Design Studio Otherway Launches Thix To Go After The Hair Loss Prevention Market

In a prestige haircare market that’s growing—specifically 11% in the first quarter in the United States, according to market research firm Circana—products addressing hair loss and thinning strands are energizing sales.

Those trends aren’t lost on Stuart Finlayson, a partner in Otherway, a London- and San Francisco-based design and communications studio that invests in and incubates brands, including Thix, a direct-to-consumer brand that launched in March centered on a three-step haircare regimen.

Finlayson describes Thix’s focus as functional haircare designed to make weak hair strong and “protect what you’ve got”—and he underscores that the audience for functional haircare is huge. “Eighty percent of men and 40% of women will experience some level of hair loss in their lifetime,” says Finlayson.

He continues, “There is obviously hair replacement, which has become more accessible now that prices have come down, and then there are things like Minoxidil, but they have side effects and are not designed for women. That was a problem because we wanted to be a unisex brand without side effects like erectile dysfunction and a product that is safe for breastfeeding women.”

Thix, a brand focused on what it calls functional haircare, launched in March with three products: Caffeine Shampoo, Caffeine Conditioner and Caffeine Paste.

Thix’s three steps consist of Caffeine Shampoo, Caffeine Conditioner and Caffeine Paste. The shampoo and conditioner are 15 pounds each or about $18.60 at the current exchange rate, and the styling paste is 12 pounds or almost $15. Their formulas have a fresh mint and eucalyptus scent. Finlayson singles out the paste as the hero item because it stays in the hair throughout the day to give users maximum benefits.

Otherway partnered with a team of former Boots innovation experts to create Thix’s formulas. They contain a cocktail of caffeine with proteins and vitamins like biotin, niacinamide, panthenol, pyridoxine, plant keratin, phytantriol, and vitamins C and E chosen to enable customers to get ahead of hair loss.

Caffeine was selected for its role as a natural stimulator of hair follicle growth. Finlayson cites studies showing that caffeine combats hair loss by inducing hair cells to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that supports the processes in cells. Caffeine has been linked to increasing the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), an important signaling molecule in promoting hair growth. Finlayson says it also has the potential to counter the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the main hormone involved in balding.

“We not going to stop pattern baldness, but we give you good hair and retain what you have.”

Thix’s core audience is consumers under 40 years old. Pointing out that many men deal with hair loss before age 30, Finlayson explains it’s not just from aging and genetics, but can be attributed to a range of factors such as heat damage, diet and stress. “If we are not eating the right foods, we are not getting the nutrients to support healthy hair growth,” he says, adding social media has elevated consumers’ obsession with appearance, and hair is no exception.

Finlayson stresses that Thix doesn’t overpromise. “We not going to stop pattern baldness, but we give you good hair and retain what you have,” he says. “It is better to take care of the hair you have rather than when it is too late. The theory is that you should protect your hair and your scalp because, once you start losing hair, the ways to reverse it are extreme.”

Thix is positioned as clean, vegan and eco-friendly. It avoids silicones, ethanol, sulfates and genetically modified organisms. Because haircare products are notorious for clogging landfills, the brand banishes single-use plastic. Its bottles and lids are 100% recycled aluminum. According to Finlayson, nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in circulation today, and recycled aluminum depends on 95% less energy than virgin aluminum. An optional plastic pump is recommended for Thix’s and can be reused.

Incubated by design and communications firm Otherway, Thix is starting in direct-to-consumer distribution in the United Kingdom, but physical retail and expandion to the United States could be in its future.

“People are buying products not just based on the products, but because they [care about being] good for the world, especially younger customers,” says Finlayson. “It really is an important decision.”

For distribution, he lays out that Thix plans to gain traction via e-commerce in the United Kingdom to “walk before we run,” but physical retail and distribution in the U.S., which he calls an attractive market for the brand, are on its roadmap. “We don’t want to get into retail too early. You can get hammered, but we do see a hunger for newness in the U.S., especially on the coasts,” he says, emphasizing stoking repeat business is his biggest goal for Thix at the moment.

Finlayson sees no reason why its sales can’t eventually rival the sales of haircare standouts like K18 or Olaplex, a brand that, despite hiccups, generated revenues exceeding $113 million in the most-recent quarter. His ambitions for Thix are built upon Otherway’s decade-long history helping companies develop identities, packaging and websites. Among the studio’s clients are Coinbase, Fortnum & Mason, Unilever, Smythson of Bond Street and Hanx, and among the brands it’s taken equity stakes in are Psycle, Farer, Keto Kind, Future Noodles, Decem and Lemonade Dolls.

“We became interested in creating something ourselves,” says Finlayson. “We waited for the moment to find a product that spoke to us and would do good in the world without creating more plastic.”