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Mabel Lui

When Dyson entered the beauty space eight years ago, the move was met with scepticism. After all, the brand was primarily known for its home appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and fans.
Then there was the fact its first hairdryer, the Supersonic, had a retail price of almost US$400.
Kathleen Pierce, now global president of Dyson Beauty, also had questions when she first passed by a display of the Supersonic – whose head resembles a short, hollow cylinder – at a Dyson store in Hong Kong.
At the time, she was a senior vice-president at The Estée Lauder Companies, based in an office in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui area.
We leveraged our knowledge of airflow to fundamentally improve the product
Kathleen Pierce, global president of Dyson Beauty
“I was genuinely curious as a consumer, because I was looking at this device and this shape and I couldn’t understand how it worked,” she says. “Where did the air come from? What was so superior about it?
“I remember having conversations with my colleagues in Hong Kong saying, ‘What do you all think?’ Then somebody made the leap and purchased it, we all borrowed it, and became instantly, instantly attached.”

Within a month of its debut, the Supersonic became the bestselling hairdryer in the United Kingdom, according to Dyson, with social media spurring a surge in sales. When Dyson’s Airwrap multi-styler was released in 2018, it promptly sold out.
By the time Pierce joined Dyson in 2022, the company had released its third beauty offering, the Corrale straightener. Then in 2023, it released the Airstrait, a wet-to-dry straightener.
The Supersonic was made possible because, unlike typical hairdryers, which have a motor that makes the device top-heavy, Dyson created a digital motor that could sit inside the handle, with the airflow amplified by technology inside the dryer head.
“We made it more ergonomically correct, and then we leveraged our knowledge of airflow to fundamentally improve the product,” Pierce says. “It was that questioning of the space that became incredibly unique in the way that we approach products.”

Studying hair science – be it about hair follicles, scalp health or causes of damage – is an integral part of research and development at the company.
The Supersonic Nural, which launched earlier this year, is an upgrade on the original Supersonic and was created with hair health in mind. The dryer has a “scalp protect mode” that lowers the air temperature when sensors detect the device is too close to the scalp.
Dyson’s focus on hair health is part of the reason the brand has become an at-home favourite for consumers, according to hairstylist David Gouygou, who co-founded the Hong Kong hair salon Bruneblonde and has styled celebrities including model Naomi Campbell and actor Nicolas Cage.
“As a dryer, as a curling iron, the quality is actually fantastic and it’s very safe for hair. I find that – since some of my clients have used [the Dyson dryer] for so long – it’s less damaging than what they have used before,” he says.
That said, while he recommends Dyson tools to his clients for at-home use, he does not use them professionally because he prefers tools that offer stronger heat and can style hair at a faster speed, such as GHD curling irons and dryers from Velecta Paris and Elchim.

Hairstylist Evan Wong, who co-founded the the hair product shop Mau Lei in Central on Hong Kong Island, agrees that Dyson tools are better suited for at-home users.
“If you want your hair to be straight, combining the drying and straightening [with the Airstrait] does save time if you’re doing it yourself. But for us, the result isn’t necessarily what we desire, because we might want some parts to be looser, curly or straight.”
Marvin Lin, who founded Shhh Salon in Sheung Wan and has released several haircare lines, adds that while good marketing has allowed Dyson to occupy significant market share in the beauty space, there are indeed limitations to its tools and notes that customers should consider what they need before purchasing.
For example, while the Supersonic may be less hot, it may not be as suitable for drying extra long hair. “If your hair [stays] wet or a bit moist [for too long], it’s not good for your scalp as well, especially in Hong Kong,” she says.
“If you dry your hair within 20 minutes after shampoo[ing], it will get five times less bacteria.”

To combat these concerns from hairstylists, Dyson has recently launched the Supersonic r, a dryer exclusive to professionals. At 325 grams (11oz), the dryer is 20 per cent lighter than the original Supersonic.
Wong has tried out the new dryer and notes that it is lighter than others on the market, so it is his favourite dryer to use at the moment. “The most important thing is that it’s light, easy to use and that the wind and heat meets what we need,” he says.
Dyson is showing no signs of slowing down in the beauty space. In 2022, it announced that it would dedicate £500 million (US$650 million) to developing 20 new beauty products by 2026.
Among them are Dyson’s first hairstyling formulations – the recently launched Chitosan pre-style cream variants and post-style serum – and the Airwrap i.d. multi-styler and dryer, which features new attachments.
“Our goal is to solve problems that other people ignore,” Pierce says. “So if we see a problem on the marketplace, we spend years trying to unpick it and understand it, because we want to make sure that we’re launching technology that fundamentally improves the status quo.”


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A model uses the Supersonic Nural at an event in Hong Kong in 2024. Despite initial scepticism, Dyson’s foray into the beauty industry has been a success. Photo: Dyson

Dyson made its first foray into the beauty industry with the Supersonic hairdryer in 2016. Photo: Dyson

Dyson ambassador Jisoo with the Airstrait, a wet-to-dry straightener. Photo: Dyson

The Airstrait was launched in 2023, and was introduced to the Hong Kong market in February 2024. Photo: Dyson

The Supersonic Nural, which launched earlier this year, was specifically created with hair health in mind. Photo: Dyson

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Lifestyle

Fashion & Beauty

Despite initial scepticism, Dyson’s foray into the beauty industry has been a success, thanks to it focus on hair health and technology


Despite initial scepticism, Dyson’s foray into the beauty industry has been a success, thanks to it focus on hair health and technology.
