We often associate premature pattern hair loss with men, but it’s a problem that affects approximately 6-8% of women before they turn 30, and that percentage climbs to 40% after age 50, according to studies by the National Institutes of Health. And while a receding (or non-existent) hairline does not necessarily impact a man’s perceived level of physical attractiveness, for women, they have no such privilege.

That’s what drove Hongkonger Denise Wu to create a gadget that makes the application of minoxidil, the widely used hair-loss treatment drug, much easier than before.

Wu, in her early 30s, has been dealing with hair loss since her late teens, and like most people who are experiencing hair-loss, she looked for, and tried, every type of treatment. She’s hardly alone, as the alopecia (a medical term for hair-loss) treatment industry has become an 8.4 billion dollar industry in 2020 and expected to grow. In China, in particular, the hair loss treatment market saw a 173% surge in 2023.

When it comes to preventing hair-loss, there are no shortage of gimmicks and scams out there—and in fact, when I was first pitched Denise’s story, I was very skeptical and hesitant.

But Wu’s product, named the Rootique Duo, is not trying to sell some new unproven magic potion. Her device is merely a micro-misting gadget that applies the FDA-approved minoxidil (the same stuff used in Rogaine) evenly across the scalp, and in a faster manner.

“Studies have shown that most people who use minoxidil give up after a short period of time because the process to apply the tonic is tedious and messy,” Wu told me in a meeting over coffee recently. “And often they give up before they see results.”

Wu knows, because she has been using minoxidil for nearly two decades to keep her hair-loss from getting worse.

“Minoxidil is usually applied via droppers, sprays or bare hands, and it’s difficult to gauge how much to use, and it’s easy to have the liquid drip all over. The process required two hands and very tedious,” she added.

The Rootique Duo is a small handheld device shaped like an electric shaver that uses an internal chamber to turn the tonic into mist (or more specifically, 0.005mm fine micromolecules) which are then sprayed onto the scalp. Wu said she wanted to make the gadget one hand usable, so she designed a platic head that helps “divide the hair” as the user guides the gadget through their scalp. She said the process to apply minoxidil on the scalp with the Rootique Duo takes 15-20 seconds, compared to minutes before. “And nothing drips down your face,” she adds.

The Rootique Duo includes a 660nm red light (the same lights used in facial machines) to stimulate the scalp.

It is here I want to add a disclaimer: I have not tried the product myself, and I am blessed with a full head of thick hair, so I don’t think I’d need to use minoxidil anytime soon.

Wu has years of experience working for and with tech startups in Shenzhen, the city that is undoubtedly the global leader in manufacturing gadgets.

She got her start at the PR firm Ogilvy in Hong Kong before moving to Shenzhen where she worked for a couple of e-bike companies. It is during this time she realized that if you have a vision and a clear plan for a product, Shenzhen manufacturer can make it happen as long as the technology exists.

Wu told me she got the idea for her gadget after a spa treatment in 2019. “I noticed the tools they were using to turn lotion and tonic into mist, and I realized those tools can be simplified and combined into one device.”

So she used her connections to meet with Shenzhen hardware experts with past experiences at Xiaomi and Alibaba. They brainstormed designs, and within six months, the first prototype was created. Over the next two years she said she went through dozens of prototypes before this finalized version. She registered the Rootique company earlier this year after securing funding.

Like most new ideas out of Shenzhen, however, the Rootique Duo is starting as a crowdfunded project, but the campaign is fully backed, and Wu said the $99 device will ship in January. She said she already has distributors lined up for North America, Japan and Korea.

Wu said if the Duo is a success, she already had ideas for a second-gen device with a small camera built into the head so users can see their scalp in real-time as minoxidil is being applied. If any city can turn that vision into reality, it’d be Shenzhen.