MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT
Hair care pioneer Zoe Wasfy
Zoe Wasfy, 32, co-founded Wild science Lab, an award-winning, botanical-based hair and skincare range, in 2020. she lives in surrey with her husband ali, a sales manager in healthcare, and their children, aged eight and 12. I WORKED for global beauty brands for many years in both the creative and practical sides of product development. But after my pregnancies and a stressful work life, I began experiencing profound hair loss and an inflamed scalp, which was very upsetting.
I found there was a deafening silence around the topic of hair and scalp health. I tried so many products, but nothing helped. So I vowed to use the experience I had built up over the years working behind the scenes.
I knew the answers lay in combining the natural world with science. I set up the project with my husband, who works for Getinge, which supplies NHS hospital equipment. We established a team of chemists and scientists to create a line of natural, effective products.
With hair loss, people try to treat the hair itself when really it’s the scalp that needs help. I already knew CBD oil was good for skin, and I wanted to see if it would work on the scalp, too.
Two years ago, I left my job as purchase manager at the beauty company This Works to develop the formulations with our experts. I sat in my kitchen trying out the products on my scalp.
Combining the power of CBD, organic hemp seed oil, antiinflammatory aloe vera and five essential oils, we created vegan formulas that calm scalps and promote healthy hair, and I started to see a noticeable difference in the thickness and strength of my own hair.
I gave samples of our Leaf + Seed Head shampoo, conditioner and serum to friends, family and parents at my kids’ schools to try, and they reported great results.
We have also created a skincare range, Root + Fruit, using stabilised vitamin C and essential oils.
We called our company Wild Science Lab and launched a range of nine products at the end of last year. It was tough because we were juggling home schooling, working with our PR company and sending out products to journalists and beauty influencers.
Fortunately, everyone loved them. This year alone we have won three major beauty awards. It makes me proud that a problem I found so painful and upsetting has led to a business that helps others going through the same thing.