Africa’s Best
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About Africa’s Best
Africa's Best operates within the textured hair care segment under House of Cheatham's portfolio, positioning itself as an accessible solution for women seeking specialized formulations for treated and natural hair textures. The brand's market approach emphasizes botanical ingredients and culturally-informed product development, though its sustainability infrastructure remains largely undeveloped across environmental and ethical dimensions.
While the parent company demonstrates notable community investment through significant educational funding initiatives supporting Black entrepreneurship, Africa's Best itself shows minimal transparency in operational sustainability practices. The absence of third-party certifications, climate commitments, and supply chain disclosure creates substantial gaps in verifiable sustainability performance, particularly concerning for a brand utilizing both botanical and chemical-intensive formulations in categories like relaxers that face ongoing safety scrutiny.
The Good Stuff
Where Africa’s Best appears to be making meaningful progress. We cross-referenced these findings with multiple independent sources.
Community Investment Leadership
Parent company House of Cheatham's $3 million investment in Clark Atlanta University's entrepreneurial center demonstrates meaningful commitment to economic empowerment within Black communities
Botanical Ingredient Integration
Formulations incorporate natural botanical oils including shea butter, olive oil, and aloe vera, offering plant-based alternatives within conventional hair care categories
Inclusive Product Development
Specialized solutions for textured and treated hair address historically underserved market segments with culturally-informed product innovation
The Reality Check
Areas where the publicly available data gets murky, incomplete, or concerning. We're transparent about the limitations of our analysis.
Environmental Strategy Void
Complete absence of climate targets, water management protocols, biodiversity initiatives, and sustainable packaging commitments across brand operations
Supply Chain Opacity
No disclosed supply chain audits, traceability systems, or ethical sourcing verification available for ingredient procurement or manufacturing practices
Animal Welfare Documentation Gap
Lacks cruelty-free certification through recognized programs, with no disclosed policies for animal-derived ingredient sourcing or wildlife conservation support
Africa’s Best's
Impact Aura
A visual representation of Africa’s Best's positive impact
across People, Planet and Animals
Each colored area represents the brand's performance in that sustainability category. The size and intensity of each blob corresponds to their score—larger, more vibrant areas indicate stronger performance.
Our Research
Key findings from our comprehensive analysis of Africa’s Best's sustainability performance across People, Planet & Animals impact.
Positive Impact on People
Research Highlights
- Natural ingredient formulations incorporate botanical oils including shea butter, olive oil, and aloe vera across product lines
- Parent company House of Cheatham demonstrates community investment through $3 million donation to Clark Atlanta University entrepreneurial center
- Independent safety database assessments flag moderate to high hazard ratings for certain relaxer and styling formulations
- Supply chain transparency remains undisclosed with no publicly available audit documentation or traceability systems
- Marketing emphasizes inclusive hair care solutions for textured and treated hair, serving historically underrepresented communities
Evidence Strength
Limited verification across labor and supply chain practices, with stronger documentation for community investment initiatives but gaps in ingredient safety validation
Positive Impact on Planet
Research Highlights
- No climate action strategy identified including absence of greenhouse gas reduction targets or renewable energy commitments
- Packaging refresh initiatives mentioned without quantified sustainability metrics or recycled content specifications
- Water stewardship programs absent with no disclosed efficiency measures or wastewater treatment protocols
- Biodiversity conservation efforts not documented despite botanical ingredient sourcing
- Chemical management relies on natural ingredient claims without comprehensive hazard elimination policies
Evidence Strength
Minimal environmental documentation across all criteria with no third-party verification or quantified sustainability commitments identified
Positive Impact on Animals
Research Highlights
- No cruelty-free certification identified through recognized third-party verification programs
- Product formulations include animal-derived ingredients such as egg protein in certain lines
- Wildlife conservation support programs not disclosed by brand or parent company
- Sustainable sourcing protocols for animal-derived ingredients lack documentation or certification
- Conservation partnerships or funding initiatives for habitat protection not identified
Evidence Strength
Absence of animal welfare documentation across all criteria with no third-party certifications or disclosed ethical sourcing policies
See the Receipts
We don't just make claims—here are the official certifications that prove Africa’s Best's sustainability commitments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Africa's Best sustainable?
Based on Live By's comprehensive assessment methodology, Africa's Best demonstrates limited sustainability performance with significant gaps across environmental and ethical dimensions. While the parent company shows strong community investment through educational funding, the brand itself lacks fundamental sustainability infrastructure including climate commitments, supply chain transparency, and third-party certifications. The absence of verifiable environmental programs and ethical sourcing documentation indicates sustainability practices require substantial development.
Is Africa's Best cruelty-free?
Africa's Best does not hold cruelty-free certification from recognized third-party verification programs. Our assessment found no evidence of certification through established animal welfare organizations, and the brand's animal testing policies remain undisclosed. Additionally, product formulations include animal-derived ingredients such as egg protein, indicating the brand is neither cruelty-free certified nor vegan.
What natural ingredients does Africa's Best use?
Africa's Best incorporates botanical oils throughout its formulations, including shea butter, olive oil, tea tree oil, and aloe vera. These plant-based ingredients are marketed as key components in their hair care solutions. However, independent safety assessments have flagged certain products, particularly relaxers and styling formulations, with moderate to high hazard ratings, suggesting the need for comprehensive ingredient safety verification beyond natural claims.
Does Africa's Best have any certifications?
Live By's assessment found no third-party sustainability, ethical, or environmental certifications for Africa's Best. The brand lacks verification through recognized programs for cruelty-free standards, organic formulations, fair trade practices, or climate neutrality. This absence of external certification represents a significant gap in independently verified sustainability credentials.
What is Africa's Best doing for social impact?
The most significant social impact initiative associated with Africa's Best comes through parent company House of Cheatham's $3 million donation to establish an entrepreneurial center at Clark Atlanta University, supporting Black business development. The brand itself emphasizes inclusive product development for textured and treated hair, serving historically underrepresented communities, though direct brand-level social programs beyond product accessibility remain undisclosed.
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The Bottom Line
Africa's Best shows meaningful community investment through its parent company's educational funding but lacks fundamental sustainability infrastructure across environmental protection, supply chain transparency, and animal welfare. The brand requires comprehensive sustainability program development to align with contemporary beauty industry standards.
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