Slip, slop… serum: New haircare innovation targets cancer risk
Scares with an often overlooked form of cancer inspired two entrepreneurs to develop one of South Australia’s first hair growth serums with sun protection.
Nicola Nikolaidis and her dermatologist joked about how nothing could penetrate her head of thick Mediterranean hair. Then the doctor found a spot.
“She instilled the fear of God into me about how this needs to come out quickly… it didn’t look good,” Nikolaidis said.
Nikolaidis was in her early 20s when she underwent the excisional biopsy procedure.
“I had five staples in the back of my head,” she said.
“It was a big wake up call and it scared the life out of me.
“I’m just terrified of either having to go through that again or worse.”
For best friend and business partner, Nicole Tomasek, skin cancer is also a topic close to home.
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A mum of three, Tomasek’s sister was diagnosed with melanoma on her scalp in 2019 following a visit to the hairdresser.
“The doctor said if it (the cancer) wasn’t removed, it would travel to her brain, and we would have been looking at a whole different ballgame,” Tomasek said.
“She was lucky that not only did she go to the hairdresser on that day, but that her hairdresser realised the spot wasn’t there four months ago.”
It was these experiences that prompted the duo to take action.
South Australians, Nikolaidis and Tomasek hope to increase awareness of sun protection for the scalp. Image: Supplied
Last month, they launched SO’L SMOOTH and SO’L THIC under the brand ByNikol.
SO’L SMOOTH targets restoration and heat protection, while SO’L THIC is a hair growth and thickening serum with SPF15.
The production process took time, extended by their search for the right manufacturer.
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“We had a long list of non-negotiables,” Nikolaidis said.
“We were adamant that it was going to be a natural product… it couldn’t be greasy and we wanted it to be made in Australia.
“We wanted to move into the lab.”
Nikolaidis explained the manufacturers were familiar with SPF and growth properties but had not combined them.
“We were testing it on ourselves, on people close to us,” Nikolaidis said.
“We had nine iterations over 12 months.”
The products are developed in Sydney and distributed from both Sydney and Adelaide, retailing online between $94-$109.
SO’L THIC serum. Image: Supplied
Beyond product creation, education is at the forefront of the duo’s mission.
Data from Cancer Council SA showed approximately 800 South Australians are diagnosed with melanoma every year, with 1 in 38 South Australians estimated to be at risk of developing melanoma by age 75.
On a national level, 7.7 per cent of all melanoma cases occur on the scalp and neck.
“We realised just how exposed Australian scalps are to the harsh sun and how little protection traditional hair care provides,” Tomasek said.
“We wanted a product that was going to appeal to everyone…so even if you’re picking it up for the growth element or for scalp health, you’re protected from the sun.
“It’s more than a passion project for us, it’s something that’s affected us both personally, and we want to make sure that it doesn’t happen to other people.”
