Hair Syrup

Hair Syrup is a British haircare company that makes pre-wash hair oil treatments, sold direct to consumers and through retailers across the UK, Scandinavia and beyond. It was founded by Lucie Macleod, who began blending natural oils in her student kitchen at the University of Warwick to repair her own bleach- and heat-damaged hair. The brand traces its inception to 2019, when Macleod, then 21, made her first formulas [1]; one of the company's own blog posts instead dates the founding to 2020, the year of its commercial launch [8]. The products are manufactured in England and distributed from a warehouse in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

The company grew out of a viral social-media moment rather than a formal business plan, and remains active as of 2026, when its founder was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Europe [7]. By its own account and that of the trade press, turnover rose from roughly £120,000 in 2022 to almost £5 million in 2025 [9].

Lucie Macleod started experimenting with natural ingredients while a student at the University of Warwick, frustrated that conventional products were not repairing hair damaged by bleaching and heat. She mixed oil blends first in her student kitchen and later in her parents' conservatory, packing orders between university deadlines. As friends and family asked for their own bottles, the hobby began to take a commercial shape.

The turning point came in 2020. A TikTok video showing her homemade oils and the results on her own hair was posted during the UK lockdown and drew more than 600,000 views, generating requests from strangers willing to pay for the blends [8]. Encouraged by a friend, Macleod turned the project into a business, hand-pouring bottles before scaling up to warehouse facilities in North Pembrokeshire.

The two founding dates reflect this trajectory rather than a genuine dispute: the brand's About page and most editorial coverage place the inception in 2019, when the first formulas were made, while a company blog post frames the launch as 2020, during what it calls Macleod's second year at the university [1][8].

What began as hand-poured bottles grew quickly into a larger operation. The team expanded from two employees in 2021 to seventeen, and the brand secured partnerships with major retailers including ASOS, LookFantastic, Boots and BeautyBay. According to the trade publication BeautyMatter, it also ranked thirteenth on The Sunday Times' list of fastest-growing UK businesses, the highest-placed beauty brand on that list [9].

In 2024, Macleod appeared on the BBC investment programme Dragons' Den, asking for £190,000 in exchange for a 3% equity stake; she left without securing a deal [9]. The company has continued to publish actively into 2026, including posts on its expansion and an appearance at the Cosmoprof trade fair in Bologna.

Hair Syrup specialises in pre-wash hair oil treatments, applied before shampooing to address concerns such as dryness, scalp health, hair growth, frizz and damage. Its core range — marketed as "the Syrups" — carries playful names tied to specific hair goals: Rapunzel for hair that resists growing, Mint Condition for a flaky or itchy scalp, Growsmary for thinning hair, Lemon Aid for oily roots and The Original for knotty, tangled hair, among others. The line has broadened over time to include leave-in oils, buttercream products and hair-care tools.

The Rapunzel oil is positioned as the brand's flagship growth product, built around cold-pressed ingredients such as castor seed, pink grapefruit, flaxseed and pomegranate. Its formula illustrates the brand's approach: an all-oil blend that the company says is plant-powered and vegan-friendly. According to a founder interview, the products are made of "100% natural ingredients" and are free from silicones, mineral oils and parabens — an approach the company describes as non-negotiable [10]. Hair Syrup also states that Rapunzel was clinically shown to increase the rate of hair growth by over 40% in a six-week, dermatologically supervised trial [10].

The brand's commercial breakthrough came from a single product. After a customer publicly questioned whether before-and-after images of Mint Condition had been altered, Macleod posted a response video showing unedited results; BeautyMatter reports that it reached over six million views and drove the sale of thousands of bottles overnight [9].

Hair Syrup positions itself around natural, results-driven formulas at an accessible price, describing its goal as "high-performance, results-driven, all natural products within an affordable price range." Individual pre-wash oils retail in the region of £16, placing the brand in the affordable independent tier rather than the premium one. Its marketing leans on its social-media origins, with the homepage carrying the tagline "Hydration for your hair" alongside trust badges for cruelty-free, plant-powered and UK-made formulas.

In 2026, Macleod was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Europe in the Retail and Ecommerce category [7]. The company has also been credited with a FEBE growth award and, as noted above, a high placement on The Sunday Times' fastest-growing-businesses ranking [9]. Its rise is frequently framed in coverage as a Gen-Z, TikTok-driven success story within the broader trend of pre-wash hair oiling.

Hair Syrup remains an active, independently run business as of 2026, with regular blog activity, continued retail expansion and growing financial figures. Its distribution spans the UK — including Boots, ASOS, LookFantastic and BeautyBay — as well as the Scandinavian retailer Lyko, where BeautyMatter reports it debuted as a top seller within weeks, and a stated move into the United States [9]. The company has not disclosed any outside ownership; it is presented throughout its own and editorial coverage as founder-led.