Lancashire hair brand is getting noticed

A new hair product inspired by a three-year-old girl and developed in Lancashire has been nominated for two top industry awards, less than 12 months since the brand was launched.

FYC - a product range for mixed textured curls – is in the running for the Pure Beauty Awards. The business is based in Cotton Court in Preston and was co-founded by city-based entrepreneur Robert Binns. It is looking to take a slice of a hair care market worth £1.72bn in the UK alone.

FYC delivers easy-to-use, accessibly priced products, made especially for Afro-European mixed textured curls. Its ‘Leave In Conditioner’ and ‘Refresh & Detangle spray’ products beat just under 600 others to win a place on the shortlist. Voting is now open to the public to decide the final winners.

Robert said: “It’s a real honour for such a young brand to get noticed in this way. Since we launched, we’ve had so much great customer feedback, and seeing the difference the product is making to people’s hair is a real joy. To have industry professionals and Pure Beauty Magazine join in with that praise is outstanding”.

All FYC products are produced entirely in the UK. Rob began working on the range with his business partners Bradley Lincoln and Mike Peters after failing to find the right kind of hair product for his daughter Lydia.

He said: “We couldn’t find any products that worked for her that didn’t contain harsh chemicals. So, together with Brad and Mike, we set about creating them.”

It took 24 months from the initial concept to the launch. Speaking at the launch, he said: “We are really excited about FYC’s potential. We feel we’ve found a genuine gap in the market, a haircare product that meets a real need.

“The sales potential for FYC is massive and not just in the UK. Our aim is to build and develop a strong British brand that can make a real impact.

“We’ve got ambitious marketing and sales development plans and a strong and enthused team around us. We’ve set ourselves ambitious but very realistic targets for growth.”

Each one of FYC’s products is packed with naturally derived ingredients including shea butter, olive oil, pro vitamin B5, and organic aloe vera to hydrate, define and add shine to curls.

In addition, the four-product range is vegan-friendly, with no silicones, sulphates or parabens, which is particularly important for curly hair.

As well as FYC, Rob Binns is managing director of the Cotton Court business centre in Preston. He has interests in a range of tech and telecoms businesses, as well as property and energy companies.

Bradley Lincoln is a parent of mixed-race children and the creator of the ‘Mix-d:’ concept of resources and materials developed around the subject of mixed-race identity in the UK. He headed the detailed research that led to the development of FYC.

Mike Peters founded Universal Products Manufacturing, a manufacturing business that delivers products for some of the top names in the beauty world from its factory in Kirkham.

Mike has a strong and highly successful track record in the beauty and hair product sector, including work in West Africa, and was honoured with an MBE for services to North West industry.

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