Brand profile: How Watermans created effective and affordable hair-loss solutions for all hair types

Matt and Gail Waterman were desperate to find a product in the market that could successfully treat hair loss. They had tried almost every brand on the market but nothing worked, so they decided to look into ancient ingredients that worked for hair growth, with a focus on the added benefits of scalp health. In 2012, Watermans was born and their mission to revolutionise the hair loss market began.

Before launching the brand, Gail had been working as a hairdresser for over five years while her husband Matt worked as a Marketing Manager for Dating.com. The inspiration behind the launch of the brand was the hair loss Gail experienced after having her second set of children.

“My husband also suffered some hair loss, so we decided to create the brand to help others as well as ourselves. After years of research, we created a product called GrowMe. We tested it on some of the clients I had at my salon and we were surprised by the amazing results. That was when we realised we had something good and we wanted to share it with everyone else,” she says.

When creating their namesake brand, the Watermans prided themselves on carrying out extensive research on ingredients that could be used to help hair growth. They knew that in order to get the best results, these ingredients would need to be combined. Social media and advertising were used to help them prepare for launch. As the brand was born out of Gail and Matt’s personal experiences with hair loss, they didn’t really need to identify a gap in the market as they knew they had a market for their product.

“I wanted to help other people with hair loss problems too and I’m glad we’ve been able to achieve this mission. One of our GrowMe Shampoo is sold every 30 seconds. It contains a variety of hair-loving ingredients such as Biotin, Caffeine, Argan Oil, Lupin Protein and Rosemary that increase hair growth in the space of a few months,” Gail says.

When the brand first launched, Matt and Gail were targeting everyone with hair loss problems, including those with male pattern baldness, age-related hair loss and menopause-related hair loss. They knew that it was possible for everyone to grow thicker, stronger and healthier hair and wanted to provide advice, expert tips and products that would help with the issue. The brand was well received upon its launch with lots of positive feedback from customers.

Watermans’ bestseller is the GrowMe Shampoo. “We have received so many reviews from people who have used the product, claiming that it’s helped with their hair growth. To date, we have over 1,000 5-star reviews and the shampoo has been highly acclaimed as the best product for hair growth on the market,” she says. GrowMe is vegan, sulphate-free and cruelty-free. The PETA-approved product is also backed by trichologists as the go-to product for hair growth problems.

Lashology

The brand has recently launched a new product called Lashology, a mascara and lash serum combined which has already received rave reviews from its customer base. “There are several lash serums on the market to help people grow their lashes, so we wanted to bring something different to the space in the form of a 2-in-1 product. We understood that not everyone wants to apply lash serum and then put on mascara. Lashology simplifies this process while being good value for money,” she says.

To make beauty effective and accessible for all, Watermans has ensured that its products are suitable for all. “As a woman of colour, it was important to cater to everyone. We have products that would work well with blonde hair, grey hair and Afro hair. We proudly cater to all hair types,” she says.

The brand is adding value to consumer experiences in a number of ways. It has an in-house trichologist who is on hand to answer any questions customers may have about hair growth, and on its social media platforms, a number of in depth case studies from customers who have achieved results by using the products can be accessed. Sharing real life examples of people who have successfully used its products to achieve healthier hair is very important to the brand ­– this includes before and after photos, progress pictures and results.

The brand has remained committed to providing consumers with high-quality products by regularly conducting clinical trials where their products are tested on a range of consumers. All of its products are vegan, PETA-approved and free from palm oil.

Gail Waterman

Gail hopes that hair care brands will continue to prioritise diversity in their product offerings. “Brands are finally starting to understand that different hair types have different needs and this is great to see,” she says. Her advice to anyone who wants to get into the hair care industry is to be prepared to work long hours and to always learn from your mistakes. “If something doesn’t work, pick yourself up and try again. You need to believe in yourself and always look at what you’ve achieved as well as your end goal,” she says.

In addition to creating much-loved hair loss solutions, the brand is passionate about giving back and has donated several products to chemo wards around the UK. It has also donated several hand sanitisers to the people of Ukraine.

In the past 11 years, Watermans has established itself as the go-to brand for hair loss solutions. Its products have been featured in a number of publications including The Mirror, The Daily Mail and Lad Bible and it is the only hair growth brand to receive a Queen’s Award – the most prestigious business award in the UK. Recently, Gail was nominated as a finalist for the Black British Business Awards. “I’ve been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year – Senior Leader of the Year. Watermans has been around for ten years and I’m happy and grateful to be recognised for my hard work,” she says.

For more information about Watermans, please visit its website.