Ruka CEO Tendai Moyo opens up about the company’s innovative hair extensions and fundraising journey
Ruka Hair is making history as the first braiding hair brand to launch at Sephora in two decades.
The retailer will carry Ruka’s patent-pending Synths² collagen-based braiding hair extensions, along with a selection of styling products and hair perfumes. Unlike traditional synthetic braiding hair, the company’s biotech fiber is designed to be chemical-free, biodegradable, and hypoallergenic while performing like natural hair without plastics or carcinogens.
“The funding will help us continue scaling Synths 2, our collagen protein fiber-braiding hair, and the wider fiber platform behind it,” Moyo told BE. “The right investors have understood that Ruka is not just a beauty brand. It is a science, community, and culture-led business tackling a huge global market,” she continued.
Moyo, who was born in Zimbabwe, launched Ruka Hair after recognizing the lack of innovative, high-quality products created specifically for Black women with textured hair. The company has built its reputation by combining biotechnology with beauty to address longstanding concerns around the sourcing of human hair and the chemicals commonly found in synthetic alternatives.
“We are trying to change the quality, safety, and experience of hair extensions for a community that has historically been underserved,” she told BE.
For Sephora, the addition of Ruka Hair reflects a broader shift toward expanding offerings for consumers with textured hair. For Ruka, it represents another step toward its mission of making innovative hair solutions more accessible to Black women around the world.
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Source: Black Enterprise
