The Steam Bar Lands At Sephora With A New Approach To Scalp Care

Sephora is capitalizing on scalp care’s momentum with a new twist on the category: The Steam Bar.

Centered on supporting the scalp microbiome through steaming rituals, the British brand, which participated in Sephora’s Accelerate program last year, has launched on the beauty specialty retailer’s website with its full lineup of less conventional offerings such as a Satin Sleep Bonnet and Deep Conditioning Heat Cap, alongside more familiar staples like Scalp Saviour Mask, Scalp Shampoo, Scalp Serum and Super Conditioner. Its prices range from $40 to $58.

Raising just under $1 million leading up to the launch via friends and family, including from Camilla Lowther, founder of artist agency Camilla Lowther Management, where The Steam Bar founder Judy Koloko previously worked as director of styling, set design and hair and makeup, the brand expects the United States to become its largest market. The Steam Bar entered its first retailer, Selfridges, in 2023.

To lay the foundation for its U.S. business, The Steam Bar secured a third-party logistics partner in the country and is in the process of vetting American manufacturers to help it save on tariff expenses. The brand is looking to hire a global team. Currently, it has four contractual employees in the United Kingdom and one in the U.S. Koloko is currently the only full-time employee. Next year, once it has a longer history in Sephora, The Steam Bar could fundraise again.

Koloko developed The Steam Bar to fill a gap in the haircare market she spotted while traveling for her job for premium products addressing textured hair. She discovered others like her were also struggling to locate great products for scalp care. She says, “When it comes to the textured hair community, there tends to be a lot of trauma when it comes to our scalp, and this is basically done from us trying to obtain the unobtainable beauty ideal.”

She wanted to create both products and space for better representation of the underserved textured hair community. In the U.K., she explains that isn’t always the case because there’s a lack of salons with textured hair expertise. She says, “In the U.K., we always tend to have to travel to Brixton, to Lewisham, to the ends of the world to get our hair done, and the experience was never, I felt, on par with everything else in my life.”

Koloko, however, has learned scalp care has broad appeal. About 75% to 80% of The Steam Bar’s customers at Selfridges are Middle Eastern women, and she has noticed white men with scalp issues like psoriasis and dandruff gravitating to the brand. She says, “Even though it was created by the people for the people, which was my community, I have found that there are so many other people who want to care for their scalp and are looking for products focused on hydration and balancing the scalp’s microbiome.”

At Selfridges, The Steam Bar’s Deep Conditioning Heat Cap is its bestseller. Koloko explains sales associates are able to drive incremental purchases with the item when customers shop across haircare and scalp care brands. She anticipates the same cross-pollination at Sephora, where she notes The Steam Bar is the only brand speaking to the benefits of steaming for the scalp and offering a system built around it.

“I see The Steam Bar as a premium haircare brand meets a private members club.”

To promote The Steam Bar’s arrival at Sephora in the U.S., the brand hosted influencer and editor events in New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta in addition to a pop-up salon in Los Angeles. Another pop-up takeover is planned in Atlanta for June and July. Koloko hopes to bring the pop-up concept global, stretching across London, Barcelona and Cape Town, with Atlanta, which she describes as the home of Black hair, as the flagship destination.

The pop-ups are based on a three-month activation The Steam Bar held at Selfridges in 2024. There, hairstylists known as Steam Queens educated consumers about the benefits of steaming and the importance of scalp care while washing and styling.

“I see The Steam Bar as a premium haircare brand meets a private members club, essentially,” says Koloko. “It’s like Charlotte Tilbury meets Soho House.”

The Steam Bar is the latest brand from Sephora’s 2025 Accelerate class to enter the retailer. Fellow haircare participant Bounce Curl landed online in February, and fragrance brand Ruhveda is launching in June. In March, skincare brand Oliviaumma made its online debut at Sephora and rolled out to almost 270 stores. Others in the cohort include The Potion Studio, Tonal Cosmetics, Influxious and 4AM Skin.

For The Steam Bar, global expansion is a big future goal. Koloko has set her sights on Sephora Middle East and Europe. Ulta Beauty is a target down the line, too. Even further down the line, she dreams of building a care home in honor of her daughter who has cerebral palsy and is blind and epileptic. Now 31, she suffered a brain bleed at 9 months old. Koloko moved her into a residential rehabilitation center during the pandemic.

“What I need to do before I leave this world is really create something for people that have no voice. We are their advocates,” she says. “When I’m ready to exit and retire, that is going to be the ultimate mission.”