10 years of success for Tangle Teezer

With four sold every 20 seconds in 70 countries, Tangle Teezer has become a trusted hairbrush for professionals and consumers, and is now celebrating 10 years of success.

Whilst you may be more than aware of the Tangle Teezer brand, what you may not know is that 10 years ago, hair colourist Shaun Pulfrey stood nervously in front of five Dragons on BBC's Dragons' Den to pitch his idea for a new type of detangling hairbrush.

Seeking an investment of £80,000 for a 15% stake, Shaun claimed that his invention could glide effortlessly through all types of hair, smoothing knots and tangles without pain or damage, unlike any other hairbrush on the market. Often described as ‘the one that got away' (the product was called ‘hair brained' by Peter Jones and ‘a waste of time' by Duncan Bannatyne), Tangle Teezer is arguably Dragons' Den's most successful ever reject. The product has legions of celebrity fans including Victoria Beckham, Emma Watson and Nicole Scherzinger, and has won over 25 beauty industry awards. Shaun is also proud to have won two Queen's Awards for Innovation and Export and is an ambassador for The Princes Trust.

Shaun's invention was eventually picked up by a buyer from Boots at The Clothes Show in 2008, and he began by supplying 600 stores across the country.

“The global success for Tangle Teezer was not having many cultural barriers,” Shaun explains. "Hair problems are pretty universal – whether it's detangling or wanting to achieve the perfect blow-dry, and the Tangle Teezer suits all types of hair. Furthermore, Britain is recognised as a leader in hair innovation, so Tangle Teezer had a global appeal because of its Britishness, because the products are designed and manufactured in the UK.”

From its origins in Shaun's Brixton flat, Tangle Teezer now employs 45 staff at its head office in London and at its design and manufacturing facility near Oxford. Turnover for last year was £28.6m (up 22%), with pre-tax profits of £8m. Shaun has recently launched two new inventions, The Back-Combing Brush and Blow-Styling tools, and teamed up with Victoria Beckham to create the sleek hairstyles showcased at her S/S18 show.

Commenting on his decade of success, Shaun says:

“I'm a natural optimist, but I'm not blinded. I go with a gut feeling, my business plan initially was clients telling me I had a success on my hands. I invented for my industry – the general consumer took me by surprise. The highlight over the past decade for me has been the love of the brand globally. I never get bored of people telling their Tangle Teezer stories and the passion they have for it. I'm not one to dwell on rejection – I'm a believer that out of something not-so-good, comes good!”

Tangle Teezer is celebrating its 10th birthday by re-launching a limited-edition version of The Original detangling brush in Purple Glitter.