In March, Sienna Naturals, the “clean” hair-care brand focused on textured hair, announced Issa Rae as its co-founder and a face of the brand. The brand launched in 2013 and Rae quietly became a co-owner in 2020. It wasn’t until this year that she became more visible in her role, appearing in a brand campaign. Rae is the sister-in-law of Sienna Naturals founder Hannah Diop.
Now armed with Rae’s star power, Sienna Naturals aims to tackle retail on a larger scale. After selling at Credo Beauty, Erewhon, Thirteen Lune and Nordstrom, in addition to its own direct-to-consumer site, it expanded to Sephora’s e-commerce site on Tuesday.
“Sephora has a history of coming in at an early stage with brands or [taking on] brands that are newer to the market. But, in our case, the timing feels right for us,” Diop told Glossy.
As for what the brand can offer Sephora customers, Rae said, “There aren’t many products that are truly vegan, truly clean and good for the environment. That’s what sets us apart.”
Rae, who has 4.4 million followers on Instagram, has used her platform, as well as her position as a TV and film producer, to promote the brand. “My hairstylist uses the products on my hair, and I obviously use them myself in the office,” she said. “Toward the end of [making the hit TV show] ‘Insecure,’ we were able to bring the products on set, and people became evangelists. There’s a little club of employees [who] insist on trying to be ambassadors, and I’m like, ‘Well then post, absolutely please!'” The brand has just under 60,000 followers on Instagram.
She added, “The brand has been great about finding real people who use the products and turning them into influencers in their own right, because it’s genuine. When you love something, you want to tell everyone about it.”
To that end, the brand recently launched the Sienna Squad, an ambassador program for which it received over 700 applications and accepted 18 total members — they’re a mix of content creators and customers. The application asked candidates to share why they hoped to be selected and how the brand’s products had impacted them. The program will offer opportunities like meet-and-greets with Rae, and the brand will focus on amplifying its ambassadors’ voices through its channels.
“Like beauty brand founders, creators are really passionate about what they do and what they stand for,” Diops said. “Plus, they want more education and to be part of a community.”
