This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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Act+Acre’s husband-and-wife founders were early to the growth of the scalp-care market when they launched their brand in 2019 with one product: a $48 prewash treatment called Scalp Detox Oil.
“[Scalp care] was definitely an afterthought for people [a few years ago],” brand founder and hairstylist Helen Reavey told Glossy. “Launching it in 2019, we were one of the first to solely think about scalp care the way skin care had come up and was so personalized, and we took that approach. It’s not a one-size-fits-all for the scalp.”
Reavey has seen the effects of poor scalp care throughout her 15-year career as a celebrity and editorial hairstylist — most notably during fashion month, when models’ hair is routinely overworked backstage until their scalps become sensitive to the touch. “I had that moment where I was like, ‘I wish I could give them something to remove everything and to really start with a fresh canvas,'” she said. “It was that moment [where we said], ‘OK, we should do this; we should launch a brand.’”
Reavey is also a certified trichologist, a specialization focused on the treatment and health of the hair and scalp. She launched Act+Acre with husband and business partner Colm Mackin, who now serves as CEO.
Now an award-winning hero product for the brand, Scalp Detox is one of 25 products sold individually and through 10 curated systems made up of individual SKUs. From oil control to hydration to hair growth, they’re each designed for a specific concern.
To help consumers navigate the offerings, Act+Acre publishes blog posts and educational content on social media, and offers a 10-plus question quiz on its site to match a consumer with the right products.
Top selling systems include its Stem Cell System, Thick + Full System and Essential Hydration System. Meanwhile, individual bestsellers include Stem Cell Serum for $86 and Daily Hydro Scalp Serum for $24.
The line is sold DTC and through Sephora, Revolve, Bluemercury, Amazon, Dermstore, Anthropologie and TikTok Shop, among other channels. The brand does 60% of its business DTC and has a 50% subscription rate within that cohort, Mackin told Glossy.
Several products are also recognized by the National Psoriasis Foundation for being safe for those with psoriasis.
“People are definitely starting to understand that the scalp is a foundation for healthy hair, and that comes across in all of our messaging,” Reavey told Glossy.
Act+Acre’s latest launch, a two-step shampoo and treatment, is focused on hard water buildup, which impacts the majority of U.S. consumers. High levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium in tap water can build up in the hair and cause brittleness and discoloration, especially on color-treated hair. “I don’t think people were really understanding that hard water was this silent destructor,” Reavey told Glossy. The brand’s Clarifying Hard Water Shampoo sells for $32, while the Clarifying Hard Water Scalp Treatment goes for $38.
In this week’s episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, Reavey and Mackin share insider details on these topics. The duo also discusses the ways they stand out in the market, including through community building, education and customer service.
Excerpts from the conversation, below, have been lightly edited for clarity.
On launching a brand centered around scalp care
Reavey: “[Scalp care] was definitely an afterthought for people [when we dreamt up our brand in 2016]. Even to this day, brands start with hair care, but then they bring out maybe a scalp-specific product. We launched with scalp as the focus. Scalp Detox [Treatment] was the first-ever product we launched with, and our taglines were: ‘Skin care for your scalp,’ and ‘Treat your scalp like you treat your skin.’ This was way back when we started thinking about the brand in 2016 or 2017. Launching it in 2019, we were one of the first to solely think about scalp care in the way skin care had come up, where it was so personalized — we really took that approach. It’s not a one-size-fits-all for the scalp.”
On the rise of scalp care
Reavey: “People are definitely more aware of the different serums they need, and at what stage, and all the different kinds of skin-care techniques. We’re starting to see that in scalp care, with other brands coming out with scalp products — they’re still not understanding that scalps have very similar types to skin types. It’s one product [they launch], and it’s for every scalp type. It’s not understanding the consumer and the stages they go through, as well, because [scalp care] is like skin care. It’s seasonal, and through different stages of your life, it’s hormonal — there are lots of different kinds of things that we go through. As we see the category expand and products come into it, and the conversation becomes greater and education becomes really interesting. But we’re still, kind of, behind skin care in that [people] don’t see the tailored solutions, and that’s what we do.”
