Growth Bomb

Growth Bomb is an Australian haircare brand based in Melbourne, founded in 2020 by Hamish Buckley and Blair James, the latter also a co-founder of the suncare brand Bondi Sands [8]. The company positions itself around scalp health, building its products on caffeine drawn from Yerba Maté alongside peptide and botanical actives. It remains active and expanding: by 2025 it reported more than one million units sold and distribution across over 1,700 retail stores in Australia, with a growing presence in the United Kingdom, United States, European Union and New Zealand [8].

The brand was created in 2020, during the COVID pandemic, when Buckley and James set out to make a range of shampoo, conditioner, serum and spray intended to strengthen and nourish hair [8]. Central to the story is Yerba Maté, a caffeine-rich plant the company says it sources from the Amazon region of Brazil. Growth Bomb's own account frames the ingredient through the folklore of the Guarani people, who prepared the Yerba Maté leaf as a tea and, in the telling, received it from a moon goddess as a source of strength and vitality. The editorial press records the sourcing more plainly as the "jungles of Brazil," consistent with the company's description [8].

James's earlier venture, Bondi Sands, was acquired by the Kao Group in 2023, a connection the Australian business press has used to frame Growth Bomb's commercial ambitions [8].

Growth Bomb describes its approach as "Scalp-First Haircare," built on the premise that healthy hair begins with a healthy scalp. The company has introduced the term "Skinification of Haircare," meaning the application of skincare principles — caffeine, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients — to the hair and scalp. According to the brand, its aim is to create effective, non-toxic haircare by combining natural ingredients with its own extraction techniques. It states that every active is "dosed for efficacy, not marketing," and emphasises published research and transparency over unproven claims.

The range spans shampoos and conditioners, targeted treatments, styling products, supplements and hair kits, organised into lines that include a Supercharged range, a men's high-strength range and a post-pregnancy range. Among its named products are the Supercharge Shampoo and Conditioner, a peptide-based Booster Serum, a Hair Booster Tonic and a Hair & Nail Booster Supplement.

The brand's formulations centre on caffeine delivered through Yerba Maté extract, which it calls "the active backbone of the Growth Bomb system." Other actives include the peptide complex Capixyl, the plant-derived Redensyl, saw palmetto, niacinamide and biotin. Growth Bomb cites ingredient-level research to support these choices — for example, a four-month study of Capixyl reporting a 13% increase in hair in the active growth phase, and a 24-week study of niacinamide combined with caffeine reporting reduced shedding [2]. The company is explicit that its products are cosmetic formulations and that such studies relate to individual ingredients rather than to its own finished formulas [2]. Some of its supplements are listed with Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration [5].

The brand states that none of its products are tested on animals [3].

In 2025 Growth Bomb launched what it described as a world-first haircare range for women experiencing post-pregnancy hair loss, comprising a supplement, a scalp serum and a shampoo [8]. The launch coincided with a wider retail rollout: more than 1,700 stores across Australia — among them Woolworths, Coles, Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and TerryWhite Chemmart outlets — alongside more than 5,000 stores in the United Kingdom, United States and European Union [8]. The company reported passing one million units sold and a 40% year-on-year growth rate at that point [8].

Growth Bomb has been covered by the Australian business press. SmartCompany reported on its postpartum range and growth figures in 2025 [8], and Business News Australia covered its distribution agreement with Woolworths [10]. James also discussed the brand on the podcast The Mentor with Mark Bouris [11].

Growth Bomb is an active and growing brand. As of 2026 it operates dedicated storefronts for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, runs live promotions, and continues to expand internationally across the United Kingdom, United States, European Union and New Zealand markets.