Colab

Colab is a British haircare brand specialising in dry shampoo, founded in 2014 [1] and owned by the Cheltenham-based beauty company SLG Brands Limited [2]. It was created to solve a common complaint about dry shampoos of the era — the white powdery residue they left on hair — and built its identity around an "invisible" formula that absorbs oil without a visible cast. The brand remains active: in April 2025 it introduced a reformulated product and marked ten years of dry shampoo development [3].

The company grew out of a collaboration between SLG founder and chief creative officer Miles Dunkley and the model and blogger Ruth Crilly, who helped develop and promote the line [1]. From a single product category it expanded into international retail, and by 2020 trade press reported that Colab had sold ten million cans worldwide and reached around thirty countries [1].

Colab was conceived as an answer to a specific shortcoming. According to Dunkley, every degreasing dry shampoo on the market created "this problem of white residue," and the idea was to "create an invisible formula that degreases, refreshes and adds a bit of volume, but doesn't leave the white residue" [1]. The brand launched in 2014 and entered the UK drugstore chain Superdrug under a three-year exclusive arrangement that September.

The product was developed and fronted in partnership with Ruth Crilly, a model and beauty blogger known for the site A Model Recommends. The collaboration placed Colab within a then-emerging wave of influencer-led beauty: SLG launched it the same year the parent company partnered with the YouTube vlogger Zoella, as it moved into what it called "influencer beauty" [4].

After its Superdrug debut, Colab expanded beyond the United Kingdom into a broad international footprint. By 2020, trade outlet Beauty Independent reported that the brand had landed in roughly 8,500 retail doors in the United States — among them Walmart, Rite Aid, Target, Meijer and Giant Eagle — and was present in some thirty countries including South Korea, Japan, Australia, India and Singapore [1].

In April 2025 the brand released a new formula, Supreme Clean, which it called its most advanced to date and tied to a tenth-anniversary milestone of dry shampoo development [3]. The same period brought renewed commercial focus on the United States and growth in South Korea through the retailer Olive Young.

Colab is owned by SLG Brands Limited, a beauty company registered in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire [2]. SLG is a longer-established business that traces its own origins to a latex makeup sponge in 1985 — distinct from Colab's 2014 launch — and describes Colab as its largest brand [1]. The brand sits within SLG's portfolio of owned beauty lines rather than operating as an independent company.

Colab presents itself as a dry shampoo specialist, using a "Studio Lab" or "Wonderlab" framing to emphasise formulation and testing. The company describes its approach as "always experimenting with new science, fusing expert haircare knowledge and refining ingredients to create formulas" built to "love life's chaos and deliver results." It states that it prioritises performance and effective oil absorption so customers can keep their own personal style. The brand's tagline is "Great hair days on demand."

The brand's range is built entirely around dry shampoo, sold in variants distinguished by finish and purpose — among them the Original Dry Shampoo, positioned as the invisibly clean option; the Extreme Volume formula; and the Supreme Clean formula introduced in 2025. Additional versions target specific needs such as sensitive scalps, workouts, dark or blonde roots, and beach texture, alongside fragrance-led options.

Colab highlights Vitamin E for scalp care as a featured ingredient and states that its products are dermatologically tested. The company says its formulas are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, contain no animal-derived ingredients, and are free of sulfates, parabens and benzene. It also states that it does not conduct animal testing on finished products or ingredients. On packaging, Colab describes its cans and caps as recycle-ready while advising customers to check local recycling facilities.

Colab's most cited distinction is its social-media following. Regional business outlet SoGlos described it as the world's most followed dry shampoo brand on social media [4], and trade reporting placed cumulative sales at ten million cans worldwide [1]. The brand's public profile has been closely linked to its co-creator Ruth Crilly, through whom it was first reviewed and promoted [5].

Colab is an active brand. Its most recent visible activity includes the April 2025 launch of the Supreme Clean formula and continued retail expansion in the United States and South Korea [3]. It maintains an active direct-to-consumer site and social presence under the handle @colabhair across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.