# Olaplex

> A salon bond builder made an estimated $10 million in launch-year North American sales.

- Owner: Olaplex, Inc. (Henkel since July 2026)
- Kind: Product
- Sector: Beauty & personal care
- Seed date: Jun 2014
- Milestone date: 2021-09-30
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 22 (Niche), v1.2
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Dupe economy, Controversy

## Summary

Olaplex launched online in 2014 and spread through stylists' Instagram posts. TikTok coverage and an IPO followed in 2021. Paid challenges followed in 2022; disputed hair-loss claims brought litigation in 2023.

## Timeline

- Jun 2014 — Olaplex (Open web) — Olaplex launched its hair treatments through its website.
- Oct 2014 — Tracey Cunningham and Aura Friedman (Instagram) — Into The Gloss reported stylists' Instagram endorsements as Olaplex's main source of publicity.
- By end of Nov 2014 — SalonCentric (Retail) — By November, SalonCentric had put Olaplex on US shelves.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/olaplex

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Olaplex.” Case HIS-01328. Spread Score v1.2: 22/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01328