Ruka Hair Has Joined Sephora as the First Black-Owned Braiding Brand

Published: July 30, 2026 Last Updated 17 minutes ago by Esther Ejoh

For many generations, the practice of buying braiding hair has been a tradition within Black families.

When you go into a beauty supplies shop, run your fingers over the bundles wrapped in plastic, and hope that the texture, sheen, and colour will be as you want it to be, you’re always acting on faith.

Yet even though a great deal of creativity and care is invested in protective styling, the products themselves have not changed much.

Braiding hair made from plastic fibres such as kanekalon is often coated with harmful chemicals which can lead to scalp irritation, itching, and even long-term health problems.

That era is now coming to an end. Ruka Hair will become the first braiding hair brand to be launched at Sephora in twenty years.

The company, based in London, will make its patent-pending collagen protein fibre braiding hair available nationwide on the Sephora US website on August 4, 2026, with a physical launch then taking place in 10 stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta beginning on August 14.

This Ruka Hair’s Sephora partnership positions a science-oriented, Black women-owned brand on one of the largest prestige beauty platforms in the world and represents a significant change in the way major retailers handle hair extensions for people with textured hair.

For many years the category of braiding hair has been controlled by synthetic products which usually include plastics, strong chemicals, and other materials associated with causing scalp irritation.

There has always been a lot of concern among consumers regarding itchiness, quality, and the environmental effects of conventional braiding hair. Ruka Hair was established exactly to fill those gaps.

The brand was created by Tendai Moyo, who was born in Zimbabwe, and Ugo Agbai, born in Nigeria, after both of them had experienced the same difficulties that many Black women encounter when looking for extensions that match their texture, feel natural, and at the same time ensure safety and ethics.

The Problem with Traditional Synthetic Hair

For many years synthetic braiding hair has been made from plastics such as kanekalon and toyokalon—materials which are not only environmentally harmful but also possibly dangerous to human health.

It has been shown by studies that some braiding hair products contain toxic chemicals, such as lead, arsenic, and endocrine-disrupting phthalates, which can be absorbed through the scalp.

Even if one does not consider the long-term health risks, the immediate effects are something that anyone who has ever had braids knows about: the constant itching, the redness, and the irritation that turns protective styling into a kind of punishment.

 

Moyo, having been born in Zimbabwe, felt this irritation personally when she was a teenager in the UK. “When I was a child, getting your hair done was something that involved a great deal of crying,” she has stated.

The fact that Black women were neglected and charged too much in a market which showed no concern for their needs became the main reason for the establishment of Ruka.

Together with her co-founder Agbai, she decided to found a company which would truly place Black women at its heart, applying science and innovation to address problems that the industry had ignored for far too long.

The Innovation: Synths² Collagen-Based Fibre

The key to Ruka Hair’s success is its patent-pending Synths² fibre, an alternative to plastic-based synthetics that has been bioengineered.

Instead of using polymers derived from petroleum, Ruka Hair’s scientists have created a fibre based on collagen protein—a substance which occurs naturally in both human hair and skin.

The end product is a braiding hair that resembles, feels like, and behaves like real hair, without involving harmful chemicals, causing itching, or having an adverse environmental impact.

The fibre is hypoallergenic, biodegradable and does not contain the tough coatings which are usually found in conventional synthetic hair. It can be heat-styled to a temperature of 180°C, can be dyed and is ready to use straight from the pack—therefore eliminating the need for overnight vinegar soaks or the tedious process of washing to get rid of any chemical residue.

As the brand states, “We’ve created braiding hair that is free from harmful chemicals, that looks more natural and feels and behaves like real hair”.

The Synths² range is available in a variety of textures—Bone Straight, Textured Straight, Afro Kinky and French Curl—enabling natural blending and customisation.

The Sephora partnership represents a significant milestone, not only for Ruka but also for the whole prestige beauty industry; as Jennifer Lucchese, Sephora’s Senior Vice President of Haircare Merchandising, said: “Our aim at Sephora is to provide our customers with the most up-to-date and innovative products in the field of beauty, and we are pleased to be launching Ruka and their hair braiding bundles, introducing a brand-new category to our expanding range.”

Moyo spoke about that moment with clear pride, saying, “After twenty years, we are finally relaunching an entire new category at Sephora—and we’ll be the only hair extension brand in the store, bringing our bio-engineered fibres to places like Harlem and Times Square.”

When Ruka Hair was first being launched, a number of retailers rejected the founders, claiming that the brand should only launch online; but Moyo insisted that customers needed to be able to try the product in person. Today, with the support of Sephora, Ruka’s products will be available online across the nation and in ten physical stores in three major US cities.

This launch also represents a milestone for Black entrepreneurs in the beauty sector. The fact that Ruka Hair has achieved success may help open the way for other hair extension brands owned by Black people to get into the retail giant’s stores.

The brand’s launch at Sephora comes after it completed a $4.5 million funding round co-led by Freedom Trail Capital and Henkel Ventures—the same company that is responsible for Olaplex and Schwarzkopf—so that Ruka’s total funding amount is now $10 million.

The fact that Henkel, a global leader in hair care, has provided this funding indicates a major change in the industry’s attitude towards textured hair.

What to Expect from the Launch

From 4 August, Sephora will be offering online access to Ruka’s range, with the Braid-it Synths² extensions (£34) in a variety of styles and colours leading the collection.

The range also features styling bestsellers such as the Do-It-All Gel (£39), Save Me Serum (£39), Hold Me Down Edge Gel (£32), and the Coconilla Hair & Body Perfume (£45).

Starting on 14 August, the collection will be available in ten stores located in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, allowing customers the opportunity to touch, swatch and try the range in person before making a purchase.

The fact that Ruka Hair has arrived at Sephora is significant in terms of dignity as well as convenience; it means that Black women can go into a high-end beauty shop and find products designed specifically for their hair instead of having to make do with inferior ones.

It also reflects the understanding that protective styling is not just a minor hobby but a cultural practice that should receive the same level of innovation and investment as any other aspect of beauty.

“We know what it feels like to have to make do because it doesn’t seem like what’s out there is created for you. And that’s exactly why we have decided to make the outsiders our insiders,” the founders write on the company’s website.

With this historic Sephora launch, Moyo and Agbai have done exactly that.

Photo: Instagram/rukahair