Of Course Beyoncé Would Do It Her Way

After such over-saturation in the market last year, only a star of Beyoncé’s stature could have rekindled the celebrity beauty brand fascination for 2024. And that she did, last week releasing her haircare line, Cécred, with much fanfare.

I’m yet to sample the products myself – so won’t pass judgement on their performance – but I followed its launch closely and enjoyed the US media coverage, including Beyoncé’s Essence cover story exclusive, and how journalists from other titles had hair appointments with Tina Knowles (her mama) in order to test-drive the range.

But while the press was positive, thoughts from her fanbase seem mixed, with critiques on social media following a common theme: where is the evidence of how Queen Bey uses it herself?

In a category where the likes of Rihanna, Kim K, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez share intimate tutorials frequently, it naturally courts comparison – as this Insta comment on a Cécred post sums up: “yall definitely need to take a marketing class from rih or even kim k cause what is this roll out ?! ”. The sentiment suggesting that they “just slapped mother beys name on it and called it a day”.

While this assumption is likely unfair (and who knows, tutorials could be coming), when a celebrity demonstrates the attributes of their own products, it does add credibility and authenticity to their brand. Consumers are not only more likely to trust a product if they see the celeb behind it using it, but the feeling of a recommendation from someone they admire can prove persuasive – especially given that people often aspire to emulate the lifestyles of their idols.

No doubt Beyoncé knows all this – and much more – about selling the world a product. It’s hardly her first commodities-based venture, after all. So maybe her approach will signal a return to letting products speak for themselves? I’m intrigued to find out.