Introduction
Aine Kennedy had $14,000 saved for a house deposit. Instead of buying a home, the 25-year-old Dublin entrepreneur put the money into a business she was building from her attic.
That decision became the starting point for The Smooth Company, an Irish haircare brand built around a remarkably simple idea: create a product that could tame flyaways and baby hairs without leaving hair greasy, crunchy or stiff.
Kennedy launched The Smooth Company in 2022 without investors, a business background or a traditional marketing budget. Her early operation consisted of herself, one product and her 84-year-old grandad Billy, who helped pack orders.
Here is how Aine Kennedy built The Smooth Company, why TikTok became such an important growth engine, and what the company's journey reveals about building a modern consumer brand.
Who Is Aine Kennedy?
Aine Kennedy is the founder of The Smooth Company, an Irish haircare business launched in 2022.
Her entrepreneurial journey began with an observation rather than a traditional business plan. During lockdown, Kennedy saw people on TikTok experimenting with different products and techniques to deal with flyaways and baby hairs.
The problem was widespread, but the existing solutions often came with unwanted results. Hair could look greasy, feel stiff, or become crunchy.
Kennedy saw an opportunity to create something specifically designed for the problem.
Rather than immediately pursuing investors or building a large team, she began developing the product herself.
How The Smooth Company Started
Kennedy spent around two years testing formulas and refining the product and packaging before launching The Smooth Company.
The first product was the Smooth Stick, a hair wand designed to smooth flyaways and baby hairs while avoiding the heavy or stiff finish associated with some other styling products.
The concept was deliberately straightforward. Consumers could understand what the product was designed to do almost immediately.
That simplicity mattered.
A product that solves a familiar problem can be easier to demonstrate, explain, and share than one requiring consumers to learn an entirely new category.
In 2022, Kennedy took the product to market. She was also taking a major personal financial risk.
Aine Kennedy Invested Her House Deposit
Before launching The Smooth Company, Kennedy had saved approximately $14,000 for a house deposit.
She decided to invest those savings into the business instead.
It meant launching without the financial safety net that many startups have when they raise outside funding. There were no investors financing an extended marketing campaign and no large team handling operations.
Kennedy started from her attic in Dublin. Orders were packed at home, and her grandad Billy helped her work through them.
At the time, it was simply what was necessary to keep the business moving. But their story would eventually become one of the most memorable aspects of The Smooth Company's early growth.
Aine Kennedy and Her 84-Year-Old Grandad Billy
Billy was 84 when he began helping Kennedy pack orders.
He wasn't a hired influencer or part of a celebrity marketing campaign. He was Kennedy's grandad, helping his granddaughter with the practical work of running a young business.
That made their content different from polished brand advertising.
Customers could see a real founder operating a real business, with Billy beside her packing products and helping get orders out the door.
As The Smooth Company gained attention online, their relationship became part of the company's identity.
The story resonated because it was difficult to manufacture. It was simply what was happening behind the scenes.
How TikTok Helped The Smooth Company Grow
Marketing presented an obvious challenge for a self-funded startup.
Kennedy did not have a large advertising budget, so TikTok became an important opportunity to reach potential customers organically.
The Smooth Stick was particularly well suited to short-form video because its purpose could be demonstrated visually. Someone could see a flyaway, watch the product being applied, and immediately understand what it was supposed to accomplish.
Kennedy began creating content around the product and the business.
The strategy did not rely on elaborate advertising campaigns. Instead, the product itself became the content.
Eventually, the content took off. The Smooth Stick accumulated around 150 million organic views.
The resulting attention generated a major increase in orders, creating a new operational challenge for the small company: fulfilling demand fast enough.
From 150 Million Views to International Demand
Going viral is not the same thing as building a sustainable business.
For The Smooth Company, the social-media attention had to translate into customers, repeat demand and an expanding operation.
The company's growth extended beyond TikTok.
The Smooth Stick was associated with high-profile names including Molly-Mae, Gwyneth Paltrow and Maya Jama. The information provided states that these mentions were not paid for.
Organic exposure from recognizable public figures can be particularly valuable for a young beauty brand because it reinforces the idea that a product is being discovered and used naturally.
At the same time, the company's original proposition remained easy to understand: a simple solution for flyaways and baby hairs.
How The Smooth Company Expanded
The Smooth Company began with one product.
It has since expanded to 10 products and an international presence spanning 92 countries. That progression is significant because it shows the company moving beyond a single viral product.
The original Smooth Stick gave the business a clear entry point. Once consumers became familiar with the brand, the company could expand its product offering while retaining the broader focus on haircare and styling.
This is a common challenge for consumer brands: turning the popularity of a hero product into a broader relationship with customers.
For The Smooth Company, the initial product created the awareness that allowed the brand to grow.
The Business Performance Behind The Brand
The social-media numbers tell only part of the story.
The information supplied states that The Smooth Company's profits tripled in 2024.
That is an important distinction. A brand can attract millions of views without necessarily becoming financially successful. Profit growth suggests that The Smooth Company's expansion was accompanied by meaningful commercial performance.
The company has also continued to attract recognition for its founder.
Forbes named Aine Kennedy to its 30 Under 30 Europe list, while The Irish Times reported in November 2025 that she won the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award.
These milestones reflect how far the business had moved from its beginnings as an attic-based startup.
What Made The Smooth Company Different?
The Smooth Company's growth was not based on a complicated product proposition.
It began with an everyday problem.
Flyaways and baby hairs are relatively small concerns, but they are highly relatable. That gave Kennedy something valuable: a problem that could be communicated quickly and visually.
The product was also naturally suited to social media.
A potential customer did not need a lengthy explanation to understand its purpose. A short video could demonstrate the before-and-after effect and show how the product was used.
Then there was the founder story.
Kennedy's decision to invest her house deposit, build the company from her attic and pack orders with her 84-year-old grandad gave audiences another reason to pay attention.
The combination was powerful: a recognizable problem, a demonstrable product and an authentic story.
The Smooth Company Today
The Smooth Company is now far removed from its beginnings as a one-product business operating from Kennedy's attic. The brand currently sells in 92 countries and has grown to 10 products. Its profits reportedly tripled in 2024.
Kennedy has also received significant recognition, including a place on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Europe list and the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award reported by The Irish Times in 2025.
The company's journey from a self-funded launch to an international haircare brand demonstrates the scale that can emerge from a focused consumer product when product development, social distribution and audience engagement come together.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What company did Aine Kennedy start?
Aine Kennedy founded The Smooth Company, an Irish haircare brand launched in 2022.
2. How much did Aine Kennedy invest in her business?
Kennedy invested approximately $14,000 of savings that she had originally set aside for a house deposit.
3. Where did Aine Kennedy start The Smooth Company?
Kennedy started The Smooth Company from her attic in Dublin.
4. How did The Smooth Company become viral?
TikTok was central to the brand's early growth. Product demonstrations and behind-the-scenes content helped the company reach a large audience, with the Smooth Stick reportedly generating approximately 150 million organic views.
5. How many countries does The Smooth Company sell in?
The Smooth Company sells in 92 countries.
6. Did Forbes recognize Aine Kennedy?
Yes. Forbes named Aine Kennedy to its 30 Under 30 Europe list.
Conclusion
Aine Kennedy's story began with a simple question: could there be a better way to deal with flyaways and baby hairs?
She spent two years developing the answer, then put approximately $14,000 of house-deposit savings behind it.
The resulting company started in an attic, with Kennedy and her 84-year-old grandad packing orders by hand. Without a significant marketing budget, TikTok became the company's distribution channel, and the Smooth Stick eventually generated approximately 150 million organic views.
From there, The Smooth Company expanded into 10 products and reached customers in 92 countries. Its reported profit growth and Kennedy's recognition by Forbes and EY show that the business has moved well beyond its early viral moment.
But the most interesting part of the story may be how uncomplicated the original idea was.
Kennedy did not start by trying to build a huge haircare company. She identified a problem people already had, spent years developing a solution, and then found a way to put that solution directly in front of potential customers.
The result is a useful blueprint for modern consumer entrepreneurship: start with a real problem, make the solution easy to understand, tell the story honestly, and let the audience become part of the journey.
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