Ottawa Hair Brand's New Owners Eye US Expansion Despite Tariffs

Ottawa hair care brand The Better Scalp Company has new owners, and they're already reworking the business with an eye on crossing the border.

New owners, new direction

Cymbor, who describes herself as a chemical engineer, says she's "naturally curious about what's inside our bottles," a curiosity that's shaping how the pair are approaching the product line under new ownership.

Growth closer to home first

Before looking south of the border, the new owners say their main focus is growing the brand within Canada. "We're really focusing on developing the brand in Montreal and Toronto, which is our main focus," Cymbor said. Those two markets are the priority for now, with Ottawa remaining the brand's home base.

The U.S. market, and the tariff problem

Looking further ahead, Cymbor and Debuire say they're "bringing the brand to the U.S. market" by next year.

Streamlining the product line

Part of preparing for that expansion has meant simplifying what The Better Scalp Company actually sells. The new owners have limited the number of SKUs, now offering only 240 millilitre and 60 millilitre sizes, cutting out the clutter of a wider lineup. They've also dropped the price of the brand's shampoo-conditioner bundle from $70 to $60, making the core product more accessible.

On the packaging side, the team added an induction seal to the bottles to prevent leaking during transportation, a fix aimed squarely at the realities of shipping products farther distances, including across the border. To handle logistics, they've brought on Scarborough-based logistics company Flexspace Logistics to facilitate shipments.

What's coming next

The product line itself isn't standing still either. By the first quarter of next year, the owners plan to add a hair mask and a leave-in conditioner, with a scalp serum possibly joining the lineup as well.

The Ottawa angle

For a brand that started and remains based in Ottawa, the ownership change and the push toward Montreal, Toronto and eventually the U.S. marks a new chapter for a local product built on Cymbor's chemical engineering background. Ottawa shoppers who already know the brand can expect the same shampoo-conditioner bundle at a lower price and a more streamlined set of bottle sizes on shelves, even as the company sets its sights well beyond the city.

No timeline beyond "next year" has been announced for the U.S. launch, and further details on how the tariff issues will be resolved haven't been made public.

Sources: Ottawa Business Journal