As more of a wash-and-go hair-care lifestyle takes root, hair towel brand Aquis is working its way into styling routines.
The brand, launched by husband-and-wife and co-chief executive officer team Britta Cox and Suveen Sahib in November, is set to roll out on sephora.com July 17. The goal of Aquis is to suck water out of the hair immediately to minimize damage. “It’s resonating really well with Millennials,” Cox said. “Naturally curly hair is becoming big, or the fact that you’re more comfortable with the wash-and-wear attitude with hair,” Sahib said.
The towels are made out of proprietary fibers that won’t tug on fragile wet hair, according to Cox. “Bath towel has a much larger fiber, and it doesn’t get the water out,” Cox said. “It’s very critical to get the water out quickly, but in the most gentle way possible.”
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“Hair has got keratin in it, and that adds strength,” Sahib said. “The keratin kind of has a drinking problem, and after a couple of minutes it starts absorbing water; that’s when hair starts stretching…it stretches to a point where it breaks.”
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Aquis’ weave creates air pockets that draw water from the hair and through the towel, according to Cox. The material is different from microfiber, which some companies use to make hair towels. “What I see other people putting out into the market as a hair towel started as a cleaning towel,” Cox said.
Already, Aquis is sold through Urban Outfitters, online and in 10 retail locations, and through Bloomingdales. The July sephora.com launch will be the business’ first move into specialty beauty retail. The brand could potentially increase distribution through retailers such as Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Bluemercury, Ulta and QVC in the future.
Later this year, Aquis will make its way to Australia with a rollout in Mecca. The company’s products are already available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. — where the towels will roll out in Fenwicks in July. Distribution in Sweden, Finland, Singapore and China is also coming soon, according to the brand.
To keep up with the expansion, Aquis is looking to raise a Series A Venture Capital round, targeting $3 million to $5 million. The business is tracking for $5 million in sales for 2016, according to industry sources.