Growth Bomb targets postpartum hair loss in ‘world-first’ launch

Haircare brand Growth Bomb has already sold more than one million products since launching five years ago, but its latest move will see it enter a seemingly untapped market. 

The Melbourne-based business has this week launched what it says is a world-first haircare range for women experiencing post-pregnancy hair loss. 

The range, which includes a supplement, scalp serum and shampoo, is rolling out into more than 1,700 retail stores across the country, including 850 Woolworths supermarkets, 350 Priceline locations and 510 Chemist Warehouse stores. 

The three products have been designed specifically to help with hair concerns commonly experienced after childbirth due to changing estrogen levels, including increased shedding, thinning and dryness. The range also focuses on restoring and supporting scalp health.

Speaking with SmartCompany, Growth Bomb head of brand Hannah Butters said while many other brands offer hair growth support, they don’t focus on the scalp and the gut microbiome, which is the foundation for everything.

“As the first of its kind, the Post Pregnancy Support range holistically supports women during this post-pregnancy period with three targeted products to support the hair through the growth cycle while their bodies undergo hormonal changes,” she says. 

Bondi Sands co-founder unlocks growth with Growth Bomb

Growth Bomb was founded in 2020 during COVID by Hamish Buckley and Blair James, who is also the co-founder of Australian suncare brand Bondi Sands.

Together with Shaun Wilson, James built Bondi Sands into the largest manufacturer and exporter of tanning and SPF products in Australia. In August 2023, the brand entered into an agreement to be acquired by multinational Kao Group in a cash deal reportedly worth $450 million.

In the five years since James and Buckley launched Growth Bomb, the business has sold more than one million units of haircare products and recorded a year-on-year growth rate of 40%. 

Its retail sales in Australia are up by 46%, while sales in the UK, US and European Union are all up by 100% year-on-year. 

Growth Bomb’s products are stocked in thousands of retail stores across Australia, including 840 Coles supermarkets, 400 TerryWhite Chemmarts and more than 1,500 independent pharmacies. 

The brand also has a sizable presence in New Zealand, in Chemist Warehouse and Woolworths supermarkets, and its products are sold in more than 5,000 stores in the UK, US and EU. 

This international presence is set to grow further with a launch into Target US this year and plans for further expansion in the pipeline.

One in two women will experience hair loss within their lifetime, a fact which Butters says sparked research by Growth Bomb into these key life moments when hair loss is triggered.

“What we uncovered was that the postpartum period and the post-pregnancy period was a particularly sensitive time for these changes to occur, with 50% of women experiencing hair loss during this time,” she told SmartCompany.

“This also hit a chord with one of our co-founders, having had a baby recently. His wife started noticing hair loss in her postpartum period, which further drove the range development and the importance of creating a solution that was solely focused on this cause.”

Butters says Growth Bomb found that no other brands were offering a holistic approach to this kind of hair loss.

“There were only products that just focused on hair growth when there are so many other ways in which we can support hair growth, but also address the other hair and scalp issues that the postpartum period delivers,” she says.

Butters acknowledged that women undergo an array of changes from pregnancy to childbirth and into the fourth trimester, which not only affects their hair but also their lifestyle, physical wellbeing, and mental health. 

“When you’re in the depths of the postpartum period – figuring out who you are as a new mum, getting used to a different body and settling into the new groove of life, hair loss is just something you don’t want to deal with, and adds to the mental load,” she says. 

“Having a specific range that is going to target specific needs postpartum will give women the confidence that their hair will return to its former health, maybe even better and stronger than ever.”

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