63. Hello Klean

Founders: Omer Ozener and Karlee Zhang
Year founded: 2020
Website: helloklean.com

Battling the effects of hard water on hair and skin has been an unspoken struggle for some – a struggle that Hello Klean has decided to champion.

With a founder who knows firsthand the woes of relocating and facing the wrath of hard water; this startup is not just about fixing beauty problems.

“I struggled with hair loss, and dry, sensitive skin with every relocation,” cofounder Karlee Zhang tells us. “I changed my beauty products, took supplements, but nothing seemed to work. And I knew I wasn’t alone.”

As it turns out, around 60% of the UK is classed as having hard or very hard water. Founders Karlee and Omer’s commitment to solving ‘different’ feeling hair and skin during holidays, or after moving to a new location, resonated with some well-known business heavyweights.

Appearing on Dragons’ Den resulted in three hair-raising funding offers. Ultimately, they chose to partner with expert Dragon, Steven Bartlett.

I struggled with hair loss, and dry, sensitive skin. Nothing seemed to work. And I knew I wasn’t alone.

Hello Klean’s standout product is its purifying shower head. It uses a two-step circular filtration process, specifically designed to combat the challenges posed by hard water. Its shower filter takes water purification to the next level by reducing over 90% of the chlorine. It also filters out copper, iron, lead, and other contaminants.

The Startups 100 judges also love that the shower head contributes to water conservation by saving an impressive 25%, aligning with Hello Klean’s commitment to sustainability. It also uses users a refillable aluminium structure that uses 70% less plastic than most competing brands. 

Equally impressive is Hello Klean’s use of social media to get its message to its target audience. “Educating people about the impact of hard water on their hair and skin was a big challenge,” Karlee explains.

“We used influencers to create educational social media content. Hard water is usually seen as an industrial problem. We had to change the perception to approach it as a beauty problem.”

Hard water is usually seen as an industrial problem. We had to change the perception to approach it as a beauty problem.

Hello Klean products now grace the shelves of Cult Beauty and Selfridges. With plans to tackle the hard water hotspots of Europe, the future looks bright for this limescale kicking startup.