Tek

Tek is an Italian manufacturer of wooden hair brushes and combs, founded in 1977 by Giulio Valsecchi and based in Milan [1][2]. A family-run company still active today, it builds its brushes from natural wood and rubber rather than plastic, and has staked its identity on the argument that this is better both for hair and for the environment.

The company traces its origin to a beauty expo in Paris. Valsecchi, a professional hairdresser and teacher who had competed in haircutting championships, came away convinced that wood was well suited to combing hair and gentle on the scalp. He worked with his brother-in-law, a carpenter, to build the first wooden brush prototype, and founded Tek to produce and distribute the tools to professional hairdressers [3]. It introduced what it describes as a patented "brush with wooden pins" to the Italian market, a product it presents as unique at the time [2].

Tek's range centres on brushes and combs organised by shape, hair type and intended use, alongside lines for children and pet grooming. The brushes are handmade in Italy from natural woods including hornbeam, ash and mahogany, with pins of FSC-certified hornbeam, a cushion of natural rubber, and finishes of linseed oil and carnauba wax [10]. The company markets the wood itself as functional: it says wood dissipates the static electricity that builds up in hair, and that its rounded bristles give the scalp a gentle massage.

Beyond the original wooden-pin paddle brush, Tek has extended the line over the years. It describes itself as the first company to conceive of a ceramic brush, marketed under the name Ceramik, which it says distributes heat evenly and resists temperatures up to 180°C. A more recent made-in-Italy marble collection drew editorial attention in 2025.

Environmental positioning runs through the company's marketing, which frames Tek as "the first sustainable brush" [5]. It has held Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its wood since 2007, switched to plastic-free recycled cardboard packaging in 2016, and obtained VEGANOK certification, guaranteeing no animal-derived materials, in 2018 [2]. The company became a certified B Corporation in 2017 and a Benefit Corporation (Società Benefit) under Italian law in 2021 [2][6].

Tek also reports a partnership with the tree-planting platform Treedom since 2020, through which it says it has planted 230 trees across two African countries under the "Tek Forest" banner, and states that it ranks in the top 15% of companies assessed by the sustainability rating provider EcoVadis [5].

Tek's products have been shown at design and museum venues, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 1990 and the Gran Design exhibition in Milan in 2004 [2]. In trade coverage of its 2017 B Corp certification, Estetica Magazine described the company as the "Queen of Brushes" and noted it as the first hair-brush brand recognised under the standard [6]. In 2025, Marie Claire named the Tek Dark Rhodoid Half-Round Brush among its 60 best beauty products of the year, with its beauty editor praising the Italian craftsmanship and the marble collection [7].

Tek remains active. The company says its products are marketed in more than 80 countries across five continents [3], and it continues to publish editorial content, with a 2026 post announcing Widu, a new pet-grooming line it launched in 2022 [2]. Ownership appears to rest with the founding family; no parent company is recorded.