Our Story · Founded 2019
We built
what we needed
and couldn't find.
Two Black women. A shared frustration with a haircare industry that wasn't designed for them. And the belief that clean beauty and high performance were never mutually exclusive — they just hadn't been done properly yet.
Dr. Christine Martey-Ochola, PhD
CO-FOUNDER, CEO, CHIEF FORMULATOR
Anne Cheatham RN, CRNA, MS
CO-FOUNDER, NHG PRESIDENT, CHIEF OF HEALTH
The moment everything changed
"We refused to believe that clean and effective were mutually exclusive — so we built the proof."
NUELE Co-Founders
The journey
How we got here.
2019
The frustration becomes a mission
After years of watching the bond-building category grow without ever addressing curly and textured hair — and without ever using truly clean ingredients — our co-founders began developing NUELE in a kitchen lab in Philadelphia. The goal: formulas that work for every hair type, with nothing that shouldn't be there.
2020
First launch — and the awards begin
The Hair Serum launches to immediate recognition. Refinery29 names it a 2020 Beauty Innovator. Real customers — particularly those with 3C and 4A–4C hair — begin sharing results that no bond treatment had produced before. The brand finds its community.
2021
Harper's Bazaar, Essence, and the Grammys
Harper's Bazaar Hair Award. Delicious Living Magazine Consumer and Retailer Choice. NUELE products reach the Grammys through celebrity stylist partnerships, used backstage at Jon Batiste's iconic performance. The brand earns its place in the mainstream conversation — on its own terms.
2022
Fair trade sourcing — Ghana & Morocco
We formalise our commitment to fair trade ingredient sourcing with female farmers in Ghana and Morocco. Our shea butter and argan oil now come with traceability and a direct economic benefit to the women who grow them. Sustainability begins at the source.
2023
Clinical trials — the proof, documented
Independent clinical trials across all hair types, including both user studies and actual laboratory analysis of submitted hair strands. 100% less breakage. 0% irritation. The results we always knew our formulas could produce — now independently verified. Cosmopolitan 2023 Clean Beauty Award follows.
2024
The next chapter
A complete website redesign. New product development. Conversations with global distribution partners. NUELE is no longer a small clean beauty brand — it's a category-defining player in the bond-building market. And we're just getting started.
What we stand for
Six principles.
No exceptions.
01
Ultra clean
100% naturally derived ingredients. No fillers, no synthetics, no shortcuts. Clean doesn't mean less effective — with us, it means more.
02
All hair types
Straight, wavy, curly, coily — every product is formulated and clinically tested for every texture. Not as an afterthought. As the entire point.
03
Fair trade
Our shea and argan are sourced from female farmers in Ghana and Morocco under fair trade terms. Our supply chain matches our values.
04
Clinically proven
Independent lab analysis. Real hair strands. Verified results across all textures. We don't ask you to take our word for it.
05
Truly sustainable
No filler ingredients that dilute our formulas and create waste. Sustainable packaging. Sustainability starts at formulation — not marketing.
06
Community first
We actively support minority and women-owned businesses. We give back to the communities that gave us our start. Growth with purpose.
Our impact
Numbers that
mean something.
We measure success not just in sales, but in the communities we've built, the farmers we've supported, the awards that confirmed what our customers already knew, and the hair that finally has the product it deserves.
8+
Industry awards
100%
Natural ingredients
2
Fair trade sourcing countries
0
Synthetic ingredients
What they've said about us
Harper's Bazaar
"A bond treatment that genuinely works for textured and curly hair — and happens to be completely clean."
Hair Award 2021
Cosmopolitan
"The cleanest bond-building formula on the market, with results that match the best of the conventional alternatives."
Clean Beauty Award 2023
Refinery29
"NUELE is proof that the clean beauty category doesn't have to mean compromising on performance."
Beauty Innovator Award 2020