Meet Lucie: the TikTok and Dragons' Den entrepreneur that set up a multi-million-pound hair care business in lockdown

• Business name: Hair Syrup 

• Industry: Hair and beauty

• Founded in: 2021

• Key learning: "Maintaining a cash reserve is essential as you scale your business”

Lucie Macleod never thought she would be running a multi-million-pound business.  

But thanks to strong brand values and a passion for social media, Hair Syrup has gone from strength to strength. Hair Syrup is now known for its all-natural, cruelty-free pre-wash hair oils, and is stocked in huge retailers like Boots. 

The 25-year-old also shot to fame during a recent appearance on Dragons' Den. Although the Dragons decided not to invest, her business caught the attention of viewers.

Here, she reflects on life before and after the Den, and how she’s harnessed the power of TikTok to drive sales. 

What motivated you to set up your own business? 

I didn’t have this big goal of building a business and Hair Syrup wasn’t part of my plan – but life has a funny way of working out when things are meant to be. 

It all started when I was making DIY hair oils in my student kitchen because my own hair was fried from not looking after it as a teenager. I then made a TikTok on my personal page about my handmade oils and I thought it was just a bit of fun – I only had about three followers!

But when I woke up the next morning, the video had gone viral and it had loads of comments from people asking if they could buy the oil. At the time, I found it quite funny and I didn’t give it much thought. Then lockdown happened. 

How did you create your business during lockdown? 

During lockdown, I was still getting comments from people about the hair oil, and probably due to a bit of boredom, I decided to do something about it. I thought it would be a good student side hustle and focused on creating 10 bottles at first. 

But it was a bit like the blind leading the blind! I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and because we were in lockdown I didn’t have anyone to ask. Starting a business in 2025 is a lot easier than it was in 2021. 

I spent weeks and weeks researching my product and how I could make it a reality. I read everything from government legislation to how to get a product tested so it could legally go to market. I really enjoyed it and I was learning so many new skills. Honestly, I still don’t know what possessed me to start it and I never thought I would make any money. I just had this itch and I knew I needed to make it happen – so I did! 

What was it like selling your product initially? 

Once I had created the first batch of products – and trust me, it took a lot of work to get to that stage – I then filmed some more TikTok videos to market the oils. And to my astonishment, people bought the products and soon they were sold out. So then I needed to make another batch and I was doing this all from my parent's conservatory. 

How did you fund the business? 

The business has always been completely self-funded, so I’ve never had a loan or investment, I just put the money back into the business when we sold the products. I think I started with around £200 and made it work from there. 

I’ve always been good with money, and when you have a small startup fund, you have to be really smart with your spending. Something that’s really helped the business is always having a strong cash reserve – that’s kept us on the right track if we’ve faced unexpected expenses.

What was one of your main challenges when your business started to scale? 

Hair Syrup was founded in Pembrokeshire, Wales, so being in a rural area was definitely a challenge. For example, finding the right people to work for us was difficult as there is a small recruitment pool and limited resources. I also didn’t have a professional support network nearby and it did feel very lonely at times. 

We achieved incredible success early on and my main focus was maintaining this growth, so it was quite intense. We had a 967% revenue increase in one year and now we’re on track to make £6.5 million in annual revenue by 2026. It was very difficult in the beginning, but it taught me a lot of resilience, and it definitely made me the businesswoman I am today. 

How has TikTok played a key role in your business journey? 

TikTok was there from the beginning. Hair Syrup was one of the first UK brands to really utilise the platform and I’ve had to adapt our social strategy as it’s become more popular. In the early days, we were everywhere and making a lot of noise, so I’ve been determined to keep that up. I would say I’m quite aggressive with our strategy – we post around 20 videos a day, and my aim is for Hair Syrup to dominate the hair care industry. 

These days, you can’t just post now and again –you have to be agile with your strategy and constantly change the content. You have no idea what’s going to go viral, but with multiple videos everyday, you have more chance that one will land. It also helps that we have a small team with 16 employees, so there’s a quick sign-off process. I know the brand inside out so we can act quickly, and I think that’s really helped to drive our success.

After so much success on social media, what led you to Dragons' Den? 

I was approached by the production team and I felt like it was a great opportunity so I couldn’t say no. I think the Dragons could see that I had a huge sense of my brand and where I wanted to take it - but they weren’t sure whether I needed the investment. I also think it was a bit of a different business to take to the Den. Its success has been driven by TikTok and I think they were concerned about its longevity. But Hair Syrup is now in huge retailers like Boots, so it was a shame that they were reluctant to invest. 

What happened after your appearance on Dragons' Den? 

We had a 66% increase in sales once the episode aired, which was amazing. We also had 22 million profile views on our TikTok, 70,000 new followers and press coverage skyrocketed. 

Everyone is now waiting for my next move and the support has been amazing - I really feel like people want to see me succeed even though I didn’t get the investment. There’s been so many huge opportunities since the show, but I’m staying grounded and focused on my business. 

What’s next for Hair Syrup? 

I’m really keen for us to expand into new markets. I want to continue to capitalise in the UK and now TikTok Shop is rolling out across Ireland and Europe – I want Hair Syrup to be the first in the queue. Launching Hair Syrup in the US is also on my mind, so there’s a lot of exciting plans in the pipeline. 

What would you say to someone who is thinking about starting a business? 

I think starting a business has to be your own journey and your own story. It’s easy to look at others and think, yes I’ll do that. But you need to be clear on why you’re doing it and not be swayed by others. Be driven by your passion and values, as this will push you through the challenging times and make the good times even more satisfying. 

This case study is for informational purposes only and is not intended as financial or professional advice. The results described are specific to the individual's personal experience, so please consult with a qualified professional if you need financial advice.