Lucie Macleod – The Haircare Visionary Who Bottled a Movement
Born and raised in the tranquil countryside of Pembrokeshire, Wales, Lucie Macleod’s early life wasn’t the kind that foretells entrepreneurial fame. She didn’t grow up in a family of business moguls or study in a top-tier business school. Instead, her story is one of instinct, trial and error, and a deep personal need—for confidence, for authenticity, and for something that truly worked for her curly hair. That personal need would eventually bloom into Hair Syrup, a multimillion-pound natural haircare brand that revolutionized how young people, particularly women, care for their hair.
Lucie’s journey began not in a laboratory or corporate meeting room, but in a student kitchen. She was a young woman struggling to manage her natural curls—often frizzy, dry, and mistreated by chemical-laden products found on supermarket shelves. With frustration came curiosity. Lucie began experimenting with homemade oil blends, researching the nourishing properties of natural ingredients like avocado, rosemary, castor oil, and peppermint. Her experiments were modest at first—just for her own use. But the results were undeniable. Her hair thrived. It glowed, curled, and bounced in a way it never had before.
Friends began to notice. They asked what she was using, and Lucie happily shared her DIY concoctions. What began as a few glass bottles given to close friends slowly transformed into something bigger. Encouraged by the feedback, she decided to take a leap of faith. She gave her blend a name—Hair Syrup—and started selling small batches online. At this point, it was still just Lucie, working from her bedroom, printing labels on her home printer, and hand-packing each order. She had no investors, no marketing budget, and no formal training in entrepreneurship. But she had TikTok.
What happened next is the stuff of modern business legend. In early 2021, Lucie posted a simple video demonstrating her wash day routine using Hair Syrup. There was no big advertising campaign, no influencer endorsement—just Lucie, her curls, and her story. The video went viral, racking up thousands of views overnight. Within hours, her inbox filled with messages. Her shop sold out. People from all over the UK were clamoring to get their hands on the mysterious oil blend that promised—and delivered—healthy, hydrated, and happy hair.
TikTok became the beating heart of Hair Syrup’s success. Lucie understood the platform intuitively. She didn’t try to be a salesperson. Instead, she shared her journey with honesty and joy, bringing customers into the process. She showed them how the oils were made, what ingredients she used, how they worked, and—most importantly—how they made people feel. In an age of filters and facades, Lucie’s transparency was magnetic.
By the end of her first year, Hair Syrup had made over £1 million in revenue, and that was just the beginning. With each passing month, Lucie expanded the brand—new products, new scents, new packaging—while staying true to her roots. She listened to her customers, responded to feedback, and improved her formulas. Everything was grounded in authenticity and community, and that’s what made Hair Syrup stand out.
Lucie’s brand didn’t just cater to a niche market. It created a movement. Young women, especially those with textured or curly hair, felt seen and celebrated. They shared their transformations, became ambassadors, and built what Lucie affectionately calls the “Syrup Squad.” Hair Syrup wasn’t just a product—it was self-care, confidence, and empowerment in a bottle.
In 2023, Lucie made headlines again when she appeared on Dragons’ Den, the UK’s iconic entrepreneurial TV show. Standing before seasoned investors, she presented Hair Syrup’s meteoric rise, but was ultimately rejected by the dragons. For many, this would be a setback. But for Lucie, it was fuel. The public response was overwhelming. Fans defended her on social media, and orders spiked again. Lucie proved that success doesn’t always need a dragon—it just needs determination, a little resilience, and a whole lot of TikTok love.
What sets Lucie apart as a founder is not just her age—though achieving £6.5 million in revenue by 24 is undeniably impressive—but her mindset. She built Hair Syrup without external funding, opting to grow the business organically. She wore every hat: formulator, packer, marketer, accountant, and customer service rep. And she did it all while navigating the emotional rollercoaster of youth, ambition, and burnout.
Lucie also made it her mission to speak openly about the mental health challenges behind the highlight reels. She’s talked about anxiety, imposter syndrome, and the stress of going viral when you’re still figuring things out. Her vulnerability made her even more beloved. People saw not just a young entrepreneur, but a real person who stumbled, cried, and kept going.
Today, Hair Syrup has evolved into a full-fledged brand with a dedicated team, sleek packaging, and national recognition. It’s stocked in select retailers and continues to thrive online, driven by a loyal customer base and Lucie’s ever-present digital voice. But despite the scale, she still keeps her finger on the pulse. She answers DMs. She joins comment threads. She celebrates every glowing review. And she never forgets where it all started—in a kitchen, with a bowl of oil, a problem to solve, and a heart full of hope.
Lucie Macleod has become more than a beauty brand founder. She is a role model for a new generation of creators and entrepreneurs who dare to start small, dream big, and stay honest. In a world saturated with noise, she chose authenticity over perfection, connection over conversion, and in doing so, built something that’s not just profitable—but powerful.
She’s not done yet. Lucie plans to expand Hair Syrup internationally and introduce more products, possibly even venturing into scalp care and complementary beauty lines. But for now, she continues to bottle confidence, one syrup at a time.
Lucie Macleod – The Story of a Girl, a Bottle of Oil, and a £6.5M Idea
Lucie Macleod didn’t plan to build an empire. In fact, when she was standing in her university kitchen mixing oils in a chipped ceramic bowl, she was simply trying to fix her own hair. A student at the University of Warwick, studying English Literature, Lucie had grown tired of products that promised nourishment but delivered breakage. Her curls—once vibrant—had become a battlefield of frizz, dryness, and disappointment.
She turned inward, to books, blogs, and home remedies, and began experimenting with natural oils: avocado for softness, peppermint for growth, castor for strength. In those quiet evenings of trial and error, a blend emerged that changed everything. Her hair began to revive. Friends took notice. Some asked for samples. Others begged to buy it.
Lucie had no formal training in business. She had no funding, no warehouse, and certainly no team. But what she did have was a TikTok account—and a story.
With a single post, she invited the world into her bathroom, showing her curly hair routine using the oil she now proudly called Hair Syrup. The video was simple, honest, and magical. It went viral.
Orders poured in. Her bedroom became a fulfillment center. Her parents’ kitchen table turned into a label-printing station. The demand was surreal, and Lucie—now just 21 years old—was running a business that had suddenly outgrown her tiny flat.
By July 2021, Hair Syrup became more than a hustle. It was incorporated officially as Hair Syrup Ltd, headquartered in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The brand’s manufacturing moved to the North of England, while shipping continued from a small Welsh warehouse nestled close to Lucie’s hometown. Even as the brand scaled up, the heart of it remained rooted in those early homegrown values: natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and community-driven.
Hair Syrup wasn’t just a product—it was a movement. Customers began calling themselves the “Syrup Squad.” Thousands shared before-and-after hair journeys on social media. Lucie’s TikTok following soared past 390,000 loyal fans, and Instagram was ablaze with tagged transformations.
And then came Dragons’ Den.
In 2023, Lucie stepped onto the famous TV set and pitched her heart out. She told the dragons about her viral success, her loyal community, and the dream of expanding Hair Syrup further. But the dragons didn’t bite. Lucie walked away with no investment—just the echo of polite skepticism.
Most people would have taken that rejection hard.
Lucie took it and turned it into fuel.
Fans rallied. TikTok lit up with “how dare they!” reactions. Orders skyrocketed again. One viral video later, Hair Syrup was trending higher than ever, and Lucie had made her point clear: You don’t need a dragon when you’ve built your own fire.
By 2024, Hair Syrup’s revenue reached £4.5 million. By early 2025, it was on track to cross £6.5 million. The little kitchen experiment had become a national sensation, stocked by major retailers like Boots, Superdrug, ASOS, LookFantastic, and Beauty Bay.
But Lucie never lost her voice in the growth. She still replies to customers on TikTok. She shares mental health check-ins, speaks about the exhaustion behind success, and reminds her followers that it’s okay to rest. Her leadership isn’t about gloss and glamour—it’s about realness.
Today, Hair Syrup continues to innovate. New product lines are in development. There are whispers of scalp serums, fragrance collaborations, and perhaps international expansion. But Lucie’s vision remains focused: create affordable, effective, and ethical products for hair that deserves love—without ever compromising on values.
From a bedroom in Wales to the shelves of major retailers, Lucie Macleod’s story is proof that big dreams can come from small spaces. All it takes is courage, community, and a little syrup.
