Scratch of Sweden

Scratch of Sweden is a Swedish hand and nail care company founded in 1985 by nail therapist Marie Houston [1]. Based in Halmstad, where it keeps development, production and distribution under one roof [3], it built its reputation on natural, ingredient-led products aimed at everyday self-care rather than salon treatments alone. The company remains family-owned and describes itself as a pioneer in natural hand and nail care.

Its best-known product, the Nail Food oil, became a fixture of the Swedish market after it was taken up by the national pharmacy chain. The brand marked its 40th anniversary in 2025 and has begun looking beyond Scandinavia, with early steps into Asia and a stated ambition to enter the United States [2].

Marie Houston, a nail therapist, established the business in 1985. It began with nail therapy and manicure training alongside the development of hand, nail and body care products [3], combining salon expertise with what the company frames as consumers' need for simple, effective self-care. Houston still runs the company together with Perry Lénström; the .com site describes Marie and Perry as "a couple both in private and in Scratch lifestyle," underlining the firm's family-owned character.

The signature Nail Food oil is central to the company's history, though its introduction date differs between the brand's own sites. The Swedish homepage states that Nail Food was launched in 1989 [1], while the .com about-us page dates it to 1993, the year it was introduced and adopted by Apoteket AB, Sweden's then government-owned pharmacy [3]. The discrepancy may reflect a distinction between the product's original formulation and its later pharmacy adoption. Following that adoption, the oil came to be described as "the original and standard for any nail oil product" [3].

Since then the range has broadened into a fuller hand and nail concept, and by 2025 the company was marking 40 years of operation in the Swedish hand and nail market [2].

The company positions itself around natural ingredients with documented effect, Swedish manufacturing, and self-care that fits into daily routine. Its products are presented as fully vegan, cruelty-free and free from unnecessary additives [1], and the .com site carries the banner "UNISEX | VEGAN & CRUELTY FREE | MADE IN SWEDEN WITH LOVE." Scratch of Sweden states its aim as supplying the market with eco-friendly, vegan and non-allergenic products for hand and nail problems. Quality, transparency and sustainability are named as its guiding values, and the brand sums up its outlook in the tagline "Self Care with Love."

Nail Food is the company's flagship: a fine-molecule, natural oil that the brand says strengthens and moisturises nails from within, applied a drop at a time twice a day. Its core formula is built on cold-pressed oils of lavender, sesame and myrrh [2]. Beyond it, the range includes the No Dry Hands Moisturizer, a night treatment for dry cuticles called Night Repair, and a Hand & Body Spa line covering cleansing, exfoliation and lotion. All products are manufactured in Halmstad.

Nail Food was described by Business Sweden, the country's government trade-promotion agency, as having become "the original and standard for any nail oil product" after its pharmacy adoption, and the agency called Scratch of Sweden "one of the most recognized and professional Swedish personal care brands" [5]. Among the awards it lists, only the Beauty Oscar carries a definite year, in 2020 [5]; further nominations and prizes tied to Elle Sweden, Cosmopolitan and the Skincare Professionals Awards are named without dates.

Scratch of Sweden is active. Its established sales are concentrated in Sweden and Scandinavia, where its products are sold through retailers including Lyko, Kicks and Åhléns as well as pharmacies, and used by professional therapists. International expansion is at an early stage: through a Business Sweden program the company entered Hong Kong as its first Asian market, chosen for favourable regulatory conditions and demand for manicure and pedicure products [5], while its Swedish site states an intention to expand abroad beginning with the United States [1].