Building on the life and great legacy of Madam C.J. Walker, Sundial Brands — a leading skin care and hair care manufacturer renowned for its innovative use of high-quality, culturally authentic, natural ingredients — recently launched the company’s first hair care brand: Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture.
“Our hope and aspiration with this brand is Madam C.J. Walker will truly be elevated to the American icon she is. She did so many things no other woman of her time did,” said Latraviette Smith-Wilson of Sundial Brands. “From a business and historic perspective, she found out what were the needs of women that were not currently being met. Think about how bold and audacious one had to be at that time to accomplish what she did and to be an inspiration for others.
“There are so many ideals women today can identify with that are relevant. No matter if you’re Black, white, Latina or Asian, we all can see some of ourselves in her, because she is a woman and that’s the most exciting part.”
The new hair care line, making its debut exclusively at Sephora stores March 4, will offer four collections: Jamaican Black Castor & Murumuru Oils, Coconut & Moringa Oils, Brassica Seed & Shea Oils and Dreams Come True. Customers can expect a variety of hair care products in each collection such as shampoo, conditioners, deep-conditioning masques, curl gel and co-washes.
The Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper spoke with Richelieu Dennis, CEO of Sundial Brands, and A’Lelia Bundles, great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, to learn more about the hair care line.
Indianapolis Recorder: When was the idea brought to the table to introduce a hair care line inspired by Madam C.J. Walker?
Dennis: This has been a journey of mine for about 10 years. We were able to make a deal about four years ago, and we’ve taken our time to think about what the 21st century Madam C.J. Walker Enterprises would look like as a business and what the product would look like, and it’s how we ended here. The idea didn’t just come up; it’s evolved over the decade.
Madam Walker and what she did was amazing, but when you think of her business and what she created, (it) is astounding. When you think about what she should mean to the beauty industry today, we have more work to do. She should be right up there with Estee Lauder, Coco Chanel and others who changed the beauty landscape.
What type of products can people look forward to? Are they made for all hair types?
Dennis: Yes. It’s a holistic line focused on the needs of today’s women. There are four hair collections. One is a coconut collection made for curly hair, Dreams Come True is made for scalp treatments, the Jamaican Black Castor Oil collection is about softening and repairing the hair, and the Brassica Seed is broccoli oil for styling and shine.
Is this brand directly produced by Sundial Brands or under its own entity?
Dennis: You can think of Sundial Brands as the parent company, but it will be under Madam C.J. Walker Enterprises, and the hair care brand is Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Culture. We really want to build under the entire legacy.
When the ideas were coming together initially, being the great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, what were your emotions like?
Bundles: I was glad we created this partnership, because I’ve been researching and speaking about Madam C.J. Walker for quite some time, but the piece that was not fully formed was the hair care products being in the 21st century. So for me, it was such a pleasure when Sundial inquired about Madam Walker’s name so they could launch it into something worth the legacy. We are both playing the roles we are best at. I’m good at telling the historical story, and Sundial Brands has already developed highly successful hair care lines, and it’s an honor to have Madam C.J. Walker among those brands.
When she started her company in 1906, she was addressing the needs of women then. For me, it’s taking Madam Walker’s creation then, and keeping that same philosophy with a new formula that really looks at the versatility of women who have different hair styles and textures. It’s Madam Walker as she would be in the 21st century.
We hear there is a philanthropic aspect of this new line.
Bundles: Yes. In addition to just the products, I’m excited about the community commerce Sundial Brands does to make sure women on the African continent are getting fair wages and fair market value. That idea of philanthropy will find its way into the Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture line. It’s continuing her principle of not just making money, not just having great products, but giving back to the community as well.
Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture at a glance
The full Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture line includes:
- Jamaican Black Castor & Murumuru Oils Collection for softening and repairing
- Brassica Seed & Shea Oils Collection for styling and shine
- Coconut & Moringa Oils Collection for curly hair
- Dreams Come True Collection for scalp treatments
