The Spanish model has created Smthelse after two decades in fashion. Its 14 products pair premium formulas with a scent inspired by Lanzarote.
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 sits at the center of Smthelse, his premium unisex haircare and styling brand.
The line includes 14 products. It is arriving 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, a blow-dry cream 34 euros, hair oil 36 euros and styling gel 28 euros. The brand's available materials give those prices and the launch assortment. Official product pages in the accessible search results did not independently verify them.
The accessible search results did not identify an official Smthelse website, product cards or authoritative independent coverage that could verify the brand’s stated prices, 14-product assortment or launch claims.
Smthelse sits between professional haircare and luxury cosmetics on price. Kortajarena is not selling a bathroom shelf filled with endless choices. Vogue reported that he prefers a smaller group of effective products. The selection is based on hair texture, condition and styling habits.
The formulas are concentrated too. The company says some contain up to 75% less water than a conventional shampoo. The lower water content reduces product volume. Performance remains the brand's stated priority. The 75% figure is still a company claim, not a metric independently confirmed in the accessible results.
The reason is simple.
A French BODACC commercial-register entry dated October 5, 2026 appears in the available search results, but its accessible excerpt does not identify the company, its legal status or any connection with Smthelse. It therefore cannot be used on its own to confirm the brand’s corporate structure or launch.
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 draws on the ocean, salt, vegetation, wind and volcanic earth. It does not copy the familiar sunscreen smell linked to beach perfumes. Those details come from the brand's account of the project. The accessible search results contain no independent perfumery source or official product documentation to verify them.
Revillard started with grapefruit and Spanish cypress. He then added toasted hazelnut, vetiver and coffee. Cedar, moss and white musk form the base. Kortajarena wanted the fragrance to stay in the hair and return as the hair moved hours after application. He has described turning that feeling into ingredients as one of the hardest parts of development.
The brand also avoids the usual division between men's and women's shelves. Smthelse is unisex and intended for different hair types. Its shampoos, conditioners and oils focus on texture and condition rather than 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 both 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 puts pressure on the line to work well, not simply to carry its founder's name. The accessible research does not independently confirm the team's stated experience, the manufacturer, distribution arrangements or cosmetic certifications.
Kortajarena is doing more than attaching his name to a product launch. His business brings together a personal history in hair, a defined range and a recognisable fragrance. The founder remains part of the story, but he does not replace the product.
That is the test.
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, financial structure and official corporate arrangements remain unconfirmed in the available independent results.
