I take one little week away from my daily duties here at The Glow Up and come back to the news that yet another celebrity-owned haircare brand will soon be making its way into the now-bountiful Black haircare market. But as we know, when it comes to our hair, there’s no such thing as too many options—and in the case of Flawless by Gabrielle Union, it’s actually the welcome revival of a once-pioneering brand.
Some of us might recall the initial launch of Union’s brand in 2017, then available through a partnership with JCPenney. Flawless might not have gotten the shine it deserved then, but now, the actress, producer, entrepreneur, advocate, designer, working mom and bestselling author is bringing an updated and expanded version of the brand back via Amazon, debuting a 12-product collection on August 3—each retailing for a ridiculously affordable $4 to $10.
Per a press release provided to The Glow Up:
Known and loved by women for her transparency and relatability as a mother, wife and woman who has triumphed over challenges, Union has also emerged as a leading advocate of diversity and inclusion in Hollywood, which has empowered women of color across the globe to unapologetically embrace the beauty and magic of their melanin. She originally launched Flawless in 2017 while privately undergoing IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) therapy, but suffered from severe hair loss, an unfortunate side effect of the treatment that countless women endure. During this time, she and Larry worked tirelessly to identify the best options for restoring her hair to health, and leveraged moments from this experience as inspiration to relaunch the Flawless by Gabrielle Union collection, this time with improved ingredients and more choices.
Union’s timing couldn’t be better. In addition to now joining well-tressed friends and industry peers like Tracee Ellis Ross (Pattern Beauty) and Taraji P. Henson (TPH by Taraji) in the haircare space, Union is wisely leveraging the headlines she made last year during a sudden and contentious departure from her judging spot on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Among the racially-charged accusations leveled by Union was an allegation that showrunners deemed her gorgeous array of hairstyles—which included varying textures, lengths, shapes and volumes—“too Black” for their presumably pedestrian tastes.
“Too Black? Nah…She’s FLAWLESS!!!” wrote celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims in an Instagram post supporting Union. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Sims was likely teasing the relaunch of the Flawless by Gabrielle Union haircare line, having been the star’s collaborator on both the original and newest releases.
A reported by WWD:
Co-created with Sims, Union’s longtime hairstylist, the line is slated to launch first with Amazon, with plans to expand into Sally Beauty in October. The initial launch includes Hydrating Detangling Shampoo; 3 Minute Restoring Conditioner; Hydrating Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner; Repairing Deep Conditioning Masque; Detangling Leave-In Conditioner; Restoring Exotic Oil Treatment; Scalp Soothing Tonic; Defining Curl Cream; Smoothing Blow Dry Cream; Shine Enhancing Heat Protection Spray, and Hydrating Curl Refreshing Spray. Prices range from $4 to $10. A second phase of hair mask launches is slated for 2021.
“I’m proud of this collection because we were intentional about crafting a line that is versatile enough to provide solutions for all style choices,” said Sims in a statement. “From curls, waves, and coils, to heat styles, braids, wigs, and weaves, there is a Flawless product to support your hair’s needs for brilliance, health and beauty.”
If the newest, all-Black model campaign images from Flawless by Gabrielle Union are any indication, the collection will live up to that promise (in addition to being an echo of her all-Black, always size-inclusive campaigns for her collections at New York & Company and Fashion to Figure). Also promised: hydration, which is key to maintaining the longterm health of both hair and scalp. As the brand shares in its release, “Gabrielle and Larry worked with a team of chemists who conducted extensive global research and testing to hand-select the best and highest quality ingredients for the products which include: Brazilian Bacuri Butter, Coconut Oil, Biotin, Amazonian Pequi Oil, Himalayan Moringa Oil, Rice Oil complex, Lilac Leaf extract and African Shea Butter.”
“This collection is very important to me because I fully encourage self-expression and authentic ownership of personal style,” said Union in the collection’s press release. “Wanting to try different hairstyles as a component of that shouldn’t mean compromising the health of your hair, nor breaking the bank with expensive products. We were dedicated to developing the perfect blend of high quality, affordable products for all types of textured hair to promote flawless beauty through choice and diversity.”
We couldn’t agree more—and can’t wait to sample it for ourselves (so send us the goods, Gab!). In the meantime, here’s to a Flawless relaunch.