HAAN

HAAN is a Spanish personal-care brand founded in Barcelona in 2018 by Eric Armengou and Hugo Rovira [7]. It began with portable hand sanitisers and has since grown into a wider range of travel-sized everyday products, sold alongside a stated commitment to fund clean-water projects in developing countries. The company pairs design-led packaging with a social mission it sums up as "Turning Care Around."

The brand remains active, with multi-channel distribution across dozens of countries and an ongoing catalogue that includes a limited-edition collaboration with The Smurfs.

HAAN was launched in 2018 by Eric Armengou and Hugo Rovira in their home city of Barcelona, building on a fashion-distribution business the pair had founded the decade before [7]. According to the company, a trip to Malawi proved formative, prompting the founders to commit a share of profits to clean-water access in developing communities from the company's first year. In an interview, Armengou described the dual nature of the products as having "an A side, the visible and experiential side; and a B side: the fight against the water [crisis] and financing projects in developing countries."

Editorial profiles, the founders' own social channels and the brand consistently name Armengou and Rovira as co-founders [8][9].

The brand's first signature product was the HAAN Pocket, a compact, refillable spray hand sanitiser sold in a soft-touch bottle. The company says the formula blends 65% alcohol with aloe vera, stating it kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria while helping prevent the skin dryness associated with frequent sanitising [7][8]. HAAN has said its formulas use a high proportion of natural ingredients and include prebiotic actives [6].

From that starting point the catalogue widened into hand cream, aluminium-free deodorant, mouth spray, face and body mists, toothpaste, sunscreen and other travel-ready essentials, plus refills and accessories. A fragrance-led range, the Shake It Up collection, offers scents the brand names Manhattan Glacé, Spicy Ginger Ale, Gentle Paloma, Margarita Spirit and Mojito Splash. Refill pouches are central to the design: the company states that switching to refills can cut plastic use by up to 89% [1].

HAAN frames its work around two pillars it calls "Ready To Care," covering the products themselves, and "Ready To Change," covering its social programme [7]. The stated mission is "giving back and doing good for both people and the planet," and the brand's tagline positions it as "trendy personal care to take along with you." It markets itself on four points: clean ingredients, fresh scents, refillability and recyclable materials.

The company says it directs 20% of its profits to projects addressing the global water crisis, used to fund wells and water-awareness work in developing communities [7]. Much of this has centred on Malawi: HAAN funded a well at the Changoma school, serving more than 800 children, and later established the Kalembo Project during the COVID-19 pandemic to build underground wells [3]. The brand's water-projects page lists a series of well sites across Africa.

On packaging and formulation, the company states its products are cruelty-free and that many are vegan, and points to recyclable, refillable design as a way to reduce waste [5]. No third-party certifications are listed in the available sources.

By the early 2020s HAAN had expanded into travel retail and department stores, with the brand and editorial coverage citing presence in dozens of countries and stockists including Liberty, Selfridges, Galeries Lafayette and El Corte Inglés [6]. It appeared as a Silver Partner at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo and has been profiled by trade and regional outlets covering its water mission and Barcelona origins [7].

HAAN is an active company with global, multi-channel distribution spanning fashion and beauty retailers, pharmacies and travel retail. Its current catalogue includes a limited-edition collaboration with The Smurfs and a sunscreen line, indicating ongoing operations [1].