Here’s Why Kelly Rowland Wants You to Ditch Dairy

Kelly Rowland is joining her Destiny’s Child co-founder Beyonce in urging people to go more plant-based. The Grammy Award-Winning artist has joined non-dairy milk brand Silk for an ad campaign that urges her fans to try dairy-free milk instead of cow-s milk. Rowland and several other notable influencers helped launch the #SwapItWithSilk campaign on TikTok.

Rowland posted two TikTok videos that helped demonstrate the benefits of Silk when compared to its traditional dairy counterpart. During her first video, she reveals the contents of her fridge to followers, proving that she swapped out all of her usual dairy products (milk, creamer, and Greek yogurt) in favor of Silk’s plant-based alternatives.

Rowland invites her cousin to join her during her second video for a blind taste test, where he tries both traditional dairy and products made with Silk’s Nextmilk. He immediately claims that he is positive that the main ingredient is milk, and then acts genuinely shocked to discover that the items all featured a dairy-free alternative from Silk.

Rowland, in an interview with Forbes, explained that her decision to promote Silk’s products was inspired by a desire to be healthy. She noted that she lost her mother to heart disease, and said that she was cutting out dairy to lower her risk of disease.

“For me, it was simply about just feeling lighter. Of course, I’ve had dairy before –your family introduces you to it and it’s so much of the food and culture and everything. I think the older I got the more I just wanted to just try some different things,” Rowland told Forbes. “When I started swapping everything out, I just felt like it would make sense to just feel better and to feel lighter and to just see how it all works, and I actually did.

“When you have these moments where you either swap it with Silk and you exercise or do whatever it is you need to do, your body feels better. That's what was a big deal for me. I listened to my body.”

Silk's celebrity-studded campaign

Before Silk and Rowland’s TikTok campaign, the company launched a G.O.A.T (Greatest of All-Time) campaign to promote the brand’s new oat-based milk, which launched last summer and ranked Alicia Silverstone as the G.O.A.T. of ‘90s Fashion and athlete Gabi Butler as the G.O.A.T. of Cheerleading.

Chef Gordon Ramsey joined the campaign, receiving the award for the G.O.A.T. of Yelling in Kitchens. The chef (understandably) accepted the nomination and explained why plant-based foods have started growing on him in recent years. The concession is especially noteworthy because for decades the hotheaded chef has relentlessly criticized vegan cuisine.

“Well, it took my kids getting on me, but now I really enjoy cooking more plant-based dishes at home and in my restaurants,” Ramsay said. “Let me tell you, I know greatness when I taste it, and I am loving Silk Oatmilk for both sweet and savory recipes.”

Silk’s non-dairy milk

Founded in 1996, Silk remains a longstanding staple among the vegan community. Launched by the parent company WhiteWave Foods, Silk's product selection is joined by sister brands including So Delicious, Vega, and Alpro. While the company primarily focused on soy milk, the brand recently diversified its selection to include several other ingredients for its dairy alternatives.

Since Danone acquired WhiteWave in 2016, the company launched a “plant-based 2.0” platform that aims to develop multi-ingredient milk alternatives. For Silk, the company debuted Nextmilk designed to better mirror traditional cow’s milk.

“Some consumers remain skeptical about plant-based food and beverages due to taste and texture, but Silk Nextmilk is on a mission to change that. We deconstructed dairy to create this revolutionary product that delivers the taste and texture we think dairy drinkers will love,” President of Plant-Based Food and Beverages at Danone North America John Starkey said in a statement. “Thanks to Silk Nextmilk—a true category game-changer—we’re confident dairy lovers will want to cross the aisle.”