Key Takeaways
When Lucie Macleod first began mixing oils in her student kitchen to remedy her brittle, damaged hair, she hardly imagined those late-night experiments would one day become Hair Syrup. Now a multimillion-pound/dollar beauty brand ranked among the fastest-growing businesses in the UK according to The Sunday Times, known for its TikTok viral pre-wash oils, Hair Syrup is projecting £6.5 million ($8.6 million) in turnover for 2026, with expansion plans and launches in the US and Australia on the horizon.
From Conservatory to Center Stage
Hair Syrup's story began with a DIY formula of just three ingredients blended from whatever oils and extracts Macleod had on hand. At the time, the now 26-year-old entrepreneur was juggling her university lectures with hours of self-directed research on scalp health, hair nourishment, and natural remedies. “I was literally testing things on myself late at night after lectures,” Macleod told BeautyMatter. “The first version of the product was incredibly simple, but with every experiment, evolved into something more complex; eventually over 15 ingredients carefully balanced for scalp health, nourishment, and visible results.”
Those results soon spoke for themselves. Macleod saw her own hair transform into thick hair with full, healthy strands. The founder described herself as her first and toughest product tester. She adapted each formula according to her own results, pushing concentrations higher when she saw improved performance and adjusting when something didn’t deliver. “The lightbulb moment wasn’t just my own transformation; it was when friends started noticing the change and asking me to make it for them.”
What began as a personal solution evolved into an underground product in demand long before it became a business. A combination of personal trial, peer feedback, and visible transformation formed the foundation of what is now Hair Syrup.
TikTok Turning Point
While grassroots demand built early momentum, TikTok catapulted Hair Syrup into the mainstream. Macleod’s breakout moment came with its product Mint Condition, which went viral after a customer accused the brand of photoshopping before and after results because they looked “too good to be true.”
Macleod responded with a straightforward video: The results were real, unedited, and unfiltered. The video went viral with over six million views, triggering the sale of thousands of bottles overnight. “This was the first time I realized this wasn’t just a small side project. Social media gave me a direct connection to customers and became a key driver not just of sales, but of trust, transparency, and community.”
Retail validation soon followed. Even while she was still working out of her parents' conservatory, Macleod began fielding calls from retailers eager to carry Hair Syrup. But without infrastructure, she couldn’t yet meet demand. “At the time I wanted to say yes to everything, but logistically it just wasn’t possible to ship palletized goods from a domestic setting.”
Once the business had secured a proper business unit and was ready for the challenge, Beauty Bay became Macleod’s first retail partner, a milestone she described as “surreal.” Following those early days, Hair Syrup went on to secure listings in Boots, Justmylook, international retailers, and most recently, Scandinavia’s Lyko. The Lyko partnership proved an immediate success, with Hair Syrup debuting as a top seller within weeks of launch.
“The hair oil market is growing rapidly in Scandinavia, and we already have a strong customer base across Europe,” Macleod said. “Our distributor recommended Lyko as the right move, and it’s been brilliant.”
As the brand expands, Macleod sees both commonalities and differences across markets. “Everyone wants healthy, strong, beautiful hair,” she said. “But the way people shop and the trends they respond to can vary. In the UK, TikTok virality has been a huge driver. In Scandinavia, the natural, results-driven positioning and the credibility of being on Lyko resonate strongly.”
This sensitivity to consumer behavior informs Hair Syrup’s global strategy: Adapt messaging and retail partnerships while maintaining the brands core values of accessibility, authenticity, and efficacy.
Lessons from Dragon's Den
Despite soaring success, not all milestones have been easy. Macleod’s appearance on Dragon’s Den, the UK’s equivalent of Shark Tank in 2024, was a test of resilience. Standing in front of the investors for three hours, she delivered her pitch under intense scrutiny, only to leave without a deal, in which she proposed £190,000 ($252,000) in exchange for a 3% equity stake in her company.
“Afterwards, I felt totally deflated and like a massive failure,” Macleod admits. “I thought it might be the end of my business and my career as an entrepreneur.” Yet the experience proved invaluable. One of the most consistent pieces of feedback from the Dragon’s Den was that Hair Syrup's packaging didn’t reflect the quality of its formulas.
Macleod took this to heart, investing in a major branding overhaul with the support of Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP), which transformed the brand’s visual identity into the polished, professional look it has today. “I always laugh when people online say things like ‘you should have said X’ or ‘you totally messed that up’ because until you’ve stood on that stage for three hours like I did, you genuinely have no idea what it takes. Looking back, I’m grateful for the critique. It helped me elevate Hair Syrup into the brand it needed to be.”
Scaling Challenges and Team Growth
Behind Hair Syrup’s success, the toughest leap has been scaling distribution and building the right team. “Getting formulas right was always within my control,” Macleod said. “But distribution and logistics required entirely new skill sets. Every hire feels crucial when you’re small, and every mistake in distribution can impact thousands of customers.”
From just two employees in 2021, Hair Syrup has grown to employ 17. AGP provided essential connections, particularly in HR, allowing Macleod to focus on growth and expanding the brand. Learning to delegate and trust others has been a major personal growth journey for Macleod, who acknowledged that passion and resilience are as important as technical expertise when building a start-up team.
The results were impressive. Self-funded Hair Syrup grew from a £120,000 ($159,000) turnover in 2022 to almost £5 million ($6.6 million) in 2025, all while maintaining profitability with the help of APG. The brand was ranked 13th in The Sunday Times 100 list of fastest-growing UK businesses this year (the highest placed beauty brand) and also won a FEBE (For Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs) growth award.
Staying Grounded
For Macleod, the numbers and accolades, while affirming, are not the essence of Hair Syrup. “What started with me solving my own problems has grown into a brand trusted by thousands,” she said. “But the core hasn’t changed, Hair Syrup is still about real results, shared openly.”
As the brand scales internationally and navigates new markets, Macleod continues to hold onto the ethos that made her kitchen experiments resonate in the first place. What began as a three-ingredient blend mixed by a student has become a £5 million ($6.6 million) business with global ambitions; proof that sometimes the most powerful beauty solutions start at home.
