Fragrance house

Shea Moisture

SheaMoisture began in 1991 on Harlem’s 125th Street, where it sold handcrafted products. Its heritage traces to Sofi Tucker, who sold shea nuts and later homemade hair and skin products in Sierra Leone beginning in 1912. The brand grew under Sundial Brands, founded by Richelieu Dennis, Mary Dennis, and Nyema Tubman using Tucker’s recipes and continuing her legacy. Sundial built SheaMoisture around culturally authentic ingredients, inclusive beauty, and a Community Commerce model. Unilever acquired Sundial in 2017, changing the ownership context of the Black-founded, family-run brand. The transaction also led Dennis and Unilever to create the New Voices Fund for entrepreneurs of color. Today, SheaMoisture operates as part of Unilever with a public identity centered on products for textured hair and melanin-rich skin, alongside investment in Black communities and Black-owned businesses. Its 2022 impact report describes the brand as Black-founded, Black-led, and Black-inspired.