Batiste

Batiste is a British dry-shampoo brand best known for aerosol products that refresh hair between washes. It traces its origins to 1970, when it was created by Schwarzkopf as a wet-and-dry shampoo range for greasy hair [4]. Since 2011 it has been owned by the American consumer-goods company Church & Dwight, which lists Batiste among its core "power brands" [2][4]. The brand remains fully active and global, marketed as the world's number-one dry shampoo and, according to the company, sold in more than 90 countries [3].

The name is officially styled "Batiste"; some retailers list it without the final "e."

Batiste began as a Schwarzkopf product line in 1970, conceived as a wet-and-dry shampoo for greasy hair [4]. Around three decades later, in 2001, it was relaunched solely as a dry shampoo — the format that came to define it [4]. The brand describes itself as having "roots deep in London fashion," and its manufacturing history is tied to a factory in Folkestone, on the south coast of England, from which, in the words of its then marketing director, each product "starts its story" before "taking its journey worldwide" [6].

Accounts of the founding date differ slightly depending on what is being counted. The brand's own timeline records 1970 as the year of creation [4]. Several third-party sources instead cite 1975, the year a spray dry shampoo was launched in the United Kingdom [6]. The two dates are consistent rather than contradictory: 1970 marks the original Schwarzkopf range, and 1975 the later UK dry-shampoo spray.

After its 2001 relaunch as a dedicated dry shampoo, Batiste expanded steadily through the 2000s. The Tropical variant arrived in 2005, and a first major rebrand in 2008 introduced a new logo alongside the Blush fragrance. The range broadened in 2009 with the On the Go and Coloured Dry Shampoo lines and the Boho and Diva scents. Following its 2011 acquisition, the brand undertook another rebrand, adding 200 ml and 400 ml formats, and in 2015 introduced the Stylist range with further fragrances.

Batiste has been owned by Church & Dwight Co., Inc. since 2011 [4]. Church & Dwight is a consumer packaged-goods manufacturer headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey, and founded in 1846; it markets Batiste as one of its core "power brands" alongside names such as Arm & Hammer, Trojan, Nair and OxiClean [2]. Within the Church & Dwight portfolio, Batiste sits among other personal-care brands including Toppik, Finishing Touch Flawless and Hero Cosmetics.

The brand's earlier ownership is less firmly documented. Web-search summaries describe a path from Schwarzkopf to a company called Vivalis in 2001 and then to Church & Dwight in 2011, but the intermediate Vivalis ownership appears only in aggregated search results rather than a directly verified source, and is noted here for completeness rather than stated as established fact.

Batiste positions itself as an everyday hair-care brand for the days between washes, describing itself as "the in between wash hair care experts" and summarising its promise in the tagline "Refresh Between Washes." The company says it wants customers to "live your best life between washes," and frames the product around the idea that when hair looks good, the user feels good. The brand's stated character leans on a "quirky attitude" and "on-trend designs," presenting itself as willing to "stand out from the crowd."

The brand's core is its aerosol dry shampoo, sold across a wide spread of fragrances and variants. The Original formula is marketed as a cult classic and anchors the line, with Tropical among the longest-running scents. More recent additions include sweat- and touch-activated formulas and a tinted "Hint of Color" line for darker and blonde hair.

Batiste's formulation is built on rice starch, which the company describes as the basis of an "innovative" no-water-necessary formula. The brand cites consumer research in support of its products, stating that 86 percent of consumers agree its dry shampoo removes grease and oil and that 99 percent find it quick and easy to use.

In 2022 the brand introduced the Naturally range, a set of three dry shampoos that, according to Batiste, are made with "100% natural extracts" and packaged in a can using "40% less packaging." The line includes Green Tea & Chamomile, Bamboo Fibre & Gardenia, and Coconut Milk & Hemp variants [5].

In 2016, the trade publication Cosmetics Business reported that Batiste had become the number-one dry-shampoo brand globally, citing a combined 37.5 percent market share across eight key markets — the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany and China — and market leadership in each [6]. In December 2025, Marie Claire named Batiste "Best Drugstore Dry Shampoo" in a tested roundup, positioning it as an accessible, value option rather than a premium one [7].

Batiste is active and operates globally. As a brand, it remains fully in production under its own name, with current product lines on its US and EU sites and recent editorial coverage in late 2025 [7]. Its status is best described as acquired: it is wholly owned by Church & Dwight and run as a sub-brand within that company's portfolio, while continuing to trade and market under the Batiste name.