Shea Moisture's CEO Defends Need to Expand Brand Amid Controversy with Advertisement

Shea Moisture CEO Defends Brand From Backlash Over Controversial Ad

Richelieu Dennis, founder and CEO of Shea Moisture parent company Sundial Brands took to TV One’s News One Now to discuss the controversy surrounding their recent controversial ad. Dennis sat down the News One Now’s Roland Martin to explain how the company could make such gaffe in their advertising.

“This is a very culturally important conversation and natural hair and Black women and hair is a very important expression of self. Anything that doesn’t show an understanding of that, I think would receive these types of responses,” said Dennis. “And for us, we’re not changing our formulas, we are not changing the consumer that we serve, even as we grow, but we are in a position that if we don’t grow, the things that people love about Shea Moisture…the millions of dollars that we invest in our community congress projects in Ghana, and the educational scholarships that we provide to folks here in America, would not be sustainable over time.”

Shea Moisture Ad Controversy — A clip of the controversial ad

Although the ads were approved, Dennis admitted that the sequence of distribution was missed.

“The series had been approved, but when it actually got cut up for the small snippet that goes onto social media, that was missed,” he said. “The way that it was executed… it’s very clear how this conversation would have to occur because what’s really happening is we as a community and Black women as a whole have moved this culture forward around hair. And what we’re really trying to not do is lose the momentum that we’ve gained and the accomplishments that we have around your being able to wear your hair they way that you want to wear it. We’ve been fighting that struggle with Black women for 25 years.”

Watch The Full Interview with Richelieu Dennis below: