Written by Ella, our Cosmetic Formulation Scientist. Lovingly translated from science-speak to real-life (italic call outs) by our other Co-Founder, Maisie
When we started Maze, we didn’t begin with ingredients or marketing briefs. We began with women. Real women from our own community who were experiencing one of the most transformative chapters of their lives. We wanted to understand what really happens to hair during pregnancy and postpartum, how it looks, how it feels, and how it impacts confidence in the process.
So, we asked.
Over 200 women from our community shared their experiences, and 160 took part in an in-depth survey exploring every stage of their journey: before, during and after pregnancy. What they told us was powerful. The results showed that hair change in this life stage isn’t niche, it’s almost universal.
89% noticed a change in their hair during or after pregnancy, and two-thirds said it spanned both stages.
Confidence was one of the biggest casualties, with 93% of women said how their hair looks directly affects how they feel about themselves. For many, the postpartum months marked a shift from feeling their best to struggling with shedding, dryness and loss of density.
Before pregnancy, the most common concerns were aesthetic, like shine, frizz and colour. But during and after, everything changed. Concerns around shedding and regrowth more than tripled, overtaking all others. Haircare stopped being about styling and became about repair, strength, and recovery.
And for many, even that became difficult. Our survey revealed how dramatically self-care habits shift after birth. What was once described as “a moment of peace alone” in the shower became, for many, “a mad rush in and out,” which increased by more than tenfold after giving birth.
Half of respondents said washing their hair felt more like a chore than a pleasure, a small but telling reminder of how much space new mothers lose for themselves.
Maze was created to bring some of that space back. Our goal has always been to make haircare feel effortless and restorative again, built around small, science-led rituals that genuinely support both scalp health and self-confidence.
This is where Maze began to take shape. Every insight became a function; every ingredient, a solution. From what women told us, we created the Perinatal Complex - a targeted blend of four powerhouse actives designed to support the scalp, hair, and follicles as they adapt through hormonal change.
At the heart of this complex are four pillars of hair and scalp health, each designed to target a specific function within the hair growth ecosystem:
- Balance - Centella Asiatica soothes inflammation, supports microcirculation, and helps balance the scalp microbiome, creating a calm, healthy foundation for optimal follicle function.
- Hair - Saw Palmetto helps reduce excess shedding by inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase, an enzyme linked to hair thinning, supporting fuller, thicker-looking hair over time.
- Follicle - Camellia Sinensis is rich in caffeine and polyphenols that energise hair follicles, extend growth phases, and protect against oxidative stress for stronger, more resilient strands.
- Scalp - Niacinamide strengthens the scalp barrier and helps reduce inflammation, maintaining hydration and comfort while supporting healthy hair growth.
Together, these actives form a synergistic system that protects against oxidative stress, helps reduce inflammation, and maintains scalp and follicle vitality to provide the foundation for stronger, healthier-looking hair through every hormonal shift.
While the Perinatal Complex became the foundation, we also felt it was important to include ingredients that care for the everyday health and feel of your hair. Panthenol and Betaine were chosen for their proven ability to hydrate, strengthen and smooth, delivering comfort to the scalp and visible softness to the hair.
Betaine, sustainably upcycled from sugar production side streams, helps improve scalp and hair health while reducing breakage, frizz and flyaways. Panthenol, known as pro-vitamin B5, penetrates the hair fibre to deliver long-lasting hydration and conditioning benefits, leaving hair shiny, soft and more resilient with every use.
And because more than 80% of women told us they wanted science-backed solutions they could trust, we went further. That led to FolliBiotics Pro™, our patented postbiotic active and the first of its kind designed for both scalp microbiome balance and hair growth. Inspired by the science of scalp microneedling, it works by boosting the scalp’s natural regeneration signals to help extend the hair’s growth phase while strengthening the barrier and restoring hydration from the first use.
Scalp microneedling is a procedure that uses tiny needles to create micro-injuries in the scalp, which triggers the body's natural healing response.This process improves blood circulation to the follicles and stimulates growth factors (chemical messengers that send signals), both of which helps with hair thinning and promotes hair growth
Together, these actives form a complete system tailored to the hormonal changes of pregnancy and postpartum, a biologically tuned, science-backed approach that supports the scalp, follicles, hair and microbiome through every stage.
What began as research became something much bigger - a shared mission to change how women care for their hair through life’s hormonal shifts. Your stories shaped every decision, from ingredients to innovation, and they continue to guide everything we do. Maze was built on real experiences and real science, created with you and for you.
To everyone who shared their experience, thank you. You didn’t just inspire our formulas, you helped create them.
