Origins

The idea for Tangle Teezer originated in a salon environment. Shaun Pulfrey, working as a professional hair colourist, repeatedly encountered clients whose hair became difficult to comb following colouring and other chemical treatments.

Rather than developing another conventional comb or brush, Pulfrey envisioned a tool with teeth that could flex and move through tangles, helping to separate knots instead of aggressively pulling through them. He began researching and developing this concept in 2003.[2]

This development eventually resulted in what the company describes as its distinctive two-tiered teeth technology: longer teeth are designed to detangle, while shorter teeth help smooth the hair cuticle.[1]

Launch and Dragons’ Den

Tangle Teezer was formally launched in 2007. That same year, Pulfrey appeared on the BBC television programme Dragons’ Den to seek investment for his invention.

Although the pitch was unsuccessful and none of the investors agreed to back the product, the television appearance unexpectedly generated substantial public interest. The company’s website reportedly experienced a surge in traffic and orders following the broadcast, helping turn the product into a consumer phenomenon.[3]

The Dragons’ Den rejection subsequently became a significant part of Tangle Teezer’s entrepreneurial narrative, serving as an example of a product being rejected by investors yet finding strong demand among consumers.

Early growth

Following its launch, Tangle Teezer expanded from the professional hairdressing market into mainstream retail. Boots began stocking the brushes in 2008, helping introduce the product to a much broader British consumer audience.[3]

International expansion followed rapidly. By 2014, the company had launched in dozens of countries, with UK government trade programmes assisting its expansion into markets including South Africa, Germany, China, and Finland.[2]

According to a 2021 investment announcement, the company eventually developed a presence in more than 75 countries.[4]

Shaun Pulfrey is the founder and inventor behind Tangle Teezer.

His background as a professional hair colourist was fundamental to the company’s product philosophy. Instead of beginning with conventional consumer-product research, the original invention emerged from a real problem observed in professional hairdressing.

Pulfrey’s experience also influenced Tangle Teezer’s positioning as a product created from professional hair expertise rather than simply a fashion or beauty accessory. The UK Intellectual Property Office has highlighted the company as a case study in how intellectual-property protection helped an individual entrepreneur commercialise an invention.[2]

The product that established the brand was The Original.

It has become Tangle Teezer’s signature and “cult classic” product. The brush utilises the brand’s patented two-tiered teeth system:[5]

• Longer teeth are intended to penetrate and separate tangles.
• Shorter teeth help smooth the hair.
• The teeth are designed to flex as they encounter resistance.
• It can be used on wet and dry hair, depending on the particular model.
• The design is intended to reduce the need for aggressive tugging and pulling.

This basic technological concept became the foundation for the wider Tangle Teezer product family.

Although Tangle Teezer started with a single detangling brush, it has expanded into a broader haircare-tool company.

Its range now includes products for different hair types and styling needs, including:

• Detangling brushes
• Wet-hair brushes
• Brushes designed for curly and coily hair
• Brushes for fine or fragile hair
• Blow-drying and styling brushes
• Scalp-care tools
• Detangling sprays
• Travel-oriented brushes
• Plant-based and sustainability-oriented brushes

The company’s stated philosophy is that there should be “no one-size-fits-all” approach to haircare, with products developed specifically for different textures and routines.[1]

Tangle Teezer’s most important technological feature is its two-tiered teeth configuration.

Traditional brushes and combs can encounter significant resistance when they reach a knot. Tangle Teezer’s approach uses flexible teeth that move through the hair and around tangles rather than forcing the brush through them.

The company argues that reducing mechanical damage can help minimise breakage, ultimately contributing to healthier-looking, smoother, and shinier hair.[5]

The underlying technology became sufficiently important to the business that Pulfrey pursued patent protection internationally. The UK Intellectual Property Office reported that the brush had been patented in more than 30 countries and that the Tangle Teezer name was protected as a trademark.[2]

Tangle Teezer occupies a distinct position between professional haircare, beauty, and consumer technology.

Rather than marketing itself simply as a traditional hairbrush manufacturer, the brand has historically emphasised a progression from innovation to hair health, ease of use, professional expertise, and inclusive haircare.

Its central proposition is that detangling does not need to be a painful or damaging part of a person’s hair routine.

The company’s current mission is to develop expert-backed haircare products that work across different hair types, textures, and routines.[1]

One of Tangle Teezer’s strongest assets is its recognisable product design.

The brushes generally feature a distinctive ergonomic shape and a brightly coloured, playful visual identity. This helped differentiate them from traditional rectangular paddle brushes and combs.

The name “Tangle Teezer” is also highly descriptive, immediately communicating the product’s purpose while giving the brand a playful personality.

Over time, the product’s visual identity became almost as recognisable as its functional innovation.

Tangle Teezer has received significant recognition within the UK business and innovation ecosystem.

Notable achievements include:

• Queen’s Award for Innovation — 2012
• Queen’s Award for International Trade — 2014
• Inclusion in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 during its high-growth period
• Recognition by UK government trade initiatives as an example of successful British consumer-product innovation[3]

These awards helped reinforce Tangle Teezer’s identity as a British-designed innovation that successfully became a global consumer brand.

The company moved from a UK salon and retail product into an international haircare business.

By 2021, Tangle Teezer was reported to be sold in more than 75 countries, with particularly strong growth in markets including the United States and China.[6]

The company’s international appeal stems partly from the fact that tangling is not specific to one geographic market or hair type. Consequently, the brand has expanded its range to address different textures and haircare routines.

Today, Tangle Teezer states that it sells brushes in almost every country around the world.[1]

Tangle Teezer began as an independent company founded by Shaun Pulfrey.

In 2021, private-equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners invested in the company through a transaction valuing Tangle Teezer at more than £70 million, with Mayfair acquiring a majority stake. The investment was intended to support international expansion and further product innovation.[4]

A subsequent major development occurred in 2025, when Tangle Teezer became part of the BiC World group of brands. Tangle Teezer states that it continues to operate as Tangle Teezer while benefiting from BiC’s global resources and reach.[1]

Sustainability has increasingly become part of the company’s strategy.

Tangle Teezer states it is working to reduce waste, improve packaging, and incorporate more sustainable materials. Its Plant Brush, for example, is made using material derived from 85% sustainably sourced castor beans.[1]

The company also announced that in 2025 it eliminated plastic packaging for its hairbrush products, switching to cardboard sourced from renewable sources.[1]

Another initiative is its hairbrush recycling programme, through which customers can send used plastic hairbrushes—including non-Tangle Teezer brushes—for recycling.[1]

A notable evolution of the brand has been its move away from treating all hair as essentially the same.

Tangle Teezer explicitly develops products for different hair types, including:

• Straight
• Wavy
• Curly
• Coily
• Fine and fragile hair
• Thicker or more textured hair

The company’s current brand philosophy emphasises representation and inclusion across different hair textures and identities.[1]

This shift is significant because the brand’s original product was primarily associated with solving a universal problem—tangles—whereas its modern product strategy is increasingly based on the premise that different types of hair require different tools.

Tangle Teezer primarily operates as a consumer haircare and beauty-products brand.

Its business model combines:

• Product innovation: Developing proprietary brush designs and technologies.
• Direct-to-consumer sales: Selling products through its own online channels.
• Retail distribution: Working with beauty retailers, pharmacies, department stores, and other retail partners.
• International distribution: Selling through distributors and retailers across global markets.
• Product diversification: Expanding from its original detangling brush into styling, blow-drying, scalp care, and other haircare tools.

The fundamental commercial strategy is to transform a relatively simple everyday object—a hairbrush—into a specialised, branded beauty tool.

Tangle Teezer’s rise demonstrates how a relatively inexpensive everyday product can develop a strong cult-brand following.

The company benefited from several factors:

• The unusual appearance of its brushes
• A clear and easily understood product benefit
• Word-of-mouth recommendations
• Beauty bloggers and influencers
• Professional hairstylists
• Social-media exposure
• Celebrity and beauty-industry visibility
• The memorable Dragons’ Den story

Rather than requiring consumers to understand complicated technology, the product could be demonstrated immediately: brush encounters knot and detangles hair more easily. This simplicity became an important part of its appeal.

Tangle Teezer’s principal differentiation is not simply that it sells hairbrushes. Traditional hairbrushes are an extremely mature category, making competition solely on the basic function of “brushing hair” difficult.

Instead, Tangle Teezer created a more specific category around detangling technology.

Its competitive proposition can be summarised as a specialised brush engineered around the problem of tangling. This allowed the company to build intellectual property, recognisable product design, and brand equity around a common household object.[2]

Tangle Teezer currently summarises its philosophy around several major ideas:

• Innovation: Designing products differently and testing them against different hair needs.
• Respect: Caring about hair as well as environmental impact.
• Diversity: Recognising different hair types, textures, and identities.
• Simplicity: Creating intuitive products without exaggerated promises.[1]

Its broader brand message is encapsulated by the phrase “Life, untangled.”[1]

1. https://tangleteezer.com/pages/about-us
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/intellectual-property-tangle-teezer
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangle_Teezer
4. https://www.mayfairequity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/UPDATED-RELEASE-Mayfair-Equity-Partners-backs-management-buy-out-of-Tangle-Teezer-in-support-of-international-expansion.pdf
5. https://us.tangleteezer.com/products/the-original
6. https://www.pinsentmasons.com/en-gb/about-us/announcements/pinsent-masons-advises-tangle-teezer-on-70m-investment-from-mayfair-equity-partners