When Beyoncé teased a new beauty brand, it was pure pandemonium online. When that was later revealed to be a haircare collection, the reception was overjoyed yet mixed. While some were banking on a wig and extensions brand (Beyoncé reportedly has countless wigs on rotation worth tens to hundreds of thousands), others were excited for a glimpse at the singer’s hair secrets — and natural hair.
The fact that Beyoncé grew up as a salon kid means that a lot of Cécred’s core insight comes from her mother, Tina Knowles. Tina had shown how healthy and long Beyoncé’s natural hair was online a few years before we even caught a whisper of Cécred, and the brand rollout showed insightful demos from both, plus an arsenal of notable hair and scalp pros like trichologist Dr Kari Williams.
After six years in the making, the result is a masterfully elevated line that outperforms in both aesthetics and formulation with a powerhouse ingredients list honoring the best of science and nature globally. If you’re looking for damage repair, moisture, and a power reset for the scalp, these are the strongest pillars I feel Cécred performs the best in.
How I tested
As a beauty editor, haircare has always been my main focus — especially scalp health, hair growth and loss, damage repair, and black-owned brands for curly-afro types. While my own hair is curly, fine (plus heat and color damaged), and finicky about what products it likes, I know it well, as well as other hair types and how formulations might respond to them.
@avawelsingk Reviewing @CÉCRED 🍯 bought the Fermented Rice + Rose Protein Ritual and Moisture Sealing Lotion cause if products are priced that high, I’m spending on leave-ins and innovative types of formulas I can’t find elsewhere. The Ritual was the standout for me - my hair’s only been this smooth and shiny for days after a gloss treatment, and it’s better for hair health. Can’t wait to try it before a blow dry! The Lotion is nice and beautiful to look at, but only semi-hydrated my hair before straightening or wearing curly. I tried out the Deep Treatment and Shampoo Scrub while staying at a fellow beauty editor’s and only the scrub impressed me. I do want to try the Shampoo and Treatment that everyone raves about #cecred
♬ Intergalactic Janet - Ley Soul
Some of the range I purchased myself and have been using for a year, and while a couple of products didn't earn five stars during my first impressions, giving them more time and learning how to make the most of them changed my mind over time. The remainder of the products were received for review and tested over a month.
My expectations for Cécred’s varied by product, so I’ve broken it down for you below:
- Cécred’s clarifying shampoo and scalp scrub: I wanted the product to deeply cleanse and correct my unbalanced scalp, give a satisfying sensory scrub experience that's not too fine or too coarse, and to leave my hair feeling clean yet not squeaky.
- Cécred’s moisturizing deep conditioner: I was looking for something to deeply hydrate rather than strengthen, allow for easy instant detangling after a deep cleanse, and add softness and shine to dry results after just one use.
- Cécred’s reconstructing treatment mask: I wanted it to make hair feel and look stronger, noticeably increase strand elasticity and reduce breakage over time with fewer split ends, and to also allow for easy detangling in the shower.
- Cécred’s fermented rice and rose protein ritual: I was expecting it to function like rival two-step protein/bond-building treatments from the likes of Aphogee, by making hair stronger, more supple, and hydrated after just one use.
- Cécred’s moisture sealing lotion: I was looking for it to add softness, shine, and some hold to my curls, whether worn loose or in hairstyles that require some slicking down.
- Cécred’s nourishing hair oil: To impress me, it needed to lock in moisture as hair dries, and add shine to dried hair day by day.
Why you can trust IndyBest U.S. reviews
IndyBest U.S. is the ultimate destination for product reviews from The Independent, all of which are a result of real-world testing. Ava Welsing-Kitcher is a beauty editor based in Los Angeles. She has a decade’s worth of experience, accruing a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the products that do (and importantly don’t) work. She has a particular interest in haircare products, with a focus on scalp health, hair growth and loss, damage repair, and black-owned brands for curly-afro types, making her the perfect candidate for this review of Beyoncé’s brand Cécred.
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Cécred clarifying shampoo and scalp scrub
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Product type: Shampoo and scalp scrub
Suitable for: All hair types, especially oily
Scent: Herbal (mint, rosemary, tea tree and lemon)
Why we love it
- Targeted nozzle applicator
Take note
- Double-check if suitable for dandruff
Cécred’s clarifying shampoo and scalp scrub is one of the most satisfying (and effective) scalp scrubs I’ve tried, thanks to the finer grit and skin-regulating combination of tea tree, fermented willow bark (read: salicylic acid), and niacinamide. One thing to note is that dandruff is usually triggered by fungal overgrowth on the scalp, in which case, any fermented ingredients should be avoided, so this might not be suitable for dandruff-prone scalps.
But for me, I’ve found it to work wonders. After an intense hair growth serum left my scalp feeling sore, flaky, and unbalanced, just three washes with this seemed to correct everything, alongside my favourite clarifying shampoo (K18’s peptide prep).
Thanks to the handy nozzle applicator, you can easily get deep into roots and in between braids, locs, and weaves. I appreciated this form for application as I didn’t have to scoop out globs of scrub and hope that most of it got to my scalp as opposed to my lengths and shower floor.
The scrub foamed instantly without stripping, and can also be applied to dry hair for a deeper exfoliation treatment — plus its chelating ingredients are said to neutralise hard water, which I couldn’t test as I have a Jolie shower filter (which I swear by).
Buy now £38.00, Ulta.com
Cécred reconstructing treatment mask
Product type: Rinse-out hair treatment
Suitable for: All, but best for coloured, chemical, or heat damaged hair
Scent: Woody (oud, sandalwood, vetiver, violet leaf, and jasmine)
Why we love it
- Works better than bond-building products from K18 and Olaplex
Take note
- Benefits build over time
Now, Cécred’s reconstructing treatment mask felt like a powerhouse. Nothing like bond-builder giants K18 or Olaplex, which feel more clinical in brand and formulation and noticeably restore the shape and spring to my curls after each use, but Cécred’s offering gave a balance of hydrating and buttery with repairing and strengthening.
Much like the deep conditioner, it features the patented bioactive keratin ferment, which is claimed to “fill hair cavities” and reduce breakage by two times. I’d have to see with prolonged use over months, but after a couple of uses, my hair felt less vulnerable and less prone to breakage when detangling. I’m particularly pleased with the result as I’d forgotten to use any bond-builders for months before trying this, but lots of heat, so I was working with a fragile canvas.
With antioxidant vitamin E from sea buckthorn and rice protein working to seal the hair cuticle, I noticed more shine and movement.
Both hair masks from the brand are pretty pricey for rinse-out products, so if you’re having to choose between both, I’d recommend this one — it seemingly works harder, especially for strands in crisis mode.
Buy now £43.00, Ulta.com
Cécred fermented rice and rose protein ritual
Product type: Rinse-out hair treatment
Suitable for: All hair types
Scent: Fruity and floral (yuzu, white peach, jasmine)
Why we love it
- A more hydrating version of K18 or Olaplex hair treatments
Take note
- Use every four to six weeks — and stretch packets to eight+ treatments, not four
I bought this when Cécred first launched because it seemed to be the first of its kind in the Western beauty market. The formula contains fermented rice water, which is a hair-strengthening creation dating back to 600AD in Huangluo, China (as well as Japan), where the Yao women have had floor-length hair (and beyond) for centuries. Although many have tried making it themselves (myself included), it’s a long and intricate process. While brands had started to incorporate rice water as an extract in their formulas (I’m From’s collection is impressive), I hadn’t seen a product that uses rice water on its own — until Cécred.
Cécred fermented rice and rose protein ritual is a two-step process. First, the fermented rice and protein powder packet needs to be mixed with warm water and left in the hair for anywhere between five and 15 minutes. Once washed out, the conditioning silk rinse is applied to add softness and shine.
The rice water is easy to mix (even though I didn’t buy the ritual shaking vessel — a heat-safe water bottle or cocktail shaker works fine), but the watery formula mostly slips out of the hair instantly. As it’s pricey and comes with just four treatments, I’d recommend applying it with your head over the bath or sink and a big bowl underneath to catch everything, then repeating and massaging the mix in until you feel you’ve absorbed enough. Alternatively, if your hair is short, fine, or low porosity, you can use half the powder packet. The fermented powder contains biotin, rose, honey, and aminos, so rub it into the scalp for added growth and moisture benefits.
After rinsing, my hair felt much stronger but not soft at all, which is common for protein treatments (Aphogee’s is the same). But as soon as I applied the second step sachet, my hair melted into the softest, easiest-to-detangle state I think it’s ever been in. After rinsing, it was like butter and dried so smoothly it was as though I’d had a keratin treatment or a gloss.
For me, the fermented rice and rose protein ritual is the standout product in the entire Cécred collection (although I haven’t yet tried the viral sold-out edge restoring drops).
Buy now £52.00, Cecred.com
Cécred moisturizing deep conditioner
Product type: Rinse-out hair treatment
Free from: Silicones, sulfates, phthalates and parabens
Suitable for: All hair types
Scent: Fruity and floral (yuzu, white peach, jasmine)
Cécred’s moisturizing deep conditioner has a buttery texture and contains murumuru and shea butters (the latter being found in most moisturising beauty products) plus an “African oil blend”. Considering the thick formula, the lightness was perfect, and it didn’t weigh my hair down as I expected it might. It felt and behaved similarly to a rich skincare serum, with any oils cleverly woven into the formula to add all the softness and shine without heaviness.
The formula hydrated instantly, made detangling easy, and left my hair more manageable and shiny. Although I didn’t notice a drastic difference like I do with my usual moisturising favourites (Bread Beauty Supply hair mask, Ceremonia’s babassu mask, and Carol’s Daughter almond milk mask), after a few uses, the long-term condition of my hair improved.
With olive-derived squalane, antioxidant hyssop, and hyaluronic acid, it seems to protect and hydrate. Plus, the brand has a patent pending for its strengthening keratin ferment. I can see this working for all hair types with some kind of texture, but low-porosity or thicker hair might need some extra time and heat/steam to help it really penetrate.
Buy now £39.00, Ulta.com
Cécred moisture sealing lotion
Product type: Leave-in lotion
Suitable for: All hair types
Scent: Woody (oud, sandalwood, vetiver, violet leaf, and jasmine)
Why we love it
- All-in-one moisturiser and styler
Take note
- Can weigh down finer hair
Cécred’s moisture sealing lotion is one of the products I purchased myself, and it’s the one I’ve used the most. While it’s not my daily go-to (it can weigh my hair down slightly), I absolutely love using it as the solo product when my hair needs a break from being out, and can sit in a protective style for days without getting frizz or flyaways.
It locks in moisture like nothing else — no oil needed — and its soft hold keeps hair smooth and shiny without needing gels or slick sticks for braids and buns. It applies best to very wet hair, or it makes my fine curls quite stringy.
Buy now £38.00, Ulta.com
Cécred nourishing hair oil
Product type: Hair oil
Suitable for: Dry, dull, medium-thick hair
Scent: Woody (oud, sandalwood, vetiver, violet leaf, and jasmine)
Why we love it
- Made from pure plant oils
Take note
- May need prolonged use to see benefits
Cécred’s hair oil earns brownie points for being silicone-free and made up of a whopping 13 oils — all the heavy hitters you’d want, nurturing your strands. I don’t vilify silicone, as it really does protect and add superficial shine that won’t build up on hair if you’re clarifying regularly, but the absence of it in this formula is appreciated.
Although my hair usually can’t handle most hair oils as a styler unless they’re ultra-light, this one surprisingly didn’t do much at all for it; I used two drops, then kept going back in to add more, but only a slight uptick in shine as a result.
Compared to my holy trinity of Crown Affair’s, K18’s, and Olaplex’s, Cécred’s probably works silently over time to restore with its keratin ferment, but it isn’t an instant shower. I have heard that it’s better used as a pre-wash treatment, but at $44, I would rather not use excessive amounts to coat every strand, only to watch it wash down the drain hours later. Instead, grab the $22 travel size.
Buy now £44.00, Ulta.com
The verdict on Cécred
Overall, I don’t think it’s necessary to get the entire Cécred range outright at this price point. While each product has its unique superpower, I would settle on one to three products that call to you the most, and trial them for at least a couple of months. In my experience, a few of the products perform better as a slow build (the rice ritual, reconstructing treatment, and oil), so it seems the longer-term benefits are the true reason why the brand has received such a grand reception, even a year on from launch. If you’re looking for a rinse-out hair treatment, I’d recommend Cécred’s reconstructing treatment mask over the others. As for the fermented rice and rose protein ritual, it’s my favorite product from the brand, so far.
