What AQUIS does

AQUIS Inc. (legal entity: AQUIS Inc., incorporated in California) is a privately-held beauty tool manufacturer that designs and sells specialized hair drying products - principally hair towels and hair turbans - built around its proprietary Aquitex fabric technology. Founded in 1990 by Britta Cox, who was inspired by Japanese moisture-wicking athletic fabric technology, the company pioneered the first hair towel and has accumulated over 10 million cumulative users. Co-founder and CEO Suveen Sahib leads the company alongside Cox.

The core technology, Aquitex, consists of ultra-fine fibers thinner than silk that are uniquely woven into channels designed to wick water 5x faster than cotton while avoiding friction or snagging on hair cuticles. The product portfolio is tightly focused: two collections differentiated by weave - Lisse Luxe (flat, smooth surface for fine, delicate, and curly hair) and Waffle Luxe (raised waffle pattern for thick, long, porous hair) - each offered in both towel and turban formats, with a newer Rapid Dry Lisse D'Air variant optimized for fine and fragile hair. Units are priced at £30-40 with no subscription component.

The business operates an omnichannel model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce (aquis.com in the US, aquishair.co.uk in the UK and Europe) with premium retail distribution through Sephora (across 10+ international markets), Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Bed Bath & Beyond, Douglas in Germany/Poland, Look Fantastic, Space NK, and a dedicated professional salon channel. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales. Efficacy claims are substantiated by clinical studies with 107+ participants showing 50% reduction in drying time, 92% less frizz, 88% less damage, and 91% longer color vibrancy. The company has raised disclosed funding across 2017-2021 including a 2019 $5M round led by Springboard Growth Capital and a 2021 Form D filing for up to $10M. Note: a separate 'Aquis' entity (Aquis Stock Exchange, a European stock exchange) was acquired by SIX Group in 2025; this is a distinct company from AQUIS Inc. the hair care business.

Name

AQUIS

Legal name

AQUIS Inc.

Website

https://aquishair.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AQUIS Inc. designs and sells Aquitex-powered hair drying towels and turbans through DTC e-commerce and premium retailers including Sephora and Nordstrom across 17+ countries, serving health-conscious consumers seeking to reduce heat and friction damage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hair Care Tools

akta.pro primary industry

Laundry Care Accessories & Consumables (Dryer Sheets/Balls, Lint Rollers, Mesh Bags) (CRAJAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Waxing & Depilatory Professional Products (CRABALAH)

Keywords

• Hair care products
• Hair drying towels
• Moisture wicking fabric
• Hair turbans
• Beauty tools

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: One-time product sales through owned e-commerce website (aquishair.co.uk for UK, aquis.com for US). Products include hair towels and turbans at price points of £30-40.
2. Retail/Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale supply to retail partners including Sephora, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Professional salon distribution through dedicated professional channel.
3. International Distribution: Sales through international retail partners across Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and UK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AQUIS manufactures and sells hair towels and hair turbans built on its proprietary Aquitex fabric, which uses ultra-fine fibers (thinner than silk) woven into moisture-wicking channels to remove water from hair quickly without friction or heat. The portfolio spans Lisse Luxe (smooth weave for fine, curly, color-treated hair), Waffle Luxe (raised weave for thick, long, porous hair), and the ultra-lightweight Rapid Dry Lisse D'Air variant, sold via owned e-commerce, premium retail partners, and a professional salon channel.

Product overview

AQUIS is a hair care company offering a focused portfolio of hair drying products centered on proprietary Aquitex technology. The product line consists of two main collections differentiated by fabric weave: the Lisse Luxe collection (flat, smooth surface weave for fine, delicate, curly, and treated hair) and the Waffle Luxe collection (raised waffle pattern for thick, long, and porous hair). Each collection includes both hair towels and hair turbans. The Rapid Dry Lisse D'Air Hair Turban represents an ultra-lightweight variant of the Lisse line. All products utilize Aquitex technology—ultra-fine fibers woven into moisture-wicking channels—to dry hair 50% faster without heat or friction, reducing frizz, breakage, and damage to wet hair.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lisse Luxe Hair Towel A flat, smooth-surface-weave hair towel built with Aquitex fabric technology for fine, delicate, curly, straight, wavy, and kinky hair; proven in clinical studies to cut drying time by 50% while reducing frizz and breakage.
• Lisse Luxe Hair Turban A flat, smooth-surface-weave hair turban made with Aquitex fabric for fine, delicate, and curly hair, helping hair color stay vibrant longer and delivering curl definition with 50% faster drying.
• Rapid Dry Lisse D'Air Hair Turban An ultra-lightweight hair turban using an evolved Aquitex fabric that dries hair 50% faster and is 45% more compact and 22% lighter than the standard Rapid Dry Lisse Hair Turban, ideal for fine, thinning, or fragile hair.
• Waffle Luxe Hair Towel A waffle-textured hair towel engineered with a raised waffle pattern for maximum absorption on thick, long, and porous hair, using Aquitex technology to cut drying time by 50%.
• Waffle Luxe Hair Turban A waffle-textured hair turban designed for short to medium length thick hair, using ultra-absorbent Aquitex fabric to dry hair 50% faster with less frizz and breakage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cuts hair drying time by 50% (90% agreement in studies)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SephoracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor retail distribution partnership across multiple international markets including France, Italy, Spain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia.
• NordstromcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS department store partnership for in-store and online product distribution across the full Aquis product range.
• AnthropologiecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLifestyle retailer partnership for product distribution in stores and online.
• Urban OutfitterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSelect retail partnership at Urban Outfitters locations.
• Bed Bath & BeyondminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS retail partnership for Original Collection products.
• DouglascoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean beauty retail partnership for Germany and Poland markets.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform provider powering the AQUIS online store. Provides the online e-commerce platform enabling product sales to consumers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tangle Teezer: Direct peer in the premium hair tool category. Tangle Teezer pioneered the detangling hairbrush with proprietary bristle technology, sold through Sephora and similar prestige beauty retailers globally. Comparable DTC-plus-retail model with a single hero product category expanded into adjacent tools.
• Wet Brush: Direct peer making hair care tools sold through mass and prestige channels. Wet Brush pioneered the IntelliFlex bristle technology for wet hair detangling. Strong retail distribution and comparable positioning around protecting vulnerable wet hair.
• Slip: Direct peer in premium hair accessories. Slip makes silk pillowcases, scrunchies, and hair accessories targeting the same health-conscious, damage-averse consumer. Comparable premium positioning, DTC-first model, and similar price points.
• DevaCurl: Direct peer in curly and textured hair care. DevaCurl offers sulfate-free cleansers, conditioners, and styling products specifically formulated for curly hair—mirroring AQUIS's curl-specific Lisse line. Sold through Sephora and Ulta with professional salon channel.

Emerging players

• Kitsch: Emerging player in hair accessories including scrunchies, headbands, towels, and clips. Kitsch has scaled rapidly via Target, Amazon, and DTC with affordable price points. Comparable product category overlap (hair towels), but at a more accessible price tier.
• Pattern Beauty: Emerging player focused on textured and curly hair care, founded by Tracee Ellis Ross. Pattern Beauty sells through Sephora and DTC, targeting the same curly/textured hair demographic as AQUIS's Lisse collection. Comparable Sephora distribution and curly-hair positioning.
• Briogeo: Emerging player in clean, natural hair care sold through Sephora and DTC. Comparable mid-premium price points and Sephora distribution. Targets the same health-conscious consumer but in shampoo/conditioner/styling versus AQUIS's tool focus.

Broad incumbents

• Olaplex: Broad incumbent in prestige hair care with patented bond-building technology. Olaplex built a science-backed hair care brand sold globally through Sephora, Ulta, and professional salons—mirroring AQUIS's science-based positioning and retail partnerships, but at much larger scale across multiple product categories.
• Living Proof: Broad incumbent in science-led hair care, founded by MIT scientists and acquired by Unilever. Comparable science-based brand positioning and premium retail distribution. Operates across multiple product categories versus AQUIS's single category focus.
• Moroccanoil: Broad incumbent in professional and consumer hair care, founded on argan oil treatment. Strong global salon distribution and retail presence. Comparable prestige beauty positioning and dual professional/retail channel model that AQUIS is building toward.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVvamoaSsjU1nWrHcSsHT9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/aquishair
• Pinterestpinterest.com/aquishair
• Xx.com/aquishair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AQUIS