TRICHOCARE DIAGNOSTICS LTD

Name

TRICHOCARE DIAGNOSTICS LTD

Legal name

Trichocare Diagnostics Limited

Website

https://colourstart.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Trichocare Diagnostics Ltd (operating as Colourstart) develops and sells a 65mcg PPD cutaneous patch test and companion Colourstart Passport digital platform for screening hair colour allergy, serving UK hair professionals and consumers under MHRA regulation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diagnostic Medical Devices

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Contact Dermatitis & Patch Testing (HLAKACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hair Treatments & Scalp Care (Keratin/Botox/Deep Conditioning) (HSALAAAF), Professional Hair Color (CRABALAA), Professional Hair Care (Shampoo, Conditioner, Treatments) (CRABALAB)

Keywords

• Allergy patch testing
• PPD allergy screening
• Hair color diagnostics
• Medical device screening
• Cutaneous allergy test

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Colourstart Patch Test Sales: The company sells Colourstart Patch Test kits (65mcg Cutaneous Patch) to hair professionals and consumers. Retail price is RRP £12.50 plus VAT. This is a one-time purchase model for a single-use medical device.
2. Colourstart Passport (Free for Consumers): The Colourstart Passport digital platform is free for consumers to use. Revenue is derived indirectly through increased patch test sales facilitated by the platform, rather than direct subscription fees from consumers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trichocare Diagnostics develops and sells the Colourstart Patch Test, a single-use 65mcg cutaneous patch regulated as an MHRA-approved GSL medicine for screening allergy to p-phenylenediamine (PPD) in hair colorants. The physical patch test is paired with the Colourstart Passport digital platform (web, iOS, Android), which administers a screening questionnaire, records test results, and shares them with participating UK hair professionals to enable walk-in colour appointments. Hair professionals access a separate Professional Dashboard to manage client records and accept shared Green Result passports.

Product overview

Trichocare Diagnostics Ltd operates Colourstart as a unified medical-product-plus-digital-service system for hair colour allergy screening. The core offering is the Colourstart Patch Test (65mcg cutaneous patch, GSL status) which screens for PPD allergy before hair colouring. This is supported by the Colourstart Passport digital platform — available as iOS/Android mobile apps and web portals — which enables clients to complete eligibility questionnaires, record patch test results, and share a Green Result passport with participating hair professionals to enable walk-in colour appointments. Hair professionals access a separate dashboard to manage client records and view shared test outcomes. The system is regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and distributed through UK hair salons and beauty professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colourstart Patch Test: A ready-to-use patch test for screening allergy to PPD (para-phenylenediamine) found in hair colorants. Contains p-phenylenediamine (PPD). Legal Status: GSL.
• Colourstart Passport

Products and services

• Colourstart Patch Test A ready-to-use 65mcg cutaneous patch for screening potential allergy to para-phenylenediamine (PPD) in hair colorants. Contains one active patch (A+) with PPD and one control patch (A-) for comparison. Applied to the upper arm at least 4 days before hair colouring. Regulated by the MHRA as a General Sales List (GSL) medicine and available to UK consumers aged 16 and over and UK hair professionals.
• Colourstart Passport App A digital passport app available on iOS, Android, and web that helps users determine if the Colourstart Patch Test is suitable for them, complete a health screening questionnaire, record patch test results, and share a digital 'Green Result' passport with participating UK hair professionals to enable walk-in colour appointments. Free for consumers.
• Colourstart Professional Dashboard A web-based dashboard portal for UK hair professionals (salons, barbers, beauty therapists) to manage Colourstart Patch Test clients, view shared Green Result test histories, invite clients to register for Colourstart Passport, and maintain centralised records for quality management. Accessible via app.colourstart.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Estimated 1.5% of people are allergic to PPD

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Phorest Salon Software: Salon management software used by thousands of UK and Irish hair professionals. Relevant as a potential integration / distribution partner for Colourstart Passport, and an indicator of the digital tooling layer inside UK salons.

Regional players

• Treatwell: UK-focused online marketplace connecting consumers to hair and beauty professionals. Relevant as a UK salon distribution/booking platform that could intersect with or distribute Colourstart Passport adoption at scale.

Emerging players

• Philip Kingsley: UK-based trichology clinic and product brand focused on scalp and hair health, including allergy and sensitivity issues. Comparable as a specialist UK consumer-facing hair/scalp health brand with clinical credibility, though operating a services-plus-products model rather than diagnostics.
• Belgravia Centre: UK trichology clinic specialising in hair and scalp conditions. Operates in the same UK trichology-adjacent clinical category as Trichocare Diagnostics and shares the consumer-and-professional crossover positioning.
• Skin Trust Club: UK personalised skincare diagnostics brand using consumer testing and digital companion apps. Comparable as a consumer-facing diagnostics-plus-app business in adjacent personal-care verticals, with a similar freemium data model.

Direct peers

• Dormer Laboratories (Dormer Chemists): Specialist dermatology supplier offering patch test kits, allergens, and related reagents to clinics. Adjacent player in the contact-dermatitis patch testing ecosystem with an overlapping customer base of dermatologists and allergists.
• Chemotechnique Diagnostics: Swedish manufacturer of patch test allergens and reference series (baseline, cosmetic, hairdressing) used by dermatology clinics globally. Directly comparable as a regulated diagnostic-substance supplier serving contact-dermatitis screening, including specialised hairdresser series that overlap with Colourstart's PPD focus.
• T.R.U.E. Test (SmartPractice): T.R.U.E. Test is the market-leading ready-to-use patch test panel for contact dermatitis allergens, used by dermatologists worldwide. Closest direct comparable to Colourstart's regulated, single-use cutaneous patch testing approach, with a much broader allergen panel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/colourstartUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/colourstart_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 TRICHOCARE DIAGNOSTICS LTD