Ownership Expose

Who Really Owns SheaMoisture?

SheaMoisture is owned by Unilever. They acquired Sundial Brands — which also includes Nubian Heritage and the Madam C.J. Walker Collection — beginning in 2017.

A brand born from a family's Sierra Leonean heritage, built to serve the Black community, now managed by a $60 billion multinational.

The Ownership Timeline

1991

Sundial Brands Founded

Richelieu Dennis, Nyema Tubman, and Mary Dennis found Sundial Brands, selling shea butter products on the streets of New York City. The company is rooted in the Dennis family's shea butter trade in Sierra Leone, spanning four generations. SheaMoisture becomes the flagship brand, serving the Black community with natural hair and skin care.

1991–2017

Becomes a Cultural Institution

SheaMoisture grows into one of the most beloved personal care brands in the Black community. The products — built on shea butter, coconut oil, and African botanicals — become cultural staples for natural hair care. The brand expands from corner stores to nationwide retail while maintaining its community focus.

November 2017

Unilever Announces Acquisition of Sundial Brands

Unilever announces the acquisition of Sundial Brands, which includes SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and Madam C.J. Walker Collection. Richelieu Dennis initially stays on and creates the New Voices Fund to invest in women of color entrepreneurs. The community reaction is deeply mixed.

2020

Deal Fully Closes Under Unilever

The acquisition fully closes. SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, and the Madam C.J. Walker Collection are now wholly owned Unilever subsidiaries. The brands sit alongside Dove, Axe, TRESemme, and Suave in Unilever's hair care portfolio.

2024

Richelieu Dennis No Longer Involved

Richelieu Dennis is no longer involved with Sundial Brands or SheaMoisture. The brand that was born from a family's Sierra Leonean heritage and built to serve the Black community is now managed entirely by Unilever's corporate structure.

What This Means for You

SheaMoisture's story is different from the other brands on this page, and it deserves to be told honestly. This wasn't a two-year-old DTC brand that got flipped for a quick payday. SheaMoisture was a 26-year-old cultural institution when Unilever acquired it.

Richelieu Dennis built Sundial Brands from a street vendor operation into a company that served a community that mainstream beauty had ignored for decades. SheaMoisture became more than a product — it was a symbol of Black entrepreneurship and self-care. The products were formulated with African botanicals and shea butter traditions passed down through generations.

The acquisition was controversial within the community SheaMoisture served. Some saw it as a betrayal. Others noted that Dennis used the acquisition to create the New Voices Fund, a $100 million commitment to invest in women of color entrepreneurs. That matters. The intention was to turn the acquisition into community reinvestment.

But intentions don't change ownership structures. In 2024, Richelieu Dennis is no longer involved. SheaMoisture is now managed by Unilever's corporate structure — the same company that also manages Dove, Axe, and TRESemme. The brand sits in a portfolio designed to capture market share across every demographic, not to serve a specific community.

The formulas have also evolved. Some longtime users report changes in texture, scent, and performance since the acquisition. Whether those changes are real reformulations or batch variations is debated, but the concern is understandable when a community brand is now managed by a corporation optimizing for global supply chain efficiency.

We respect what SheaMoisture was. We're honest about what it is now.

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