2017 was the year of Gabrielle Union. The actress’ hit show, Being Mary Jane, was in its fourth season on BET. She published a now-bestselling memoir- We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True – and celebrated the release of a clothing collection with New York & Company. The cherry on top was her first foray into the beauty industry as an entrepreneur: a complete line of hair-care products, simply titled Flawless by Gabrielle Union.
But behind the glamour, Union was having a very different experience: During the formulation and promotion of her line, she says, personal troubles made her feel the opposite of the “flawless” message her line touted. “I was coming off of years of back-to-back IVF treatments that left me with bald spots on my head,” Union tells Refinery29 during a phone interview. “It was the worst time to launch a hair-care line when I was missing chunks of my own. It just felt disingenuous.”
So, she made the decision to part ways with her initial partners and regain majority control of the line. The products from the launch remained on shelves until they were sold out, and then, they vanished. Starting over on her own terms, Union brought her hairstylist of over 10 years, Larry J. Sims, along with her. “Taking this break allowed me to have some time to prioritize how I wanted this brand to be,” she says. “My first order of business was wanting to reclaim my company and become 100% Black-owned, Black-led, and Black-marketed.” Union also wanted Sims to have part ownership. “There was no way I would create a hair-care line without the man who was literally in the trenches with me,” she says. “Not only is he my hairstylist, but he’s one of my best friends who was drying my tears and helping me grow my hair back.”
For three years, Sims and Union worked with a team of chemists to develop an entirely new range of products with naturally-derived ingredients like Brazilian bacuri oil, Himalayan moringa oil, and African shea butter to deliver salon-quality results. As the duo formulated new products, they diligently tested them on Union herself.
The new and improved Flawless is a 12-piece range made to fit every hair type. You’ll find shampoos, conditioners, scalp treatments, curl cream, co-wash, and more — all under $10. Starting August 3, the brand will be available to shop on Amazon.com, a conscious choice of retailer that ensures accessibility for everyone. “You’re actually an asshole if you create something that helps you and write it out to exclude the vast majority of folks,” Union says. “There is a way of doing business without gouging, and we’re always looking to challenge ourselves and do right by our community.”
Beyond creating hair products that could make anyone look red-carpet ready, Sims’ and Union’s desire to foster opportunities in the beauty space comes from decades of experiencing unequal opportunities in the industry. They wanted to carefully craft how they ran, marketed, and grew their brand as Black entrepreneurs. “I think the cool thing with Flawless is that it allows me to create change and space for others who come after me,” Sims says. “Gabby has been so generous in offering me ownership and allowing me the space to create something for us by us.”
Source: Refinery 29