Nutrafol cofounder and chief executive officer Giorgos Tsetis touched on numerous key topics, including the genesis of the brand, its retail strategy, finding the appropriate partners and breaking down the taboo of hair loss, during a wide-ranging conversation with WWD’s senior editor, beauty, Kathryn Hopkins.

To kick-start, Tsetis spoke about his personal experience with hair loss. He was in his early 20s working as a model and studying engineering when he began to notice his hair was thinning.

“It was falling out in clumps, which was a terrifying experience as you’ll be able to imagine,” Tsetis said. “I knew I used to be genetically predisposed, so if you mix genetic predisposition with excessive stress, it’s an ideal recipe for a hair disaster.” 

Tsetis ultimately opted for prescribed drugs, a alternative that resulted in a slew of negative unwanted effects, including sexual dysfunction, over the course of nine years. 

“I used to be hooked on the drug essentially because each time I ended using it, my hair began to fall out so I had to make a choice from my health and my hair. That’s how all the pieces really began,” he said.

Upon moving to Latest York City, Tsetis met his future cofounder and chief innovation officer of Nutrafol, Roland Peralta, who’d experienced hair lack of his own on account of rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid cancer. The duo, together with cofounder and chief medical officer Dr. Sophia Kogan, M.D. and a team of scientific advisers, got down to create a nutraceutical, an all-natural alternative to the hair loss pharmaceuticals. 

“The approach was pretty easy because I think that we’re coping with numerous complex problems on the planet, and with a purpose to solve them, we’d like to approach it in a quite simple way. Otherwise you’re not going to get well. That was one in every of our strengths because we’re not doctors and we’re not scientists, but we’re incredibly curious and intensely motivated to truly find an answer that was healthy and secure,” Tsetis said. 

Years of research and testing result in Nutrafol’s current medical-grade, plant-powered formula, which targets the important thing causes of hair thinning and loss, including lifestyle, stress and nutrition. 

“We believed there was a multifactorial approach. That was the unique hypothesis,” Tsetis said, explaining that hair loss isn’t entirely based on genetics. “We pursued that and it was our mission to prove to the world that it’s possible.” 

While Nutrafol has created an answer to thinning, destigmatizing the conversation around hair loss is a key tenet for the brand, which was acquired by Unilever in May 2022. While conversations around hair loss are more common now — especially following the COVID-19 pandemic — he believes there continues to be a taboo, especially for girls, that should be addressed. 

“We’d like to do our greatest to boost awareness and permit for a conversation. That’s what we do as an organization,” he said, pointing to examples just like the brand’s Shed The Silence Facebook group for girls to debate their experiences. “We’ve made progress, but there’s still numerous work to be done.” 

Community constructing, thoughtful marketing and supporting the client through their journey are 3 ways during which the brand is fascinated by breaking down the taboo. 

“We’re not approaching the issue from a spot of fear. Fear tactics are very easy to use with a purpose to convert customers because out of fear people act. Our approach was never about doubling down on that kind of emotion. We’re at all times coming from a spot of empowerment and education,” Tsetis said. 

Because the brand continues to advertise conversations around hair loss and growth, it recently entered about 80 Sephora doors marking its first major retail partnership. While science and results are on the forefront of the brand — resulting in a successful direct-to-consumer, in-salon and health care provider business — simplification was needed in retail. 

“We’re very happy with our science since it’s an element of our DNA, however the on a regular basis consumer is just not memorizing any of that. In case you’re not capable of convey your message in a quite simple and concise way and make it memorable, you do yourself and the world a disservice,” Tsetis said. 

As with Sephora, supportive partnerships have been needed for Nutrafol’s success from the start. For instance, Tsetis discussed how early investors, like Unilever Ventures and L Catterton, supported the brand within the midst of a knowledge breach in 2019, following a $35 million raise.

“It was bad news. I’m sharing confidential information but the rationale why I’m doing it’s because they stood by me during that point,” he said, noting that intuition is vital when in search of the appropriate investors. Based on Tsetis, the brand turned down several investors through the years.

“There’s quite a bit that may go improper in relation to fundraising. It could actually make and break your organization,” he said. “We said ‘no’ to numerous money during very difficult times, times where we were actually out of cash and we were about to potentially even exit of business and we had the strength to say ‘no’ to funds that just didn’t feel right… You simply need good people who care during difficult times.”