Just three years after launching—and systematically shaking up—the hair care category with a mask that’s been likened to “retinol for the hair,” biotech brand K18 Biomimetic Science has been acquired by Unilever. The brand is estimated to generate more than $130 million in annual sales. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2020 by Suveen Sahib and Britta Cox, K18 leveraged the professional community as well as social media to educate and engage consumers about the science of hair.  And when salons closed during COVID, hairdressers took to social media to show K18’s transformative and instantaneous results. In just one year on the market, K18 became the number-one trending brand on TikTok, fueled by its #K18 HairFlip Challenge. The post has since generated more than 11 billion views.

The brand is best known for creating a novel molecule, K18Peptide, which was designed to mimic the human keratin structure to reverse chemical damage on hair in minutes. The innovation debuted in its first product, Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask, and immediately became a home run that transformed over-bleached, over-colored, and over-processed hair. Today K18 consists of six products designed to identify and address the causes of hair damage.

K18 will live within Unilever’s Prestige portfolio, which is overseen by Unilever Prestige CEO, Vasiliki Petrou. “This acquisition complements our fast-growing portfolio of premium, culturally-relevant consumer brands. What Suveen, Britta, and the team have created is a testament to the importance of brands built on unparalleled science, product efficacy and community love.”

K18 is distributed through professional salons, retail, and e-commerce primarily in North America, U.K., and Australia.  The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2024.