scalp care for scalps prone to dryness, flaking and itch

made for the days it itches most

A soothing scalp serum for skin that's been through enough.

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  • Fragrance-free
  • Made with a UK cosmetic chemist
  • One email a week, no spam
Our story

The itch that makes you pull your hood up. The flaking that makes you apologise for leaning forward. The exhaustion of managing something that never really goes away. My sister knows exactly what this feels like. I made Zema for her, and for everyone who knows it too.

Our story

Made by a brother who ran out of things to suggest.

zema was founded by remy for his sister, who has lived with a scalp that never really gives her a day off. She spent years cycling through products that promised a lot and delivered very little, shelves full of "soothing" and "calming" claims, and almost nothing genuinely made for a scalp like hers.

So we did something different. Working with a UK cosmetic chemist, we built a simple, fragrance-free serum around ingredients chosen to soothe, moisturise and support the skin barrier, formulated for scalps prone to dryness, flaking and itch, and honest about what it can and can't do.

We will never overstate what our products can do. Every ingredient is in the bottle for a reason, and we'll always tell you what that reason is.

Read our full story

Why we exist

Most people with these conditions have already tried everything.

What's already out there

  • Fragrance in everything

    Even products marketed at sensitive skin lean on perfume and essential oils, not what a reactive scalp is looking for.

  • Made for hair, not skin

    Most scalp products are haircare first: built to make hair look and smell good, not to care for the skin underneath it.

  • Vague "natural" claims

    Beautiful branding and pleasant-sounding ingredients, with very little clarity about what's actually inside or why it's there.

  • One-size-fits-all sensitivity

    General "sensitive skin" ranges rarely consider what a flaky, itchy scalp actually feels like to live with day to day.

What we decided to do

  • Care for the skin, not just the hair

    A lightweight leave-in serum applied directly to the scalp, made to soothe, moisturise and support the skin barrier.

  • Keep the formula short and fragrance-free

    Every ingredient has a job, soothing, hydrating or supporting the skin barrier. No fragrance, no filler, nothing there for the label.

  • Be honest about what we can't do

    Zema is a cosmetic, not a medicine. We will never claim it treats or cures anything, and we'll always say so plainly.

  • Make it personal

    zema was founded by remy for his sister, who has lived with a scalp that never really gives her a day off. It's not a market opportunity. It's personal.

What Zema does

Three things we focus on. Nothing else.

feels soothed and settled

a light leave-in serum for scalps prone to itch and flaking, made to help skin feel calm on the days it needs it most.

supports the skin barrier

niacinamide helps support the skin's natural barrier and keep moisture where it belongs, so skin feels less tight and dry.

hydrates without residue

ectoin, panthenol and betaine draw in moisture and help it stay put. lightweight enough for daily use.

Scalp Serum

Hero product

Scalp Serum

a lightweight, fast-absorbing serum made for scalps prone to dryness, flaking and itch. No fragrance. No filler. Just what your scalp actually needs.

Fragrance-free
Four featured ingredients, no unnecessary additives
Lightweight leave-in serum for daily use
Vegan and cruelty-free
£38 50ml · at launch
Join the waitlist See ingredients

what we left out

a short formula is mostly about what you don't add.

these are the decisions we made on purpose.

  • fragrance and essential oils nothing in this bottle is there for how it smells. people with reactive scalps told us it's the first thing they check for, so it was the first thing we cut.
  • menthol, peppermint and other cooling agents a tingle feels like something's happening. we'd rather the serum was quiet.
  • drying alcohol often used to make a serum feel fast-drying. we went with a light water base and accepted a few extra seconds.
  • colourants it's the colour it is.
  • silicones good for slip and shine on hair. this is skincare, not haircare, and it wasn't needed.

what’s inside

four featured ingredients. every one chosen for a reason.

formula status: not yet locked · safety assessment in progress

niacinamide

INCI: Niacinamide

barrier support

what it is

a form of vitamin b3. water-soluble, one of the most-studied ingredients in skincare, and the backbone of this formula.

what it does in this formula

helps support the skin's natural barrier, so the scalp holds on to moisture rather than losing it. skin that keeps its moisture tends to feel less tight and less dry.

what we're not claiming

that it treats or clears any skin or scalp condition. that it reduces redness or calms inflammation: we have no study on this product, and that's medical territory anyway. that it does anything for hair growth or oil.

ectoin

INCI: Ectoin

moisture retention

what it is

an extremolyte: a small molecule that certain microorganisms make to survive extreme heat, salt and dryness. made by fermentation for cosmetics. the most expensive ingredient in the bottle, and the one the formula was built around.

what it does in this formula

binds water tightly around itself and helps skin hold on to moisture. in a leave-on serum, that's what keeps a dry-feeling scalp comfortable.

what we're not claiming

that it repairs damaged skin. that it protects against pollution, uv or "stress": we'll only say that if our supplier's data supports it for this formula, and it isn't on this site until then. that it treats any skin or scalp condition.

panthenol

INCI: Panthenol

hydration & softness

what it is

pro-vitamin b5. a humectant that's been used in skin and hair products for decades.

what it does in this formula

draws water into the upper layers of the skin and helps it stay there. leaves the scalp feeling soft and comfortable rather than tight, and won't weigh down the hair it touches.

what we're not claiming

that it heals or repairs anything. that it treats flaking, itch or any skin or scalp condition.

betaine

INCI: Betaine

hydration & comfort

what it is

an amino-acid derivative found naturally in skin, usually sourced from sugar beet for cosmetics. an osmolyte: it helps cells manage their water balance.

what it does in this formula

a humectant that helps skin hold water, and helps the serum feel gentle and non-tight as it goes on.

what we're not claiming

that it's an "anti-irritant" or that it stops itch. that it's proven for sensitive skin: there's no product-specific study, and we won't pretend there is.

the waitlist

you've just read what's in it, and what we won't say about it.

if that's the kind of brand you want to hear from, join the list. one email a week at most. the first 200 get early-access pricing.

we'll email you about zema's launch, once a week at most. unsubscribe any time. privacy policy