Personal care

SheaMoisture

SheaMoisture is a Black-founded hair and skin-care brand, built by Sundial Brands, long marketed for textured and natural hair.

The quick read Mixed record Reviewed Aug 24, 2026

The quick snapshot

Public concern on the record.

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Public concern

Why people pushed back

In April 2017 SheaMoisture released a commercial that opened with a Black woman on natural hair then featured white women discussing “hair hate.” CNN, AP, and NBC reported a Black-customer backlash accusing the brand of whitewashing and gentrifying a category Black women built. The company pulled the ad and posted that it had “really f—ed this one up.” Those are customer allegations of erasure plus a company apology, not a court finding.

Customer backlash (allegations of whitewashing)
April 2017: Black customers called the “hair hate” ad whitewashingCNNMoney reported on April 24, 2017, that SheaMoisture faced social-media backlash after a spot that opened with a Black woman discussing natural hair then transitioned to white women—a blonde and a redhead—complaining about their hair under a “Break free from hair hate” message. Loyal consumers called the juxtaposition insensitive given the brand’s deep ties to the Black community. NBC News reported customers saw erasure of the Black women who built the brand. Those are customer criticisms, not court findings.Source: CNN ↗
AP coverage
AP: Black-founded brand apologized after white-women-heavy spotAssociated Press reported that the Black-founded hair-product company SheaMoisture apologized under heavy social-media criticism for a video spot featuring white women, with cries of gentrifying the line. AP quoted the company’s Twitter apology that it had “really f-ed this one up” and did not intend to disrespect its community. That is contemporaneous wire coverage of the backlash and apology.Source: Associated Press ↗
Allegations + company response
NBC: customers framed the spot as rejecting Black women for crossover appealNBC News reported that between the blonde, redheads, and curly-haired women featured, just one was Black, and that many Black women called the campaign erasure and whitewashing given discrimination Black women face over natural hair. Sundial CEO Richelieu Dennis said that was not the intent. Those are allegations of marketing whitewashing plus the company’s response.Source: NBC News ↗

Aug 24, 2026 · The Cookout Editorial Desk

SheaMoisture’s “hair hate” ad read as whitewashing its Black base

BLUF

In April 2017 Black customers blasted a SheaMoisture “hair hate” ad as whitewashing; the Black-founded brand pulled it and apologized.

What happened

In April 2017 SheaMoisture, a Black-founded natural-hair brand, released a commercial under a “Break free from hair hate” / #EverybodyGetsLove frame. CNNMoney and NBC News reported the spot opened with a Black woman on natural hair then featured white women—including a blonde and a redhead—discussing hair struggles. Black customers on social media called it tone-deaf whitewashing and gentrification of a category Black women had built, especially given bias against Black natural hair.

Associated Press reported the company apologized. SheaMoisture pulled the ad and posted that it had “really f—ed this one up” and did not intend to disrespect its community. Founder Richelieu Dennis told CNNMoney women of color remained the focus and urged customers not to abandon a Black beauty business over one post. Those are customer allegations of erasure and company statements—not a court finding.

The Cookout read

Mixed. A Black-built brand centering white “hair hate” voices while sidelining the customers who made it is why the backlash landed. Pulling the ad and apologizing is a dated company response; it does not invent a settlement check or erase the slight.

Open the primary source ↗

Now / update

Where the record stands.

Last reviewed Aug 24, 2026. This is present-day status, not a new verdict.

The April 2017 ad, backlash, and apology are the dated items opened here. Later Unilever ownership of Sundial brands is not independently audited in this file.

Last reviewed August 24, 2026.

Source file

Open the full passages.

Links may change after publication. Dates describe the event or publication listed in the record.

01
CNN
April 2017: Black customers called the “hair hate” ad whitewashing · Apr 24, 2017
Read source ↗
02
CNN
Company pulled the ad and apologized; founder said WOC remained the focus · Apr 24, 2017
Read source ↗
03
Associated Press
AP: Black-founded brand apologized after white-women-heavy spot · Apr 24, 2017
Read source ↗
04
NBC News
NBC: customers framed the spot as rejecting Black women for crossover appeal · Apr 24, 2017
Read source ↗

Community temperature check

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