Nutrafol, the ingestibles brand focused on hair-loss prevention and regrowth, expects to have a banner year.
Giorgos Tsetis, Nutrafol CEO, said the company has uncovered a monumental opportunity in women’s hair loss. Overall, women’s supplements outsell the men’s version of products, with 80% of all sales coming from women. To seize upon this, it launched a new product for postpartum breastfeeding mothers who are experiencing sudden hair loss due to their pregnancy. Nutrafol products are sold DTC, on Amazon and through a network of 1,300 doctors, hair salons and dermatology offices. Nutrafol experienced a 60% year-over-year sales growth in 2020, said Tsetis, and it’s already profitable. He added that its DTC sales are expected to see over 100% year-over-year growth in 2021. Nutrafol’s estimated top-line revenue will land between $150 million and $175 million in 2021, according to industry sources.
Since March 2020, Nutrafol experienced an 80% jump in new customer sales, as there was an increase in anecdotal reports of people experiencing stress-induced hair loss due to Covid-19 and quarantine.
“Given the high levels of [emotional and physical illness-related] stress, it is highly likely that more people are experiencing hair loss than before,” said Dr. Sunitha Posina, M.D. of internal medicine. “Hair follicles are extremely sensitive to the physiologic [changes] of our body, whether it’s [due to] a hormonal imbalance, stress, certain medication or genetics. Therefore it is extremely important to identify the cause and treat the cause before using supplements, hair platelet-rich plasma, lasers or other treatments.”
Multiple brands have begun targeting women’s hair loss, whether related to post-partum or menopause. Madison Hair Care, which debuted in June, sells a hair growth oil for mothers, while Prose launched ingestible supplements for thinning hair in March. Virtue debuted its Flourish collection of six topical products for hair loss in April. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, post-partum hair loss is referred to as “excessive shedding” caused by falling estrogen levels and is temporary; it does not require “anything to remedy it.” Despite its temporary status, Nutrafol expects to convert its post-partum users into long-term customers. Nutrafol has promoted its postpartum product extensively through its retail distributor network and influencers like Mary Lawless Lee (@marylawlesslee, 960,000 Instagram followers) and Pia Baroncini (@piabaroncini, 159,000 Instagram followers).
“When it comes to how long you are going to be using [the post-partum supplement], the real answer is that you want to be very proactive about hair loss. A decrease in hair health, in general, is going to happen over time, regardless, and to all of us,” Tsetis said. “We do recommend to continue to use [Nutrafol], but we tell customers you can take breaks and your hair’s not going to fall out.”
Between 2021 and 2022, Nutrafol plans to add a hair serum and other topical hair and scalp products, which have gained popularity on the heels of the skinification-of-hair trend. Tsetis said that, aside from launching additional products, Nutrafol plans to grow by adding telemedicine services to its platform. Providing customers with access to naturopathic doctors, biometric testing, and tailored products or routines is in the pipeline.
“One of our goals is to go deeper and diversify. It’s easy to develop additional products [to grow sales], but the real question is: Does that really make sense?” said Tsetis. “We’re trying to further support and help existing customers, and in addition to that, [we’re asking] if [these launches] make sense for new consumers.”
