and otherwise putting her own hair through the fairly extreme demands of being… well, Beyoncé.
And right from the start, the products – which have genuinely been created for all hair textures – have been centred in science, not celebrity. At the heart of the collection is Cécred’s Bioactive Keratin Ferment, a patent-pending fermented protein technology developed to penetrate deeply into the hair to repair and strengthen it.
I began using the brand over a year ago, and very quickly it became apparent to me that dismissing this as bog-standard celeb brand would just be daft.
Long story short, the products are sublime; everything from the textures to the efficacy of the products I used were really impressive. Evidently, I’m not alone in this thinking. Since launching in the US, the brand has won close to 100 awards, and on launch day here in the UK, Cécred hit its entire projected first-week sales by 1pm, making it the biggest brand launch in Space NK’s history.
So, critics, you might need to start eating your hats. Or just jump on the Cécred bandwagon instead. Here are seven of my tried and tested faves from the range.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: This lightweight scalp serum is the (constantly sold out ) star of the Cécred show. It is designed to tackle visible thinning and shedding and encourage fuller-looking hair, particularly around the hairline and edges.
The brand’s testing claims a 1.5-times visible boost in hair density and it really does work! What I particularly like is that it doesn’t feel like an old-school scalp treatment. There is no greasy residue, no sense that you have just basted your head in oil - one that drips down your forehead and neck at unexpected moments, (IYKYK). If thinning edges are your concern, this is literally the one product I’d buy first.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: At some point - particularly if you live in a city (pollution anyone?) or use lots of products (the build up!) - everyone needs a clarifying shampoo.
The problem is, no one fancies something that strips every molecule of moisture from your hair. Which is what clarifying shampoos typically do. But not this one. Part shampoo, part scalp exfoliator, it uses exfoliants alongside fermented purple willow bark and tea tree oil to shift product build-up, oil and residue from both scalp and hair to leave everything clean but not so clean that your scalp feels like weeping.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: This is what I reach for when my hair has been through it. Heat, colour, styling… Essentially all the fun things we do to our hair before becoming horrified at the consequences.
The texture is super rich and indulgent and the brand’s clinical testing found the mask reduced breakage by half and improved visible strength and shine after one use. Protein treatments have a reputation for leaving hair feeling like it’s been starched. This does not. Instead my hair feels stronger, softer and essentially, less traumatised.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: This was the first product I used in the range. And it is still one of my very favourites. Necessarily so. Moisture is the eternal textured-hair conversation. Getting it in is one thing. Keeping it there is quite another.
This light yet creamy miracle worker - a styling lotion, moisturiser and frizz fighter - manages to do both brilliantly. And it does it without making the hair feel heavy or greasy or, God forbid, crunchy.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: For anyone with textured hair who regularly blow-dries and silk presses their hair, you will wonder how you got through life without this clever gel-serum hybrid. Activated by heat and blow-drying tension, it offers hair and humidity protection up to 232C and smooths frizz while creating that expensive-looking, glassy finish.
It doesn’t leave your hair sticky, so you don’t have to repeatedly drag scorching hot tools over the same section of hair. Ultimately, your hair will thank you for it.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Calling all the braid wearers who have asked, what exactly are you supposed to do when your scalp needs washing but your braids absolutely do not? This is your answer. It is essentially an interim cleanse for your scalp.
The targeted nozzle gets between braids, extensions and protective styles, while the formula helps loosen styling build-up, neutralise odour (!) and soothe the scalp without requiring you to dismantle the whole operation. There is also a cooling effect, which is particularly calming and glorious when a protective style is beginning to feel itchy. Of course, this doesn’t replace shampooing – nor should it – but for extending the comfortable life of braids or extensions, let’s go.
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Does anyone need a £51 perfume specifically for your hair? No. Do I want one? Absolutely yes.
Particularly when it smells this good. Temple Oud is the scent that runs through much of the Cécred collection, but here it gets to be the main event. It is rich and woody (though the notes also include bergamot, jasmine and lavender so it isn’t too heavy or dense) and it smells expensive. But this is Beyoncé we are talking about. I’d expect nothing less.
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