The Forgotten Haircare Category: New Brand Hairetic Is Rethinking Anti-Dandruff
New scalp-health brand Hairetic is taking on one of haircare’s most overlooked categories with a new generation of
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New scalp-health brand Hairetic is taking on one of haircare’s most overlooked categories with a new generation of anti-dandruff shampoos and conditioners.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A new British haircare brand is setting out to change the way consumers think about dandruff, with the launch of Hairetic, a scalp-health brand created to bring one of haircare’s most overlooked categories into the modern beauty market.
Founded by haircare industry executive Andrew Rayner, who has worked with health and beauty brands including Head & Shoulders during a career spanning nearly 20 years, Hairetic launches with three products designed to disrupt the category: an Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Shampoo, Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Conditioner and 2-in-1 Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Shampoo & Conditioner.
The range has been developed for people who want effective dandruff and scalp care without the clinical image traditionally associated with the category.
While skincare has evolved into a sophisticated market built around ingredients, routines, sensitive skin and long-term skin health, Rayner believes the scalp – despite being skin itself – has largely been left behind.
“Anti-dandruff haircare hasn’t really changed since the sixties,” says Rayner. “The same clinical-looking bottles, the same fairly functional conversation and very little choice for consumers.
“Dandruff is incredibly common, but people still hide the products they use to deal with it. I wanted to create an anti-dandruff brand that people would actually be proud to leave in their shower.”
— From hair loss to dandruff —
The idea for Hairetic emerged unexpectedly from Rayner’s previous work in the hair-loss industry. Before founding the brand, he spent nearly three years as Managing Director of a specialist hair-growth business within the Medik8 group, where his work led him to exploring the science surrounding hair growth, scalp health, irritation and the environment in which healthy-looking hair grows.
The experience changed his view of the haircare category:
“I spent years thinking about hair loss and hair growth, but kept coming back to the scalp,” says Rayner.
“Consumers spend enormous amounts of money looking after the skin on their faces, yet the skin underneath their hair is largely ignored until something goes wrong. That felt like a huge disconnect.”
Rather than launching another hair-growth product, Rayner decided to focus on scalp health and one of its most visible and widespread problems: dandruff.
— Hairetic was born. —
A different approach to anti-dandruff shampoo
At the heart of the Hairetic range is piroctone olamine, a recognised anti-dandruff ingredient that helps control Malassezia yeast associated with dandruff and visible flaking. The products combine this with aloe vera and natural-origin botanical extracts including willow bark, rosemary and nettle.
Unlike anti-dandruff products positioned primarily as occasional treatments, Hairetic has been developed with regular use in mind, with products dermatologically tested for use on sensitive skin.
Independent user trials commissioned by the brand also produced positive results.
In a trial of Hairetic’s Shampoo and Conditioner involving 55 people with dandruff, 87% reported fewer visible flakes after four weeks, while 78% noticed fewer visible flakes after the first wash. 85% reported less irritation after four weeks.
A separate trial of the Hairetic 2-in-1 involving 81 users found 85% saw visibly reduced dandruff after four weeks, with 69% seeing a reduction in visible flakes after the first wash.
— Bringing anti-dandruff out of the bathroom cupboard —
But Rayner believes formulation is only part of the problem Hairetic needs to solve.
Dandruff remains a condition people can be embarrassed to discuss, while the products associated with it have historically leaned heavily on medical and functional visual cues.
Hairetic deliberately takes the opposite approach.
The brand uses bold black packaging, irreverent language and colourful creative intended to sit comfortably alongside contemporary premium haircare and skincare brands.
“There’s this enormous hidden haircare category sitting in people’s bathrooms,” says Rayner.
“Millions of people want fewer flakes and a healthier-feeling scalp, but that doesn’t mean they want something that looks like medication prescribed by a doctor.
“The time has come for the hidden haircare category to come out of the shadows.”
British-made, vegan and independently owned
Hairetic is an independent British business and its products are made in Britain.
The range is certified by The Vegan Society and Cruelty Free International, while its bottles are made from 100% recycled Prevented Ocean Plastic. Hairetic also commits 1% of sales through 1% for the Planet.
All three products are made with 99% natural-origin ingredients and contain no added colourants.
Rayner believes those credentials are particularly important in a category where shoppers have historically had comparatively little choice.
“People shouldn’t have to compromise because they have dandruff,” he says.
“They should be able to choose products based on ingredients, performance, fragrance, sustainability, ethics and how the bottle looks in their bathroom — exactly as they would with any other beauty product.
“We’re not trying to make dandruff exciting. We’re trying to make anti-dandruff haircare better.”
Hairetic launches with three products
The initial Hairetic range comprises:
• Hairetic Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Shampoo, 250ml. A sensitive anti-dandruff shampoo with a 100% natural jasmine and coconut fragrance. Free from silicones and colours.
• Hairetic Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Conditioner, 250ml. A silicone-free conditioner developed to complement the shampoo and support scalp and hair condition.
• Hairetic 2-in-1 Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Shampoo & Conditioner, 250ml. A combined shampoo and conditioner with a 100% natural sandalwood and bergamot fragrance. Free from silicones and colours.
The products are available in the UK from Hairetic.com, Amazon and selected independent retailers, with further retail expansion planned.
“Anti-dandruff has been treated as the slightly embarrassing corner of haircare for far too long,” Rayner adds.
“We’re here to change that.
“Put simply, we think Hairetic is head and shoulders above what has come before.”
ANDREW RAYNER
Hairetic Ltd
+44 7350 084666
hq@hairetic.com
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