2016 — The problem

Firsthand’s origin story begins with co-founder Filipe Inacio, who experienced scalp irritation and inflammation while using conventional hair-styling products. According to the company, he wanted something that would be gentler on the scalp without sacrificing the styling performance of conventional products. 1

Inacio began experimenting with ingredients such as shea butter and beeswax in his kitchen. After more than 50 iterations, he developed a styling formula that combined the desired styling performance with ingredients he considered gentler and more appropriate for his needs.

This became the foundation for Firsthand.

2017 — From experiment to company

Inacio was joined by Josh Hester, and the pair began turning the original formula into a business. They left their day jobs, rented a small garage space, and began producing products on a small scale.

The early company operated more like a small-batch apothecary, gradually building a customer base around its hair-styling products.

2018–2020 — Focus and supply-chain development

Firsthand eventually narrowed its focus toward hair styling and hair care, while placing increasing emphasis on ingredient sourcing and sustainability.

One important development was the company’s decision to work more directly with manufacturers and suppliers and to develop packaging using 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.

This helped establish a theme that remains central to Firsthand: controlling more of the product-development process rather than simply purchasing generic formulas from an outside manufacturer.

2021–2023 — Expansion

Following the pandemic period, Firsthand invested heavily in its manufacturing capabilities and expanded beyond its original styling focus.

The company added more hair-care products and expanded into body care, while also developing relationships with boutiques, salons, barbershops and hotels.

In 2021, Clearco’s ClearAngel announced a $38,000 investment in Firsthand, describing the company as a gender-neutral, sustainable grooming brand. 2

2024 — Brand repositioning

Firsthand describes 2024 as a major reimagining of the brand.

Rather than continuing with the minimalist aesthetic common among many contemporary “clean” personal-care brands, the company sought a more rich, textured and premium visual identity. It also expanded its product range and redesigned its visual branding.

The result is the current Firsthand positioning around “Elevated by Nature”: nature-inspired formulas combined with a more sophisticated beauty and lifestyle presentation.

Filipe Inacio

Filipe Inacio is one of Firsthand’s co-founders and the person most closely associated with the original product-development story.

His experience with scalp irritation prompted the experimentation that eventually produced Firsthand’s first styling formula. The company says he taught himself basic chemistry and experimented extensively with different ingredients before arriving at the original formula.

Josh Hester

Josh Hester joined Inacio in turning the initial product concept into a commercial brand. Together, the founders developed Firsthand around the idea of balancing ingredients and performance rather than treating “natural” formulation as an end in itself. 2

One of Firsthand’s most important concepts is what it calls “formulaic integrity.”

The idea is essentially that a product should not merely have an attractive ingredient list or sustainability story—it should actually work.

The company explicitly describes efficacy as a central driver of its product development. It argues that “clean” and “sustainable” are useful characteristics, but they should not compensate for poor product performance.

This philosophy gives Firsthand a somewhat different position from brands that primarily market themselves around “clean beauty.”

Its proposition can be summarized as:

Performance first, without unnecessary compromise on ingredients, sourcing or sustainability.

Firsthand says its products are developed around ingredients that serve a functional purpose and are selected for how they interact with hair and skin.

Firsthand currently organizes its range into three major categories:

• Hair Styling
• Hair Care
• Body Care

It also offers refill products and formats for some applications.

Hair Styling

Hair styling is the category from which Firsthand originated.

Its assortment includes products such as:

• Clay Pomade
• All-Purpose Pomade
• Texturizing Paste
• Effortless Air Crème
• Hair Oil

The styling products are intended to provide different combinations of hold, texture, definition, conditioning and finish.

Hair Care

The hair-care line includes products such as:

• Equilibrium Shampoo
• Everyday Conditioner
• Hair Oil

For example, the company’s Equilibrium Shampoo uses plant-derived surfactants alongside ingredients such as panthenol, rice protein and amino acids, with the stated goal of cleansing while maintaining hair’s moisture balance. 3

Body Care

Firsthand has expanded its philosophy into broader personal care, including products such as body cleansers and hand/body products.

The company positions these products as gender-neutral, premium personal-care products rather than narrowly “men’s grooming” products.

Ingredient selection is a major part of Firsthand’s brand identity.

The company says it prioritizes ingredients found in nature and evaluates ingredients according to both function and interaction with hair or skin.

Examples found across its products include:

• Shea butter
• Jojoba oil
• Avocado oil
• Aloe vera
• Rice protein
• Panthenol
• Amino acids
• Essential oils
• Plant-derived cleansing agents

Its fragrance system has also historically incorporated essential-oil blends featuring ingredients such as bergamot, lavender, juniper, palo santo and wormwood. 3

An important distinction is that Firsthand does not simply equate “natural” with “good.” Its own discussion of formulation repeatedly returns to efficacy and functionality.

One of Firsthand’s more distinctive characteristics is its emphasis on in-house formulation and manufacturing.

The company states that it conceptualizes, formulates and manufactures its products in its own U.S. facility, rather than relying entirely on a conventional third-party contract manufacturer.

This gives Firsthand greater control over:

• Formulation
• Ingredient selection
• Production
• Quality control
• Packaging
• Product iteration

The company specifically presents this vertical control as an advantage because it allows it to keep refining formulas rather than simply purchasing an existing white-label formula.

Sustainability is another major component of Firsthand’s positioning.

The company has developed packaging using 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, and it has also introduced refill-oriented formats.

Its hospitality program, for example, uses bulk-refill systems that Firsthand says can reduce amenity plastic consumption by 40%.

The company’s approach is therefore broader than simply using “natural” ingredients. It attempts to address sustainability through:

• Recycled materials
• Refillable packaging
• Supply-chain control
• Reduced packaging waste
• U.S. manufacturing
• More direct sourcing relationships

Visually, Firsthand has evolved considerably.

The early brand was associated with the minimalist aesthetic common to modern independent grooming and “clean beauty” brands. In its 2024 rebrand, Firsthand deliberately moved toward a more expressive, textured and premium visual language.

The current identity combines several ideas:

Nature + performance + craftsmanship + premium lifestyle.

This is important because Firsthand does not present itself purely as a functional hair-product company. It increasingly operates at the intersection of grooming, beauty, lifestyle and design.

Firsthand’s positioning is relatively broad, but its core consumer can be described as someone who wants:

• High-performing hair products
• More thoughtful ingredients
• Attractive packaging
• Premium sensory experiences
• Sustainability considerations
• Gender-neutral personal care
• A smaller independent brand rather than a mass-market corporation

The brand’s roots are particularly strong in men’s grooming, barbershops and hair styling, but its current positioning is considerably more gender-neutral and inclusive. Its expansion into hair care and body care reflects that evolution.

Firsthand uses a multi-channel business model.

Direct-to-consumer

Consumers can purchase products directly through the company’s online store.

Retail

The brand works with independent retailers and other stockists, with its wholesale business covering hair styling, hair care and body care. 4

Professional

Salons and barbershops are particularly important because professional grooming was part of Firsthand’s original market. The company offers professional/back-bar products through its wholesale operation.

Hospitality

Firsthand has also developed a dedicated hospitality business, supplying hotels with hair and body-care amenities, refill systems and wall-mounted dispensers.

The company’s hospitality program has supplied properties including Ace Hotel, Lenox Hotel and Urban Cowboy, according to Firsthand.

Firsthand occupies an interesting middle ground in the personal-care market.

It isn’t quite a traditional mass-market grooming brand, but it also isn’t positioned as an ultra-luxury beauty house. Instead, its proposition is closer to:

premium independent personal care + clean/considered formulation + professional-level performance + sustainability.

Its competitors can therefore come from several different categories:

• Premium men’s grooming
• Modern hair-styling brands
• Clean beauty
• Independent apothecary brands
• Professional salon/barber products
• Sustainable personal-care companies

What distinguishes Firsthand is its attempt to combine all of these characteristics under one brand.

The company’s differentiation can essentially be reduced to five pillars:

1. Performance — Products are designed to actually perform, particularly in hair styling.
2. Formula development — Firsthand emphasizes developing its formulas itself rather than relying on generic white-label products.
3. Ingredient philosophy — Ingredients are selected for both functionality and compatibility with hair and skin.
4. Manufacturing control — The company says it formulates and manufactures its products in-house in the U.S.
5. Sustainability — Recycled packaging, refill systems and supply-chain decisions are built into the business model.

2016: Founded after Filipe Inacio’s search for a high-performing but less irritating hair-styling product. 1

2017: Firsthand begins commercial production after the founders leave their jobs and establish a small production operation.

2018–2020: The company concentrates on hair styling/hair care and develops its recycled-plastic packaging and supply chain.

2021: ClearAngel invests $38,000 in the company. 2

2021–2023: Firsthand expands manufacturing, hair care, body care, retail, professional and hospitality channels.

2024: The brand undergoes a significant visual and product repositioning around a more premium, nature-inspired identity.

2025 onward: Firsthand continues emphasizing efficacy, formulation control and its “formulaic integrity” philosophy while expanding its product offering.

Firsthand Supply is an independent U.S. hair-and-body-care brand founded in 2016 by Filipe Inacio and Josh Hester, best known for combining high-performance hair styling with ingredient-conscious formulation, in-house manufacturing, sustainable packaging and a premium, gender-neutral design philosophy.

1. Official Firsthand Supply website
2. ClearAngel Invests $38,000 in Inclusive, Sustainable Grooming Brand Firsthand Supply
3. Firsthand Supply Equilibrium Shampoo 500ml – Robinsons Singapore
4. Firsthand Wholesale Portal – Firsthand Supply