Stellar

Stellar is an Australian hair-tool brand founded in 2020 and headquartered in Brisbane. It designs and sells styling devices — straighteners, dryers and brushes — built around the idea that styling should not damage the hair it shapes. The company is a registered trademark of Stellar Group Co Pty Ltd [1] and remains active, with multi-country storefronts and continued Australian press coverage into 2026.

Its origin is Australian. The company's own about pages and Australian editorial coverage identify it as a Brisbane-based, Australian-owned brand [3][10], the brand operating across 17 countries.

Stellar was established in 2020 by Koen Verelst, its founder and chief executive [10]. According to an Australian retailer profile, Verelst had earlier built a distribution company and led an electrical brand with Australia and New Zealand distribution rights before leaving that role to start Stellar [9]. The company's origin story centres on a single object: the Omnia styler, whose design the founder says began as a sketch drawn "accidentally on a paper napkin over a coffee" at an Australian café.

Verelst founded the brand with Eunha Choi, its co-founder and Global Creative Hair Director. Choi brings the hairstyling side of the partnership, and the company frames its founding as two people combining product-engineering and professional-styling expertise. In interviews she has emphasised the brand's mineral-infused ceramic plates, stating that "30% of the plate is infused with this exclusive high-quality mineral."

Stellar is owned by Stellar Group Co Pty Ltd, the Australian company that holds the Stellar trademark. Australian editorial coverage describes the brand as "100% Australian-owned" [10]. No acquisitions or sister brands are recorded.

The company positions its tools at the intersection of performance and hair health, summarised in its statement that "styling should never come at the expense of hair health." According to Stellar, every tool is meant to "protect and enhance the natural beauty of hair, delivering effortless, salon-quality results." Its stated values include quality and precision, ergonomic design and making professional-grade tools accessible to home users. The brand trades in the prestige tier and uses the tagline "Hair Styling Made Simple-Smart."

Distribution runs through a direct-to-consumer site across its regional markets alongside retail and salon partners, including the Australian chain Price Attack and the retailer Activeskin, plus a trade program aimed at salons.

Stellar's flagship is the Omnia styler, which the company describes as a lightweight premium styler carrying its proprietary features [9]. The line extends to the OmniFlex dryer, the MicroCell cushion brush, the OmniFlex vent brush and the HeatSense round brush, along with combs, clips and heat mats.

The tools are built around several trademarked technologies: Healing Mineral Therapy (mineral-infused ceramic plates), Nano Pulse Technology, Thermal Vision indicators and a Care Mode intended to retain moisture during drying. For the styler's development the founder credited Ok-Nam Cho, whom he called "the inventor of the modern hair iron" [10]. The company and its retail partners attach specific performance figures to the range — among them claims of "6x more minerals, 40% less frizz, 5x faster styling and 3x more shine" [8] and style hold lasting "over 72 hours or until next wash" [2]. As with most such device claims, these are stated by the company rather than independently verified.

Manufacturing location is one point where sources diverge. Stellar's Australian about page states plainly that "all products are made with precision in the technologically advanced country of Korea" [3], and a retailer feature notes the brand collaborated with Korean engineers on early development [9]. A separate interview instead emphasised that Stellar "owns its own factory" and controls "every aspect of production," framing the operation as Australian [10]. The brand's own, more specific statement places manufacturing in South Korea, with Australia as the design and ownership base.

Stellar publishes several environmental commitments. The company says nearly 90% of its packaging is currently recyclable, with a target of 100% by 2030 [4], and reports reducing its carbon footprint by around 82%, partly by shipping goods by sea rather than air where possible. It also describes a partnership with LIVIN, an Australian mental-health nonprofit, and internal well-being measures for staff. No third-party sustainability certifications are listed.

In January 2026 the Omnia styler appeared in Broadsheet's "The Best Hair Straighteners of 2026, According to Australian Hairstylists," where stylist Jules Tognini described it as "affordable, sleek and clever" and noted it is designed for dry hair only [11]. The brand has also been profiled by Australian trade and beauty outlets, including Style Icons and Activeskin. No formal awards are recorded.

Stellar is an active brand. Its most recent visible activity includes a 2026 brand campaign, "Stellar Everywhere," and continued editorial coverage in early 2026, alongside live storefronts across 17 countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea and several European markets. Recent milestones include an Australian retail launch and a collaboration with designer Karla Spetic at Australian Fashion Week in 2024, and appearances at Hair Festival 2025 and Melbourne Fashion Week 2025.