Eight years after it launched its viral hairdryer, British tech company Dyson is digging further into the beauty industry with its first range of “wet” haircare products.
The company, best known for revolutionising vacuum cleaners, has launched two styling products under its Chitosan range. The pre-style cream and a post-style serum come in four variants for different hair types, from straight to curly.
The chitosan range is designed to retain hair's flexibility, giving it movement and shine without making it stiff, the company says. The unisex range is suitable for all hair types, and is guaranteed to work even in high humidity.
But what is chitosan?
According to healthline.com, chitosan is derived from chitin, a fibrous compound found mainly on the hard outer skeletons of crustaceans and in the cell walls of some fungi. Biodegradable, chitosan is used for manufacturing antimicrobial films for food packaging. And due to its ability to form a gel, it has also been used in wound dressing.
Chitosan supplements, mostly derived from shellfish, have long been sold for their purported weight-loss properties, touted as “fat blockers”. But the National Institutes of Health in the US has noted that there is not enough strong evidence to support these claims.
“Historically, commercial chitosan samples were mainly produced from chemical deacetylation of chitin from crustacean sources,” the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the US said in a report published in 2021. “More recently, chitosan from fungi is gaining interest in the market, driven by vegan demands.”
In 2019, the global chitosan market size was valued at $6.8 billion and was expected to grow by 24 per cent by 2027, the report added. The main drivers for the growth are the increasing use of the polymer in the pharmaceutical, biomedical, cosmetics and food industries, it said.
Dyson's chitosan formula is derived from oyster mushrooms, from the same compound that gives the fungi its shape.
“Each bottle harnesses the power of up to eight oyster mushrooms,” says Justina Mejia Montane, the product development director of new ventures at the company.
Dyson isn't the first company to use chitosan as a haircare ingredient. Many brands, from Herbal Essences to Briogio and Aussie, have been using it as an active ingredient in their products for years. Equally, mushrooms too are having a moment in the beauty industry thanks to their high vitamin, mineral, protein and fatty acid levels.
While new beauty products are a bold move for a tech company, Dyson is not the only one. Another British brand, GHD, known for its hair straighteners, already sells a range of haircare products.
Dyson's reliability engineer, Kate Craft, said the move into beauty was carefully planned. “It didn’t just start with the launch of the Supersonic. We’ve been researching hair for more than a decade and have invested over £100 million into laboratories around the world,” she told Forbes in 2022. “We’ve continued to research and develop tools to meet our mission: products for every hair type, every style, with less damage.”
The Dyson Chitosan range is expected to be available across the Middle East next year.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Klipit%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venkat%20Reddy%2C%20Mohammed%20Al%20Bulooki%2C%20Bilal%20Merchant%2C%20Asif%20Ahmed%2C%20Ovais%20Merchant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Digital%20receipts%2C%20finance%2C%20blockchain%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Privately%2Fself-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo and dual electric motors
Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.0L/100km
Price: from Dh199,900
On sale: now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
