About Us
Why I Created HoldTrue
My name is Marcus Chen, and I'm a cosmetic chemist who spent 15 years developing adhesive formulations for medical devices.
But this story isn't about my credentials. It's about my father.
In 2019, my dad was supposed to give a speech at his own retirement party—a celebration 40 years in the making. He'd been using hair fibers for years to cover his thinning crown, and they worked well enough... until they didn't.
That morning, a sudden rainstorm hit on his drive to the venue. By the time he arrived, his hair fibers had washed out completely, leaving visible streaks down his face and an exposed scalp.
He was mortified.
Instead of walking into his celebration with pride, he sat in his car for 20 minutes, trying to fix it with a pocket mirror. He eventually went inside, but the damage was done. The one day he wanted to feel confident, his hair concealer had failed him.
I watched him miss the first 30 minutes of his own party because he was too embarrassed to walk in.
That night, I made a decision: I would solve this problem properly.
As a chemist, I knew the issue wasn't the fibers themselves—it was the primitive adhesion technology. Every brand on the market (Toppik, Caboki, Boldify) relied on static electricity to hold fibers in place. Static cling. The same force that makes a balloon stick to a wall.
The moment you encounter moisture, friction, or humidity, that weak electrostatic bond breaks. The fibers fall out. You're exposed.
I spent the next 18 months researching medical-grade polymer adhesives—the same technology used in surgical dressings and waterproof bandages. These polymers create molecular-level bonds that survive water, sweat, and friction.
I reformulated them for scalp application: non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic, and engineered to release only with shampoo—not with life.
After 1,000+ hours of testing and 47 failed prototypes, HoldTrue was born.
The first person I gave it to was my dad.
He wore it to a beach vacation three months later. Swam in the ocean. Played volleyball. Went out to dinner that night without reapplying.
When he called me the next morning, he said something I'll never forget:
"For the first time in 10 years, I didn't think about my hair once. I just lived."
That's why HoldTrue exists.
Not to sell you another product that fails when you need it most.
But to give you back the freedom to live without constant anxiety, mirror checks, and the fear of being exposed at the worst possible moment.
Today, over 1,800 people trust HoldTrue to survive their real lives—not just the first hour of their day.
If you've been let down by products that promised confidence but delivered panic, I made this for you.
Welcome to HoldTrue.
— Marcus Chen
Founder & Cosmetic Chemist