EXCLUSIVE: Helena Christensen Returns to Her Roots as First Celebrity Face of Danish Hair Care Brand H?rklinikken
H?rklinikken, the Danish scalp and hair growth brand and clinic long loved by A-listers, has now officially added one to its camp.
Supermodel Helena Christensen has joined as an ambassador, kicking off the partnership by fronting the brand’s latest campaign shot on the shores of Malibu, Calif.’s El Matador State Beach, where Christensen found herself in her element.
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“[The campaign] is an extension of who I am; my hair is wild and full of salt water — everything about it feels very honest,” said Christensen, who has chopped, dyed, crimped and permed her strands in every way imaginable throughout her modeling career, and subsequently holds maintaining her hair’s health as high priority.
“Hair plays a very important role in my life,” continued Christensen, who became a H?rklinikken client in 2020 per the suggestion of a friend. “We all know what it feels like to go through periods where you might be shedding more hair than normal — it makes you concerned even if you have a lot of hair, and especially as a woman you talk about it with your friends.”
That the brand — like Christensen herself — was born in Copenhagen also helped. “I grew up being very environmentally conscious — both because of my family but also because Denmark has played a big role in making me aware in that regard,” she said. “Realizing H?rklinikken was founded by a Dane made me feel myself and my hair would be in good hands.”
Spawned in 1992 as a result of founder Lars Skj?th’s own encounter with hair loss, H?rklinikken offers a range of hair care and styling products, though it is best known for its Hair Gain Extract, which is tailored to each customer’s specific goals relayed during a virtual or in-person consultation. The brand operates seven clinics in Copenhagen; Aarhus, Denmark; Reykjavík, Iceland; Dubai; New York; Beverly Hills, and Tampa, Fla.
“We have definitely seen more momentum as a [result of] the whole focus on scalp health,” said Skj?th, adding that the brand’s client base — which is roughly 70 percent women — has grown over the years largely due to word of mouth. (The brand eschews TikTok entirely and has a sparse presence on other social platforms like Instagram and Facebook).
Quiet growth has been H?rklinikken’s longtime M.O. — Skj?th didn’t speak to U.S. press until the business was more than a decade old in 2014, and he rarely discloses the company’s high-profile clientele, though some such as actress Ricki Lake and celebrity hairstylist Tracey Cunningham have sung the brand’s praises of their own accord.
In partnering with Christensen, though, the brand is looking to turn up the volume.
“This is the first time we’re doing a brand partnership in this way, and we’re going all in,” Skj?th said. “We want to amplify the brand and we’re hoping Helena can help bring this conversation to the place it deserves to be.”
Christensen’s inauguration comes just a few months after Skj?th’s appointment of Stuart Millar, who hailed from Credo Beauty, as chief executive officer in January.
“Until three months ago, I had always been CEO, but it was not a position that I had any problem giving to someone who would do a better job than me. [Millar] is extremely strategic, he’s a little bit of a stickler like me; our collaboration feels like a match made in heaven,” said Skj?th.
The brand’s current priorities include a potential foray into the professional channel and, further down the line, the addition of more clinics.
“We don’t necessarily have an ambition to be everywhere yet — we are definitely looking at other markets, but for a little bit of a later time,” Skj?th said.
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