Blake Lively’s New Hair Brand, Blake Brown, Was the Hardest Beauty Secret to Keep

I always suspected Blake Lively would start a beauty brand. Would it be skincare like Hailey Bieber's Rhode or feel-good cosmetics like Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty? I wasn’t entirely sure. But it only seemed appropriate that in a post-Gossip Girl world, Lively would eventually bottle the ingredients responsible for Serena Van der Woodsen's enviable head of hair and flawless skin.

Yet as a celebrity beauty boom saturated the industry, Blake Lively's name was never so much as whispered. Save a subtle piece of gossip on the anonymously-hosted celebrity podcast Deuxmoi, there was no concrete evidence the Lively would jump into the beauty world. (She did, however, start a non-alcoholic beverage line, Betty Buzz.)

Then an early July email proved my longtime hunch was correct after all. I opened the message—subject line: “embargoed and confidential”—and found an invitation to meet with Lively to discuss her new beauty brand. Days later, a package arrived at my apartment containing a collection of mystery lab samples. They didn’t reveal which beauty category they belonged to, but they smelled incredible. A hint of santal, a little bergamot, some vanilla—but that was the extent of my takeaway.

Two weeks later, one night after the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, Lively met with beauty editors at New York City's Fouquet's penthouse in a no-phones-allowed meeting. It was there that she introduced her seven-years-in-the-making, Target-exclusive range of haircare products, tilted Blake Brown.

Blake Brown's debut lineup includes eight fragrant products, from a nourishing shampoo to a volumizing mousse and three enriching hair masks. Each was tested rigorously by Lively's friends, family, and yes, husband Ryan Reynolds, too.

One would assume that a hair brand with eight products would include conditioner. Well, you won’t find one in Blake Brown. In a wild turn of events, Lively doesn’t even believe in conditioner. Instead, she’s a shampoo and hair mask girl. “I use masks every single wash. I don’t want to offer conditioner just to offer it,” Lively said.

The core products making the Blake Brown roster are designed like a system—there’s a strengthening shampoo-mask duo as well as a nourishing duo. Alternating between the two offers both strength and elasticity. The products are also designed to be small-space friendly. They fit together like a “hive,” and can be stacked side by side or on top of one another.

Blake Brown looks and smells decadent, but it's meant to be an everyday indulgence. “The same reason I love this line is the same reason I’m a foodie. You have to eat and you have to drink water, so you may as well make the necessity something that is an elevated experience,” Lively explained. “I wanted to make smells that I would want to wear. I wanted them to be at a more accessible price point, and I wanted the packaging to be clean.”

After meeting Lively, I was sent back to Marie Claire HQ with every Blake Brown product in tow. Now that I knew her beauty secret at last, I needed to know if her products worked as well on a range of hair types as it did on hers. The general consensus after testing all eight products with the team? The smell really is the star.

Read on for Marie Claire's honest reviews of Blake Lively's Blake Brown hair brand—plus more essential details about the line.

What Does Blake Brown Smell Like?

“No matter what perfume I have on, people smell my hair,” Lively says. Her Blake Brown products are the closest you'll get to knowing how her curls smell like without meeting her.

Guided by her gourmand palette, Lively sought inspiration from a handful of her favorite perfumes and candles. Those include the discontinued Burberry The Beat, Votivo’s redcurrant candle, and Diptyque’s L’eau de Neroli.

The actual Blake Brown blend, however, is distinctly unique—and in my personal opinion, the highlight of the brand. In every product, you’ll find milky musks, vanillas, sandalwoods, and some citrus. The fragrance is truly good enough to eat while maintaining an elevated feel that might even replace the need for perfume.

Why Did Blake Lively Name Her Hair Brand Blake Brown?

It's a sentimental story. Blake Lively’s dad took her mom’s last name when they got married. Brown was her father’s surname, so calling the line Blake Brown lets the actress-slash-entrepreneur “honor” her father.

Editors’ Honest Blake Brown Reviews

Samantha Holender, Beauty Editor

"I’m convinced Blake Lively and I share a nose. I’m picky when it comes to fragrance, so save my four or five go-to perfumes, I select fragrance-free everything. But when I got a sneak sniff of Blake Brown's products in early July, I immediately asked Lively to bottle the smell into a hair perfume. The Sandalwood Vanille scent is my favorite, but quite frankly, every flavor profile is yummy. They’re sweet and inviting but still have a skin-like base that keeps them from being too similar to a baked good.

"My number one product from the line is the Pre-Shampoo Mask. While you’re technically supposed to leave it on for 30 minutes, I use it to slick back my hair and leave it in for a good eight hours (whoops). I have finer hair, so I do a double shampoo with the Fundamental Strengthening Shampoo after letting the mask sit. At this point in my hair routine, I notice that my hair feels incredibly silky and much less knotty than usual. Also, my shower smells amazing.

"I was admittedly apprehensive about replacing the conditioner with a hair mask. Using it repeatedly, every other day, had me convinced my fine hair would be an oily mess. I was, thankfully, proven wrong. I’ve now used the strengthening system for my past five washes and have noticed that my hair feels stronger and healthier while looking shinier and smoother. It hasn’t distorted my color or irritated my sensitive scalp, either.

"Overall, I’m incredibly impressed—and am seriously considering retiring perfume once and for all."

Neha Prakash, Entertainment Director

"I’ve been a loyal fan of Ouai’s dry shampoo for years, but the brand recently discontinued it—cue panic. So the timing for Blake Brown’s launch couldn't have been better, but the product had big shoes to fill—and big hair to create. I was skeptical at first, but the stuff worked. I immediately noticed my hair was glossier and bouncier. It was colorless too, so it didn't leave white streaks on my darker hair. That being said, I really wasn't a fan of the woodsy, amber scent."

Gabrielle Ulubay, Beauty Writer

"At first, I was skeptical about Blake Lively's recommended haircare routine. While I love a hair mask, replacing a conditioner with one seemed time-consuming and unnecessary. However, this routine yielded impressive results, including defined, soft curls and lots of volume. I only wish that it could tame frizz as well as my thicker, more curl-centric products do, but I can see myself using this shampoo and conditioner pair on less humid days."

Julia Marzovilla, E-Commerce Editor

"Blake Brown's mousse gave my hair some serious shine and body. I worked a golfball-sized amount into my roots and through my ends, then blow-dried on the highest heat setting until my hair was dry. My hair isn't generally very shiny, but I found that this lightweight mousse added a boost of shine. It also didn't weigh my hair down or make my roots look oily, an issue I usually run into with hair products. The smell is also incredible but not overpowering. It smells more like a perfume than an actual hair product."

Brooke Knappenberger, Associate E-Commerce Editor

"Blake Brown’s leave-in potion promises to do a lot—detangle, prime, protect, and smooth—and after trying it for myself, I can say it delivers. I used a few sprays after the shower and immediately noticed how much softer my hair felt. It also tamed the unruly flyaways on the crown of my head, which have proved to be a daily struggle. I will say that a little goes a long way here, especially if your hair is fine and thin like mine. The best thing about this leave-in, however, has to be its scent. It leaves my hair with an earthy, woody aroma that lingers all day long."