Mindy McKnight, also known as @cutegirlshairstyles on YouTube and the founder of hair care brand Hairitage, jokingly refers to her latest launch as “sexy dandruff shampoo.”
“I wanted bottles that you’re not afraid to display in your shower when someone walks into the bathroom — something you’d take a picture of and not be bothered that it says dandruff on it,” said McKnight, who launched Hairitage in 2020 in partnership with Maesa, and is now making her first foray into anti-dandruff care.
Beyond striving for chic packaging, McKnight sought to ensure the collection catered to the different causes of dandruff (dry skin, fungal dandruff and so on), while also addressing strand health from root to tip.
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“Not all consumers realize there are multiple types of dandruff, and that people who have a dry scalp may need different treatment than those who have an oily scalp — it’s not a one size fits all,” she said.
In line with this holistic approach, the collection offers separate shampoos for oily versus dry scalps, in addition to a Pre-Wash Booster, Balancing Conditioner, Balancing Leave-In Conditioner and an Overnight Relief Mist, all priced at $9.94.
Formulated with actives salicylic acid and selenium sulfide, the cruelty-free, vegan line is available online at walmart.com and is rolling out to most Walmart doors nationwide.
“We’re always looking for ways to take things that are already on the market and make them better, newer, different,” said McKnight, whose twinfluencer daughters, Brooklyn and Bailey, launched a skin care line of their own last fall called Itk, also incubated by Maesa.
It was a combination of her daughters’ own unmet hair needs, and the feedback of her social media community (McKnight counts 1.5 million followers and 5.63 million subscribers on Instagram and YouTube, respectively), that prompted McKnight to launch this anti-dandruff collection.
“We launched six products because we wanted to give people the opportunity to build their own regimen and mix and match depending on what their scalp needs are, or how severe their dandruff needs are at any moment. The goal is to ultimately get them off the dandruff products,” said McKnight, adding that her follower base acts as focus group, constantly offering feedback and informing Hairitage’s innovation in real-time.
While McKnight did not comment on sales expectations for the line, nor did Maesa, industry sources think the anti-dandruff collection could do between $10 million to 15 million during its first year on the market.