SPECIAL 1

SPECIAL 1 is a Norwegian hair-styling line created by Cutrin Norge, a Trondheim-based distributor of professional haircare brands. It is the company's own in-house label, developed internally rather than distributed under licence like the international brands Cutrin Norge represents [3]. The range centres on men's styling products — waxes, paste, a sculpting gel and a salt-water spray — alongside a hair-and-body shampoo, and remains in active distribution across the Nordics.

The brand is closely tied to its parent's identity but positioned to stand on its own in retail. Its most visible public association is with Norwegian footballer Martin Ødegaard, captain of both Arsenal FC and the Norwegian national team, who serves as its ambassador [3].

SPECIAL 1 has no separate founding history of its own; its origin is that of Cutrin Norge, the company that created it. According to the Swedish industrial group Storskogen, Cutrin Norge began as three family-owned businesses that operated as partners from the mid-1980s and later merged into a single distributor [9]. The company is headquartered in Trondheim, with warehouses in Bergen and Lillehammer [9]. A specific founding year for SPECIAL 1 itself is not documented in available sources.

Cutrin Norge acts as the exclusive Norwegian distributor for a portfolio that includes Cutrin, Moroccanoil, REF and Paul Mitchell. Among these, SPECIAL 1 is the only internally developed brand [3][9]. In October 2022, Storskogen acquired Cutrin Norge as an add-on within its Health and Beauty vertical, retaining Rune Langørgen as chief executive [9]. The 2022 acquisition release described the company as an "exclusive Norwegian distributor of brands such as Cutrin, Moroccanoil, REF, Paul Mitchell and Special 1," listing the label alongside established international names [9].

SPECIAL 1 is a professional-tier styling range distributed through salons, online retailers such as Lyko and Blivakker, and Cutrin Norge's own e-commerce. The line covers a small set of styling products: Power Wax, Control Wax and Molding Wax, a Paste, a Sculpting Gel, a Salt Water Spray and a Hair & Body Shampoo. The shampoo is described by the company as sulfate-free, cleansing while preserving the hair's natural moisture.

How the brand frames its audience differs by channel. On Cutrin Norge's own brand page, SPECIAL 1 is presented as a "styling series for men," carrying the tagline "Just a better styling!" [3]. Retailer copy takes a broader line: Lyko and Blivakker describe it as "a Norwegian range of exclusive hair products created for everyone, regardless of age" [1][10]. Both descriptions come from the same commercial channels — the creator's men's-styling framing and the retailers' age-neutral language coexist rather than contradict one another.

The company describes SPECIAL 1 as "more than hair care products — a lifestyle," and names dedication, passion and a wish to inspire self-confidence as its stated values [10]. These are positioning statements from the brand rather than independently assessed claims.

SPECIAL 1 is active. As of mid-2026 its range is sold across Cutrin Norge's own store and major Nordic retailers including Lyko (in Sweden, Norway and Denmark), Blivakker and the salon channel [1]. Its 2022 transition into the Storskogen group and continued ambassador association with Martin Ødegaard both point to ongoing corporate backing.