Why customer-led healthcare disruptor Software expanded into haircare

E-commerce-driven healthcare is how Eucalyptus – a technology-powered healthcare provider, is changing the way Australians access dermatology, fertility, weight loss, men’s health, performance and longevity through its brands.

Software is Australian-owned and is a subsidiary of Eucalyptus centred around dermatology. The brand includes a line of products retailed both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and through its retail partners – a natural progression in Eucalyptus’s purpose to build a better future for healthcare by improving outdated and inefficient systems entrenched within the healthcare system.

In 2024 Software expanded its range of clinically-developed products to include haircare, furthering its mission to “democratise derm and trichology across Australia.”

Type Bea is another new high-performing haircare brand that entered the market this year and is similarly focused on facilitating hair growth and optimum hair health – with an emphasis on inclusion and design for all hair types. Co-founded by Anna Lahey, the founder of ingestible beauty brand Vida Glow and Rita Ora. Type Bea products are formulated with clean ingredients designed to offer both sensorial luxury and clinically backed results to reduce hair loss by up to 60 per cent within three months.

Family tree

Eucalyptus is a digital healthcare startup founded in 2019 that connects patients directly with practitioners and pharmacists through a group of digital clinics.

The business has a team of 400 staff globally, spanning disciplines in healthcare, engineering, logistics, design and marketing – all working together synergistically to disrupt the healthcare system for the better.

To date, Software has developed over 70,000 custom formulations for patients targeted at treating acne, redness, pigmentation and aging.

Software was founded in 2020 and initially delivered tailored telehealth services that used clinical-grade ingredients to create skincare formulations tailored to individuals’ needs.

The brand had a purely DTC e-commerce presence until 2023 – when it launched an over-the-counter skincare line through a network of retail partners in Australia, including Priceline Pharmacy.

Healthcare to haircare

Cade Fleming, head of omnichannel brands at Eucalyptus told Inside Retail, “Expanding into haircare is a natural evolution for Software, and it optimises our customer-first innovation strategy.”

Consumer trends including the “skinification” of hair, the growing knowledge surrounding the scalp and hair health and the rise of “ceuticals” incorporated into beauty regimes were all reason enough to further expand the Software brand.

Addressing a critical gap in the market also drove the new venture with its research suggesting that hair loss or thinning affects about half of the female population.

“No one is addressing it head-on, unlike male hair loss, very few people talk about it and women don’t know who to turn to for advice or which products to use,” Fleming said and emphasised that due to a lack of education, female pattern hair loss is misunderstood and mistreated.

“Software is uniquely positioned to leverage our practitioner and dermatology ecosystem to bring highly efficacious products to market that target the “root” cause of female pattern hair loss. We are extremely excited about launching this range with Priceline and the future of Software in haircare,” Fleming said.

Disrupting the market

At Software, new product development is driven by the consumer and created by a clinical team.

Dr Matthew Vickers, clinical director and specialist GP at Software told Inside Retail, “Launching into hair care was a clear step, driven by our patients and a critical gap in the market.”

“Our software business trajectory continues to deliver on our mission to democratise dermatology and now trichology,” Vickers added.

“Software is uniquely positioned to address this issue with each product created and backed by a clinical team of skin health experts, providing consumers with products we know they can rely on,” Vickers said.

Accessibility drives the Software brand and has subsequently informed its retail strategy and the decision to not be exclusively stocked with retail partners or DTC. Currently, Software haircare is available at Priceline and via pureplay online retailer Adore Beauty.

“Partnering with retail stores like Priceline provides a strategic opportunity to reach a broad audience of women seeking accessible and effective hair care solutions at a much more affordable price,” Fleming said.

“Priceline’s extensive reach and trusted reputation provide an ideal retail space to raise awareness and offer solutions for this common concern across Australia,” Fleming added.

Software is constantly obtaining customer consensus and creating products that aim to solve the issues its customer faces. 

“All of our Software products are developed with consumer insights gathered across several areas,” Fleming said.

After surveying over 300 Software customers on their behaviour and attitude towards hair loss it was found that 92 per cent experienced loss of confidence and self-esteem due to hair loss or thinning, and 76 per cent used non-prescription products (treatments, and supplements) to address thinning/loss.

Less than 10 per cent raised their hair loss/thinning with their GP and less than 50 per cent believed that hormonal changes – pregnancy and the pill – were the root cause of hair loss.

“We run regular customer surveys which often get thousands of responses which helps us engage our customer in the new product development process and develop products specific to their evolving needs,” Fleming said.

In addition, the brand uses its database of over 200 influencers to actively seek feedback from and incorporate improvements into product development.

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