Nohbo
Nohbo is a sustainable personal care technology company that produces water-soluble shampoo pods designed to eliminate single-use plastic packaging. Founded in 2014 in Melbourne, United States, it sells to mass-market consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives to bottled shampoo under founder/CEO Benjamin Stern.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersMelbourne, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Nohbo does
Nohbo is a privately-held sustainable beauty and personal care technology company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Melbourne, United States. The company's core offering is a line of water-soluble shampoo pods designed to replace traditional bottled shampoo, thereby eliminating the single-use plastic packaging that dominates the personal care industry. The underlying technology is a proprietary water-soluble pod format that dissolves in water, allowing consumers to dispense shampoo without generating plastic waste; the company describes this as a novel approach to plastic-free personal care delivery.
The company's product portfolio consists of a single core product line — water-soluble shampoo pods — which serves mass-market consumers seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional bottled personal care products. Pricing and distribution models are not publicly disclosed, and no major retail, hospitality, or institutional customer logos are identified in the source material. The customer segment is horizontal: eco-conscious consumers addressing the pain point of single-use plastic waste in their daily personal hygiene routine. The company is led by founder and CEO Benjamin Stern.
Nohbo has funded operations through venture capital, closing a Series A round on 2023-06-05 led by Material Impact with participation from Dara Holdings LLLP, Safer Made, and Susquehanna Growth Equity. Earlier capital includes an approximately $3,000,000 round in 2020-03-27 led by Material Impact (with Radical Investments and Safer Made), and a $50,000 commitment from Ocean Impact Organisation in 2022-11-25. Cumulative disclosed funding is approximately $3.05M. The stated use of proceeds for the Series A is to expand sustainable personal care technologies and eliminate single-use plastic from the industry, implying both product-line extension and potential scaling of distribution. The company has 11-50 employees and no disclosed revenue.
Nohbo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nohbo
- Website
- https://nohbo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Nohbo is a sustainable personal care technology company that produces water-soluble shampoo pods designed to eliminate single-use plastic packaging. Founded in 2014 in Melbourne, United States, it sells to mass-market consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives to bottled shampoo under founder/CEO Benjamin Stern.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nohbo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Personal Care Products
- NAICS
- Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)
- SIC
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water-Soluble & Edible Packaging (PVOH-based, Edible Films) (IMALAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Personal Care Wipes & On-the-Go Hygiene (Non-medical) (CRADANAJ)
Keywords
Where Nohbo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Nohbo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Nohbo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nohbo develops and sells eco-friendly, water-soluble personal care products, with its core product being shampoo pods that dissolve in water and eliminate the need for traditional single-use plastic packaging. The pods deliver personal care formulations in a dissolvable format, allowing consumers to use only the amount needed without generating plastic waste. The company is focused on expanding this water-soluble pod technology across the personal care industry.
Product overview
Nohbo offers a single core product line of sustainable personal care solutions, specifically water-soluble shampoo pods. The product eliminates traditional plastic packaging by delivering shampoo in a dissolvable pod format, allowing consumers to use only the amount needed without generating plastic waste.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water-Soluble Shampoo Pods Eco-friendly, water-soluble shampoo pods designed to eliminate single-use plastic packaging in the personal care industry. The pods dissolve in water, delivering shampoo without traditional plastic bottles and allowing consumers to use only the amount needed without generating plastic waste. Targeted at consumers seeking sustainable personal care alternatives.
Companies that use Nohbo
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Nohbo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Nohbo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Nohbo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- No More Bottles: Direct peer producing shampoo and conditioner in water-soluble pod formats aimed at eliminating plastic bottles from the bathroom. Nohbo and No More Bottles compete in essentially the same product category with the same value proposition.
- Ethique: Direct peer making solid, plastic-free personal care bars (shampoo, conditioner, body wash) positioned as sustainable alternatives to bottled formats. Competes for the same eco-conscious consumer seeking to eliminate single-use plastic packaging.
- Lush: Established direct peer offering 'naked' (packaging-free) personal care products including shampoo bars and solid formulations. Lush is the most prominent brand operating in the plastic-free personal care space where Nohbo competes.
- Seed Phytonutrients: Peer personal care brand using sustainable, paper-based packaging and natural formulations to reduce plastic waste. Competes with Nohbo for sustainability-driven consumers in the premium personal care segment.
- Plaine Products: Peer offering personal care products in refillable aluminum bottles to eliminate single-use plastic. Targets the same eco-conscious consumer with a reusable-bottle alternative to traditional plastic packaging.
Emerging players
- Clean Cult: Emerging player in sustainable personal care and household cleaning, using refill-based packaging to reduce plastic. Shares the plastic-reduction value proposition with Nohbo, though focused more on refill than dissolution.
- By Humankind: Emerging personal care brand focused on reducing single-use plastic through refillable and dissolvable formats. Overlaps with Nohbo's sustainability positioning in the personal care category.
Broad incumbents
- Unilever: Broad incumbent whose personal care division (Dove, TRESemmé, Love Beauty and Planet) is actively pursuing plastic-reduction initiatives including concentrates and refills. Represents both a competitive threat and a potential licensing partner for Nohbo's pod technology.
- Procter & Gamble: Broad incumbent whose hair care brands (Head & Shoulders, Pantene) dominate the shampoo category. P&G has committed to plastic reduction and has the R&D and shelf access to either compete with or absorb pod-based innovation like Nohbo's.
- Method Products: Broader sustainable personal care and cleaning brand (part of Ecover/People Against Dirty) emphasizing eco-friendly formulation and packaging. Shares the plastic-reduction consumer value proposition with Nohbo at a more established scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Nohbo social profiles
Digital presenceNohbo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nohbo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Nohbo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nohbo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nohbo
What does Nohbo do?
Nohbo develops and sells eco-friendly, water-soluble personal care products, with its core product being shampoo pods that dissolve in water and eliminate the need for traditional single-use plastic packaging. The pods deliver personal care formulations in a dissolvable format, allowing consumers to use only the amount needed without generating plastic waste. The company is focused on expanding this water-soluble pod technology across the personal care industry.
Is Nohbo a public or private company?
Nohbo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Nohbo founded?
Nohbo was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Nohbo based?
Nohbo is headquartered in Melbourne, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Nohbo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are No More Bottles, Ethique, Lush, Seed Phytonutrients and Plaine Products. Emerging players are Clean Cult and By Humankind. Broad incumbents are Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Method Products.
Does Nohbo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nohbo.
What industry is Nohbo in?
Nohbo's product category is Sustainable Personal Care Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAMAI, Water-Soluble & Edible Packaging (PVOH-based, Edible Films), with a secondary code of CRADANAJ, Personal Care Wipes & On-the-Go Hygiene (Non-medical). Its NAICS code is 3256 and its SIC code is 2844.