The history of hair fibers
For most of the 20th century, people hiding thinning hair had three options: hats, hairpieces, or products that colored the scalp. Hair building fibers took a different approach. Instead of painting the skin, they thicken the hair itself.
Scalp sprays, colored powders and creams tinted the skin to reduce contrast between hair and scalp. They often looked flat up close and could run in rain or sweat.
Spencer Forrest, a cosmetics company in Westport, Connecticut, led by Mark Kress, spent about four years developing Toppik. Early Toppik fibers were made from Australian Merino wool, which is rich in keratin. Press coverage in 1999 described the tiny fibers as looking like carpet clippings until they were shaken over thin hair.
The breakthrough was giving the fibers a static charge so they wrap around existing hair, hold through wind and light activity, then rinse out with shampoo.
Caboki launched in the early 2000s with a plant-based alternative made from Levant cotton and mineral colorants. Spencer Forrest added a professional salon line, XFusion, and accessories such as spray applicators, hairline optimizers and FiberHold Spray.
Hair restoration names like Bosley added fibers to their regimens, and Nanogen became one of the best-known fibre brands in the UK.
Spencer Forrest and Toppik were later acquired by consumer goods company Church & Dwight, bringing the category's flagship brand into mass retail. XFusion was rebranded Toppik PRO.
Today hair fibers are a mainstream cosmetic used by men and women worldwide, usually alongside treatment rather than instead of it. Read how hair fibers work next.