Dermatologist Aamna Adel’s new brand Rhute underscores scalp care’s staying power.
The London-based brand’s only product, $75 Density and Repair Scalp Serum, has sold out three times since its September debut, with the first drop selling out in under an hour. The strong early response signals interest in expert-led products in a haircare category that hasn’t had as many doctor-founded brands as skincare. Preceding Rhute, exceptions are Seen, a haircare brand from dermatologist Iris Rubin that closed a $9 million series A round last year, and Nutrafol, the hair growth supplement brand co-founded by dermatologist Sophia Kogan that Unilever snapped up for $1.2 billion in 2022.
Adel says haircare is becoming “the new skincare,” and she expects people to increasingly embrace natural hair textures and colors, avoid bleach and extensions, and prioritize scalp health. “Unlike the skin, [hair] is so far behind, and there’s so much work that needs to be done,” she says. “People are recognizing how important that is for overall hair health.”
Adel believes people with scalp and hair loss concerns feel incredibly frustrated “not knowing which direction to turn in,” with the market lacking products that are science-forward, educational and realistic. “There’s no overnight fix,” she says. “So much education needs to be done for people to understand firstly why it happens and realistically what needs to be done.”
A hair loss sufferer herself, particularly postpartum, Adel, who has 1.8 million followers on TikTok and another 687,000 on Instagram, has long been struck by the number of people who deal with scalp and hair concerns and how little clarity exists in the market. Adel’s patients have been vocal about hair issues such as hair thinning and loss and scalp dryness and flakiness due to postpartum shedding, perimenopause, menopause and polycystic ovary syndrome, among other reasons. Rhute’s target customers are between the ages of 18 and 55.
According to the American Hair Loss Association, approximately 56 million Americans experience hair loss, with about 85% of men and 40% of women affected by age 50. Market research firm Circana estimates scalp care sales in the United States prestige beauty channel climbed 19% in the first half of 2025, and another market research firm, Grand View Research, projects the global hair and scalp care market will grow at roughly a 6% to 7% compound annual rate through 2030.
“It’s a huge space which affects so many people, but actually treatment’s really hard and really difficult,” she says, adding her personal battle with hair loss “allowed me to understand more from a patient perspective and the desperation that’s associated with that.”
From idea to launch, Rhute took three years. Adel was driven to develop a formula delivering immediate benefits. Density and Repair Scalp Serum features ingredients that strengthen the scalp barrier, hydrate, reduce flaking and itching and support a healthy environment for hair growth while addressing shedding. It contains niacinamide, saw palmetto, salicylic acid, caffeine, stem cell extracts, bioactive peptides and panthenol. In eight-week clinical trials, 79% of users saw visibly fuller hair, 86% experienced more hydrated scalps and 83% had less discomfort while brushing.
@aamnaadel Part1: what NO-ONE shows you…the reality of formulating a product from scratch 👩🔬 ✨ @rhute density & repair scalp serum, launching 9th September on rhutehair.com ✨ #dermatologist #haircare #rhute #hairthinning #greasyhair
So far, Rhute hasn’t spent a single cent on paid marketing. Instead, it’s relied on Adel’s social media audience, which is split evenly between Americans and British followers, and her content breaking down hair loss conditions, sharing product recommendations, busting beauty myths and diving into her hair loss struggle. Adel shares that stitches and duets typically perform best for her on social media as do posts drilling into trending topics, for example a TikTok video from Oct. 9 on matcha’s connection to iron deficiency. “It can negatively impact your hair, which I think no one wants to hear,” shares Adel in the video. “I’m here to say it.”
Rhute is just in direct-to-consumer distribution now, but retail is on its roadmap to make it more broadly accessible, initially in the United Kingdom before global expansion. From its website, Rhute currently ships to customers in the U.K., European Union, Canada, Australia and the U.S.
The brand’s biggest focus at the moment, though, is future products, and it plans to release four to five products over the next year, with the next addition to its assortment scheduled for January or February. Adel’s goal for the brand is to extend the selection to build a Rhute routine for people with scalp and hair issues.
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