Founded in 2023, Muse For Hair specialises in at-home semi-permanent hair extensions. Made with 100% human hair, the products claim to offer “salon-quality results without the salon price tag”.
The first few weeks of the brand’s launch, it sold out three times. In the first year, it surpassed AUD1m (USD619,490) in sales, underscoring the high demand for DIY hair extensions.
“Hair extensions are seen as an everyday confidence booster as opposed to a luxury for a certain demographic of people. There are also people who face common hair struggles such as postpartum hair loss, hair thinning, and slow growth,” said co-founder Stephanie McCleary.
McCleary, who founded the company with her husband Paul McCleary, said that the launch of the product came as more people sought out more affordable solutions to luxury products and services such as hair extensions.
She told us that she personally used to spend as much as AUD5,000 (USD3,097) a year on hair extensions at salons, where typically runs approximately AUD400 per 50 grams.
Muse For Hair extensions start from AUD468 for 16 inches and go up to AUD748 for 26 inches. According to McCleary, this ranges from 130 grams to 150 grams per pack.
“What you’re getting is very value for money. They are also reusable and can last anywhere between three to 12 months – depending on how well you take care of them,” she said.
Extending its consumer base
Aside from being more affordable, McCleary also highlighted the the convenience and versatility of hair extensions in keeping up with the constantly changing hair style and colour trends.
“With social media like TikTok, these trends are changing constantly. People want to have one hair colour today, another tomorrow. They can just change their hair extensions know that it’s not going to cause any damage. Easy to put in, easy to take out.”
In CosmeticsDesign-Asia’s 2025 trend round up, we highlighted the growing consumer need for versatility in the hair industry, driving the demand for temporary solutions.
McCleary revealed that the company is inundated with request from for quirky hair colours and “salt and pepper” colours from more mature consumers.
“We see massive gaps in the market across ages. You’ve got college students, brides, postpartum women, older women. We’ve got an opportunity to reach them all.”
She continued: “In our first year, we hit AUD1.2 million in sales. Partly because we went viral after Shark Tank, but our product is also fulfilling a real need in the market.”
Future plans
After Muse For Hair’s appearance on reality television show Shark Tank Australia, which saw them walk away with a AUD200,000 offer in exchange for 20% equity, the brand went viral on social media, further boosting its brand awareness.
Moving forward, the company hopes it can capitalise on this momentum to grow the business.
“My dream would be to do maybe AUD300,000 to AUD400,000 in sales every month. I think that’s very achievable for us,” said McCleary.
She revealed to us that the company will be launching new products for 2025, including new shades as well as “different form of hair extensions” which she declined to share more details about.
“I’m not the inventor of it by any means, but I will be the perfector of it.”
