It’s late in the evening in Sydney, Australia, but musician Rita Ora – who can now add beauty entrepreneur to her CV – and her friend Anna Lahey (also the founder of Vida Glow), are excitedly chatting about their new joint venture: haircare brand Typebea. If you’re a Vida Glow fan, you’ll be familiar with the science-backed approach adopted by the ingestible collagen brand, which is why I have high hopes for Lahey’s latest venture, in collaboration with Ora.
Typebea’s four-product line-up is an effortless edit for the person who cares about their hair, but doesn’t have the time to do much to it on a daily basis. The main focus is hair health, and rehabilitating hair whether it’s suffering from loss, damage or thinning. More crucially, it’s been created for all hair types. “This is so important to the brand, it’s part of its DNA,” explains Lahey. “It was really important that we offer a range for all,” adds Ora. The name is a nod to this inclusive and universal approach. “Typebea means different hair types, different types of personalities – we really want to drive home this message and Rita in particular is really passionate about this,” says Lahey.
Ora says she realised the emotional connection women have with their hair when her mother underwent chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. “She lost her hair and it was really hard for her,” says the singer. “I saw firsthand what it was like to lose hair and the trauma of that, and that really stuck with me.”
Ora’s line of work also means her own hair – which she’s had dyed “almost every colour” – has been put through the mill over the years. After she and Lahey got chatting about hair health at a Vida Glow event, the pair exchanged numbers to continue the conversation. They eventually landed on the idea of efficacious, topical haircare that promises to get all hair types in tip top condition, but also addresses significant issues such as hair loss. “It’s an important pillar for our brand, and I think it’s great that it’s becoming normalised as a subject,” says Ora.
The Overnight Boosting Peptide is the hero product. Both Ora and Lahey have fine hair (as do I), so they were keen to avoid an overnight treatment that was heavy and oily. Typebea’s is water-based and extremely lightweight, so it can even be applied in the day without any concerns about the hair being weighed down.
Most impressive, though, is its promise to reduce hair loss by up to 60 per cent in three months (Ora leans down to her laptop camera to show me her own regrowth results). The founders attribute this to Baicapil, the active ingredient contained in all four Typebea products. Ora loves to apply the Hydra-Gloss Treatment and then slick her hair back, using it as a styling product as it’s working its magic. The shampoo and conditioner contain salicylic acid, which preps the scalp ready to receive both the serum and mask. “This really is like a skincare routine for your hair,” explains Lahey.
The fragrance for the range has also been carefully curated – there were nine iterations before Ora and Lahey settled on the final one – another detail the duo felt strongly about when curating their tightly edited range. That being said, expansion is already on the horizon: Lahey explains that there are a further four products launching in September, with more in the pipeline next year.