Yes, Rihanna has entered the world of hair care. And naturally, she knows exactly what she’s talking about.
If you’re keeping up, Fenty Hair is now the fourth major celebrity-founded hair brand to launch this year, following Beyoncé’s Secred, Rita Ora’s Typebee, and Brooke Shields’ Commence . I’m dizzy, *but* this special launch feels right for several reasons.
fenty hair
rihanna for fenty hair
First, RiRi is a certified style icon who has been churning out styles, including headline-grabbing hairstyles, for nearly two decades. Then consider the fact that we’ve been waiting for this hair care collection since 2021, when fans noticed that the Grammy-winning musician filed for a trademark for Fenty Hair. Last but not least, RiRi has already built a billion dollar (!!!) empire thanks to her Fenty Beauty, Fenty Eau de Parfum, and Fenty Skin brands, but there’s no need to stop there.
“Hair has always been very personal to me. My hairstyle has been a sign of my evolution and growth over the years. So launching Fenty Hair was about something I was really passionate about. ” Rihanna explained in an official press release.
I had the amazing opportunity to be the first in the world to get my hands on (and my hair on) this new vegan, sulfate-free, silicone-free collection. First I tested the products at home and then during a salon experience with other top beauty editors in the industry.
With strong, healthy hair as the line’s core mission, Rihanna aims to provide hair-strengthening products to create attention-grabbing hairstyles. And Fenty Hair’s secret to this foundational approach is a proprietary complex called Replenicore-5. That means it’s packed with great features to keep your hair in tip-top condition (see below for more details). The Bajan beauty enlisted her favorite celebrity hairstylists, Ursula Stephen and Youssef, to consult on the creation of the collection. The duo styled my hair for an editors-only event.
Here’s everything you need to know…
fenty hair
rihanna for fenty hair
fenty hair
What Fenty Hair Products are available?
So far, there are nine main hair care and styling products to choose from: 1 shampoo, 2 conditioners, 1 treatment, 4 stylers, and 1 tool.
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fenty hair products
The brand overview for each product is as follows.
RichOne Moisture Repair Shampoo ($29): A gentle cleanser that softens the fluffy, hydrating lather to make everyday items feel special. Replenicore-5’s proteins, amino acids, and antioxidants repair split ends and reduce hair breakage.
Rich One Moisture Repair Conditioner ($29): This conditioner is also formulated with Replenicore-5, which melts on touch to deliver just the right level of moisture for quick repair, de-frizz, and conditioning benefits.
Richie Wang Moisture Repair Deep Conditioner ($29): This intense moisturizing conditioner easily spreads and melts into dry, damaged hair, quickly conditioning with less product.
Comeback Kid Instant Damage Repair Treatment ($36): Utilizing Replenicore-5 and bond-building technology, this treatment penetrates deep into the cortex to repair from the inside out, supporting damaged keratin structures and strengthening dead skin cells. Masu. Depending on your hair needs, you can also use it without rinsing.
Protective 5-in-1 Heat Protectant Styler ($28): A versatile prep step for blow-drying, silk pressing, and diffusing. Protects, smooths, removes frizz, detangles and moisturizes up to 450 degrees. It also repairs split ends and reduces hair breakage thanks to Replenicore-5.
Homecurl Curl Defining Cream ($28): A non-crisp cream with Replenicore-5 that works to repair hair while adding tactile body and elasticity.
Jelly-type Strong Hold Gel ($26): Achieve a smooth, snatch look with this high-performance strong hold gel. Provides ultimate style control for high ponies, topknots, slicked backs, and more. And you already know it’s formulated with Replenicore-5 to keep your hair healthy and strong.
Control Type Hair Thickening Edge Control Gel ($18): Conditions, smoothes, and holds hair in place all day long without flaking or buildup. Enriched with Replenicore-5 amino acids, proteins, and antioxidants for sustained split-end repair.
Sidestick 3-in-1 Edge Tool ($18): This heavy, premium, ergonomically designed tool enhances edge laying, flyaway taming, and hairstyling. Comes with a vegan bristle brush, comb and precision chrome tip.
What type of hair is Fenty Hair made for?
One word: Everyone! that’s right. This brand has made sure that all hair textures and types can interact with their products. The formulations have been meticulously tailored and tested to ensure they are compatible with all.
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What is Fenty Hair’s Replenicore-5 technology?
This powerful blend of amino acids, proteins, and antioxidants is designed to deliver balanced, powerful nutrition to your hair.
Clinically tested to repair, strengthen, moisturize, smooth and protect. Beyond her Barbadian roots, Rihanna is always thoughtful about the formulations of all her beauty products, and hair care is no exception. This complex is packed with Barbados gooseberries, upcycled jackfruit extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, green tea extract and amino acids. Essentially, they work together to create what the brand calls a “continuous repair loop.”
My Fenty Hair experience and results
Luckily, I was one of the first editors to get this product a few months ago. The collection was sent in a confidential lab sample bottle. And of course we signed an NDA. The only product I didn’t receive was the 3-in-1 Edge Tool, but I was able to test its bb a few weeks later during a salon visit with Ursula Stephan.
So my home experience was really great. The timing was also perfect as I was preparing my 4b hair for knotless box braids the next day. I started the process with RichOne Moisture Repair Shampoo and let’s just say my hair needed a good amount of moisturization and repair. I appreciated that this gentle, sulfate-free formula has enough suds to cleanse my hair, but doesn’t strip my hair and leave it brittle or dry. This is a difficult balance to balance, but perhaps it has something to do with the Replenicore-5 complex.
Next, I used Rich One Moisture Repair Conditioner. For this step, I used a detangling brush to blend the creamy but not too heavy product into my curls. You can always tell that it’s a good conditioner by noticing if it’s having a hard time detangling and if the product is soaking into your hair in the process. And this conditioner ticked both boxes. Next, I used The Richer One Moisture Repair Deep Conditioner. Double conditioning isn’t always necessary, but in the spirit of trying everything and preparing my hair for these braids, I went all out. I use this BB once or twice a month or when my hair is in need of hydration.
The last product in this road test was definitely the one I was most excited about. Comeback Kid Instant Damage Repair Treatment is the brand’s hero product, and for good reason. If you’re obsessed with the bonding hair products of the world, add this to the top of your list. Not only does it advertise itself as penetrating deep into the hair cortex to repair damage from the inside out, it’s basically foolproof. It can also be used as a leave-in (!!), which is unheard of in many exfoliating products. I decided to wash it out and felt the effects of the treatment and the whole process when I was blow drying my hair. I went to work wearing the Protect Type 5in1 Heat Protect Styler.
I can honestly say that my hair is stronger and I have noticed a lot less hair fall out when it hits the dryer comb. I also noticed that my hair felt softer and shinier once it was completely dry. I hope that as I continue to use it, I will see fewer split ends. I skipped the HomeCurl Curl Defining Cream and Jelly Type Strong Hold Gel, but I did make sure to bring the Control Type Hair Thickening Edge Control Gel to my braid appointment. I didn’t tell Blader what she was using, but she was thrilled with the results – and so was I. My box part was super smooth and soft and stayed that way for the entire three weeks I had the braids in. During that time, no peeling was observed. Plus, when I let the braids down, my hair felt so much more supple and I had minimal hair loss.
Instagram/Julie Wilson
A fresh set of box braids by Leticia Ravello
Regarding my salon experience, Ursula decided to use the same line of products that I tried at home and style with a bouncy silk press. She also added a bit of Control Type Hair Thickening Edge Control Gel with Sidestick 3-in-1 Edge Tool to maintain my Mob Wife-inspired curls. The result was *chef’s kiss*!
After booking at Fenty Hair Salon
A week later, I used The Homecurl Curl-Defining Cream and The Gelly Type Strong Hold Gel to create twist-outs on my 7-day silk press. Again, the results were great. The curl cream hydrated my hair and added back enough texture to give it enough texture to form two twists, while the gel locked in moisture to create a soft hold.
Instagram/Julie Wilson//Instagram
Twist out two strands with Fenty Hair Silk Press after 1 week of use
Are there any other products in development?
Completely! In true Fenty fashion, there’s always a lot going on behind the scenes. I expect more innovative styling products and tools to come, but the brand has remained silent on what will be launched.
my final thoughts
We’re excited that this foray into hair care stays true to Rihanna’s mission of “Beauty for All.” Creating products that are effective and exciting while meeting a variety of needs is not easy. I also love the beauty and thoughtfulness of the packaging. The top of each product is easy to open and features a distinctive 3D design. This is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also great for people with limited or no vision or other abilities.
After all, the secret sauce to everything Rihanna makes is, well, Rihanna! Her infectious transparency and ability to truly connect with her fans/followers/customers/the public is what keeps us coming back. I’m sure it will!
Julie Wilson is Cosmopolitan’s beauty editor. Previously, she was Beauty Director at Cosmo and Global Beauty Director at Essence, and held various editorial positions at Huffington Post and Real Simple. She considers herself lucky to be able to make a living using beauty products and tell dope stories. And if you’re as obsessed with beauty as she is, follow her on Instagram for tons of product lectures, natural hair inspiration, skin care tests, black girl magical pranks, and more .
