Celebrity brands can be controversial in the beauty realm, especially from an insider’s perspective, but we’re pleased to disregard anything we’ve said about that for a moment because we’re talking about Beyoncé, besties .
Also part of the convo is Ms.Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s momma, long-time beauty industry vet, and icon in her own right.
So why CÉCRED?
B’s line is captivating at first glance, but even more so when you realize that this is a brand that truly has heart and soul.
From the powerful Essence cover and feature penned by talented writer Brooklyn White, to art gallery-worthy packaging, profound visual design, and tbh, some of the most emotion-inducing go-to-market strategy we’ve seen in quite some time, our Virgo queen and her team have paid attention to every detail of this launch.
How did the Knowles women enter the beauty sphere in the first place?
Tina began as a teenager in artistry at Shiseido and, eventually, the businesswoman decided to start her own venture, a salon called Headliners, where Queen B herself grew up surrounded by the sacred rituals of haircare.
To learn more about the cultural significance of Cécred and the meaning behind the brand, we would like to encourage you to read Brooklyn’s beautiful piece here.
What we are going to do is chat about the marketing today.
And oh my goodness, is there marketing to DISCUSS.
We were first teased the idea in 2023 and there was a lot of (strategic) silence ever since.
But as the Cécred team began their rollout, it became clear that history, meaning, nostalgia, and a true appreciation of design has been placed into every single element of this collection.
Cécred is a true BRAND. To our fellow marketers, we know you understand and relate to the frustration of how rare it is to find a “brand” with quality BRANDING, especially as early as the pre-launch stage.
Did we expect anything less from Beyoncé?
Of course not.
But it’s still so lovely to behold. And is certainly a marketing buffet, if you will.
As a result, the brand was in place before we got a look at any of the products to come. Which meant that all excitement generated for this launch stemmed from a combination of the power of Beyoncé fan loyalty, and the storytelling being crafted by the Cécred team.
The first post on the brand’s Instagram grid features video that showcases nostalgia and allows the viewer to understand how much of a journey it has been to get to this point. And WHY we’re here as well.
Additional video began to go live, while the Cécred website provided us with a mood board to understand the special nuances we could anticipate as the GTM strategy continued to unfold.
After White’s cover story began its rounds, we started to see the hype grow and grow.
The typical press coverage has been coveraging, as anticipated with a founder at the scale of Beyoncé, and we also saw special pre-launch access provided for select (and very lucky) influencers and beauty editors to test out the collection.
One TikToker took to her account to express skepticism as to how the products could already be receiving such positive reviews from the moment of launch, and we hope this provides additional clarity.
Early access and strategic testing is a practice marketers have utilized for a long time now and have been continuing to provide additional transparency around - for example, you can refer to the way Rhode incorporated it into the launch of their new cleanser this year.
As for the products themselves, the 8-piece collection looks like something we would proudly display in our homes without the formulas even inside the bottles. They are gorgeous and it’s obvious that this is another way Cécred honors the sacredness that is haircare and our rituals surrounding it.
The full lineup includes:
Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub
Hydrating Shampoo
Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
Reconstructing Treatment Mask
Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual
Moisture Sealing Lotion
Nourishing Hair Oil
Hydrating Conditioner
Regardless of design, science is clearly a major brand pillar of Cécred.
Their website states “We’re redefining keratin recovery science through the power of fermentation” and they set out to do so with patent-pending technology referred to as Bioactive Keratin Ferment, calling it a “new kind of keratin recovery science.”
Key Ingredients:
Bioactive Keratin
Honey
Lactobacillus Ferment
The third major brand pillar is going to be Cécred’s philanthropic initiative, an annual $500k fund created in collaboration with BeyGOOD that will provide “cosmetology school scholarships and salon business grants across five cities chosen for their large, diverse community of hair stylists: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New Jersey.”
We’re anticipating big things to come for and from Cécred.
From Essence: "I think that connection of community, mother and child, father and child, and respect— and allowing yourself to be taken care of, especially for Black women, who are always taking care of everyone else—it’s all sacred. So I took the end of my name, Cé, and made it the beginning of the word sacred to create Cécred. From my mother’s salon, daily rituals with my father, and years of experience in developing a hair care line, the journey has been just that: Cécred." -- Beyoncé
What are you most excited about with Queen B’s new brand?
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