Wet Brush

Wet Brush is an American haircare and hair-tool brand built around detangling brushes, best known for its Original Detangler and the flexible bristle system it calls IntelliFlex. The company traces its idea to a simple premise — that brushing hair should feel good — and its first brush reached salons across the United States in 2005 [2]. Today the brand is part of Beauty by Imagination, a portfolio company of the private-equity firm ACON Investments, and describes itself as available in more than 70 countries [6].

The founding date carries a minor discrepancy. Wet Brush's own story timeline states that the first brush launched in 2005, while some secondary sources place the launch in 2006 [2]. The brand's account is used here.

The brush originated within JD Beauty, a New York company founded by Jeff Rosenzweig, who according to the current parent company began in the beauty trade selling hairbrushes and accessories out of the back of his van at outdoor markets around the New York metropolitan area [6]. The first Wet Brush was positioned as a painless detangling tool aimed at both professional stylists and everyday users, and it entered salons across America in 2005 [2]. The company is based on Long Island, New York.

Wet Brush marks two early product moments in its own timeline: the 2005 salon launch, and 2010, when it introduced the patented bristle design it markets as IntelliFlex [2]. By 2023 the brand described itself as leading the detangling category worldwide and available in more than 70 countries [2].

The most significant corporate change came in 2019. ACON Investments, which had bought the century-old Goody Products from Newell Brands in 2018, acquired a controlling interest in JD Beauty — described in the announcement as the company behind the WetBrush accessories, Bio Ionic styling tools and Ouidad haircare — and merged it with Goody [4][5]. The combined business now operates as Beauty by Imagination.

Wet Brush's current parent is Beauty by Imagination (BBI), an ACON Investments portfolio company; the brands operate under the legal entity GP Midco, LLC [6]. Within that portfolio it sits alongside Goody, Ouidad, Bio Ionic and Ace [6].

Sources differ on the parent company. Wet Brush is sometimes assumed to belong to Helen of Troy, but corporate sources — BBI's own About page, ACON Investments and the 2019 merger announcements — instead place the brand in the JD Beauty to ACON/Goody to Beauty by Imagination lineage [4][6]. Helen of Troy owns other hair-tool brands but is not documented as owning Wet Brush.

The brand's stated founding idea is that "brushing your hair should feel good," and it frames its mission around "healthy, happy hair for everyone, no matter the type, texture, or condition" [2]. It describes three core pillars — Innovation, Wellness, and Care for All — with an emphasis on designing for a range of hair types and textures [2]. Its products are sold at drugstore price points through a multi-channel network of retail partners including Amazon, Ulta, Target, Walmart and CVS Pharmacy.

The signature product is the Original Detangler, which the parent company says has "garnered millions of fans—professional hairstylists and everyday consumers alike" [6]. The line has since expanded into a range of brush types, among them the Curl Shaper, Speed Dry, Smooth Styler, Paddle Detangler and various mini and keychain sizes, as well as a Shine Enhancer made with natural boar bristles.

At the center of the range is IntelliFlex, a patented bristle design the company describes as bristles that "move effortlessly with hair, minimizing effort and maximizing comfort" [2]. According to the brand, the design reduces breakage and split ends, spreads the hair's natural oils, and detangles without pain across hair types. A newer product, the Curl Shaper, adds what the company calls patent-pending back-of-brush grooves intended to shape curls. Wet Brush has also released a series of licensed collaborations, including tie-ins with Bluey, Disney and Wicked.

Wet Brush is active. It runs a direct-to-consumer store with live promotions and current licensed collaborations, and remains part of the Beauty by Imagination portfolio, distributed globally.