Watermans

Watermans is a British hair-care company founded in 2012 by the married couple Matt and Gail Waterman [1]. Based in the United Kingdom, it specialises in shampoos, conditioners and scalp treatments aimed at thinning hair, and describes itself as "the original UK hair growth brand." The company remains active, selling directly to consumers and through retailers across 17 international markets [1].

The brand's best-known product is its Grow Me shampoo and conditioner range, built around ingredients such as biotin, caffeine, rosemary and lupine protein. Watermans frames its products as non-medical rather than as pharmaceutical treatments, and pairs its commercial activity with a long-running philanthropic programme.

Watermans grew out of the founders' own experience of hair loss. Both Matt and Gail Waterman had struggled with thinning hair, and after failing to find a product they were satisfied with, they set out to develop one. According to the company, the pair spent two years researching hair-growth ingredients and scalp health before launching in 2012, testing early formulations on clients at Gail's salon across a range of hair types and textures [1].

Accounts of Gail Waterman's professional background differ. The company's own About page describes her as a former hairdresser and salon owner with "32+ years in the hair industry" [1]. A brand profile by the UK trade publication TheIndustry.beauty instead states that she "worked as a hairdresser for over five years before launching the brand" [4]; that profile also notes that Matt Waterman came from a marketing background. Both sources agree the brand launched in 2012.

Watermans centres its range on hair described as thinning or fragile. Its signature Grow Me shampoo and conditioner set is positioned as a "sulphate-free, strength-first formula" intended to reduce breakage and improve the condition of the hair fibre [3]. Alongside the core set, the line has expanded to include a scalp serum, hair-growth kits and bundles, a purple shampoo, hair masks, and GrowPro hair-growth gummies.

The formulations draw on ingredients including biotin, caffeine, rosemary extract, niacinamide, allantoin, hydrolysed lupine protein and argan oil. Watermans presents its products as a "non-medical, strength-first solution" rather than a medical treatment, and says the range is trusted by trichologists, doctors and hairstylists [3]. The company states that its products are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, sulphate-free, paraben-free and made in the United Kingdom.

The brand markets to a broad audience, addressing hair loss linked to male-pattern baldness, ageing and the menopause, as well as textured and Afro hair [4].

Watermans describes its guiding principle as putting "customer results first before profits," and says it is dedicated to "making a positive impact on the lives of others" by reinvesting profits into philanthropic work [1]. Since 2014 the company has provided its Grow Me shampoo free of charge to chemotherapy wards across the UK. It also markets its formulations as palm oil-free. The brand's tagline is "A Kiss Of Life for Hair."

In 2022, on the brand's tenth anniversary, Watermans received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category [5]. The award was presented in November of that year, and press coverage noted it was understood to be among the last granted during Queen Elizabeth II's reign [5]. The company has also been covered by UK outlets including The Mirror, the Daily Mail and LadBible, according to TheIndustry.beauty [4], and its Queen's Award win was reported in the regional press [6].

Watermans remains an active, family-owned business, operating a direct-to-consumer website alongside retail distribution and serving 17 international markets [1]. As of 2025 it reported ongoing product launches, including menopause-focused hair-care kits, and continued to describe itself as a UK-based hair-growth specialist more than a decade after its founding.