At his mother Nuria's salon in Bilbao, Jon Kortajarena first saw how a change of hairstyle could affect a person's mood. That early lesson now shapes Smthelse, his premium unisex haircare and styling brand. The line includes 14 products and features a scent inspired by Lanzarote.
The line is rolling out in stages over the coming months.
Several core items are already on sale. Pure Hydrate Shampoo costs 31 euros. Conditioner costs 33 euros, a mask 36 euros and a blow-dry cream 34 euros. Hair oil costs 36 euros, while styling gel is 28 euros. The brand lists those prices and the launch assortment.
Smthelse sits between professional haircare and luxury cosmetics on price. Kortajarena is not offering a bathroom shelf packed with endless choices. Vogue reported that he prefers a smaller group of effective products. The selection is tailored to hair texture and condition, with styling habits also factored in.
The formulas are concentrated, too. The company says some contain up to 75% less water than a conventional shampoo. Less water reduces product volume, while performance remains the brand's stated priority.
Smthelse's most distinctive feature is its scent.
Every product carries Famara, a fragrance created for the brand by French perfumer Patrice Revillard. The name refers to Lanzarote, an island tied to Kortajarena and his memories. The scent evokes the island's ocean and salt, along with its vegetation and wind. Volcanic earth also informs the fragrance. It avoids the familiar sunscreen smell associated with beach perfumes; these details come from the brand's account of the project.
Revillard started with grapefruit, then added Spanish cypress, toasted hazelnut, vetiver and coffee. Cedar and moss sit alongside white musk in the base. Kortajarena wanted the fragrance to stay in the hair and return as it moved hours after application. He has described turning that feeling into ingredients as one of the hardest parts of development.
The brand also rejects the usual division between men's and women's shelves. Smthelse is unisex and intended for different hair types. Its products focus on texture and condition, not the user's gender.
That history gives the project a tougher test than celebrity endorsement. Nuria is a professional hairdresser, and her salon was Kortajarena's first contact with beauty. He remembers learning there that a new hairstyle could change a person's appearance and how they felt.
When he showed her the brand, pride came first. Then came the detailed questions of a working professional.
Smthelse was developed with the Hair Couture team. The company says the team has more than five decades of professional experience. That partnership raises the bar: the line has to work well, with its founder's name offering no substitute. The team's stated experience remains unconfirmed. So do details about the manufacturer and distribution arrangements; cosmetic certifications have not been verified either.
Kortajarena has put his name behind a business rooted in his personal history with hair. A defined product range and recognisable fragrance carry that story into the market. The founder is part of the story; the products still have to stand on their own.
Smthelse enters a premium market crowded with image-led propositions. Its strongest argument is the link between Kortajarena's experience and the products themselves. The precise launch date and financial structure remain unconfirmed. So do the official corporate arrangements.
