By Senior Contributor,Yola Robert
Copyright forbes
Filterbaby has built a wellness empire out of filtration technology designed to be effective and aesthetically pleasing.
Courtesy of Filterbaby
Filterbaby has taken the water filter industry by storm, quickly scaling to eight figures in just 2nd full year in business. From viral moments to being awarded as New Beauty’s “Best Shower Filter” and Time Magazine’s Time’s Best Invention for “Best Filtered Shower Head,” Filterbaby is on a mission to produce the most efficacious and quality filters for skincare and haircare.
Filterbaby launched in mid-2022 with just $20,000 in bootstrap funding. “Our first product was a faucet filter designed specifically for skincare. I was struck by how much people invest in elaborate routines and $200 serums, yet overlook the quality of the water touching their face every single day. Even minute amounts of chlorine, microplastics, or heavy metals can accumulate over time and damage skin. Addressing that root cause was a no-brainer,” shared Xin Shui, CEO and founder of Filterbaby.
Coming from a family of three generations of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners and having personally treated thousands of patients herself—dermatological concerns were among the most common. Combined with her own struggles with dry skin after washing with tap water, Shui began digging deeper into U.S. water quality of tap water in the U.S. when she discovered that over 200 million Americans are exposed to pollutants, chemicals, and microcontaminants in their home water supply.
Xin Shui, CEO and founder of Filterbaby.
Courtesy of Filterbaby
As we age, we lose collagen and elasticity—skin becomes thinner and more permeable to contaminants like chlorine and chloramine, now a widely used disinfectant. After years of research, testing, and development, Filterbaby was born to solve the root causes of skin and hair concerns—a brand built on efficacy, grounded in science, and committed to safe, sustainable innovations that deliver real, lasting results. Even though developing a faucet filter for facial care felt like a no-brainer, Filterbaby still needed to prove product-market fit. Remarkably, the brand’s pre-launch success came without spending a single dollar on advertising. With zero budget, Lynn Shui, Xin’s sister began posting organically on TikTok — and the product took off almost instantly. By the second week, videos were consistently drawing hundreds of thousands of views. “That’s when we knew our product resonated deeply with people,” recalls Lynn Shui. She then joined the company as co-founder. From there, the team doubled down on innovation, investing heavily in R&D, design, and advanced filtration materials with a clear vision: to build products that meet the gold standard of Apple-level quality.
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That standard of excellence is reinforced by the company’s CTO, Tikuang Lin, whose family designs ultra-purification systems for TSMC, the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, where water purity standards are among the highest on Earth. With access to industrial-grade labs and materials, Filterbaby has engineered consumer filters that reliably reduce chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals, microplastics, etc, and continue performing well beyond consumer-grade norms.
Filterbaby’s Pro-Series Shower Filter.
Courtesy of Filterbaby
“When we looked at other filters on the market, the quality was often subpar—and the filtration even worse. From a young age, my grandmother, the first generation of medicine in our family, taught me to treat patients like family: with compassion, care, and integrity. That philosophy carries into everything I build. I only create products I would use myself—safe, high-quality, and truly effective—not marketing gimmicks. That’s why our filters are engineered for real impact, never cutting corners with cheap parts, questionable filter mediums or ineffective performance, unlike much of the industry, even among the biggest brands,” explained Shui.
By 2023, Filterbaby crossed into seven-figure sales, and by 2024, just two full years into the business, it achieved eight figures in revenue. “We’re not just growing — we’re also profitable. Year-to-date net profits are up over 100% year-over-year, showing that our growth is both strong and sustainable,” added Shui on the company’s profitable growth.
With retail expansion accelerating and more than 40 global patents and pending applications secured, Filterbaby is scaling rapidly to meet surging demand. In 2024, the brand made its brick-and-mortar debut at Nordstrom, where it sold out six times. On the direct-to-consumer side, Filterbaby runs more like a SaaS company than a traditional beauty brand, with customers subscribing for refills and fueling recurring revenue alongside continuous product innovation. Next up: a nationwide Target launch on October 12, 2025, with full endcap placement in 658 stores across the U.S and 1800 all doors in Q1 2026.
A Different Kind of Filter Company
Filterbaby’s faucet filter.
Courtesy of Filterbaby
Filterbaby’s rapid growth is supported by the company’s five basic pillars: efficacy, quality, sustainability, safety, and design. “Our mission has always been to engineer the most powerful and effective water filters for skin and haircare. We constantly benchmark against ourselves and others in the market, and we don’t believe any shower filter in our size class can outperform ours. We’re always pushing past the standard.” says Lin. Lin is also outspoken about avoiding industry shortcuts. “Many competitors rely on calcium sulfite—it’s cheap, widely available, and reduces chlorine through a chemical reaction. But it can irritate skin, and it has a short filtration lifetime. Other brands use it out of convenience, without thinking about long-term life performance, safety, or real impact. At Filterbaby, every component is dermatologically safe, carefully chosen, and rigorously tested. We will always challenge the norm, and not settle with the status quo, even on our own designs. That’s what sets us apart.”
The Filterbaby Faucet Filter 2.0
Filterbaby’s early momentum came from its first faucet filter designed specifically for skincare, powered by Japanese ultrafiltration technology and activated carbon. The system removes up to 99.9% of contaminants—including chlorine, chloramine, and certain heavy metals—all of which can irritate and inflame skin. Backed by clinical and in vitro studies, the filter has shown to improve skin hydration by 13% within 24 hours of washing versus tap water, as well as 69% faster wound-healing rates, relevant for those with conditions like eczema or acne.
Shui recalls one of the brand’s earliest moments of validation, “I still remember receiving our first before-and-after photo from a customer whose eczema improved dramatically in just a few weeks. Then came another, from a woman with severe dermatitis around her eyes who told us nothing had ever worked before. She was in tears sharing her results. I was elated. As an acupuncturist, I helped people one-on-one—this felt even more rewarding, knowing we could help millions globally with something so fundamental as water.”
Filterbaby’s shower head was named Time Magazine’s Time’s Best Invention for “Best Filtered Shower Head.”
Courtesy of Filterbaby
Today, Filterbaby’s website showcases dozens of transformations, underscoring the brand’s role in addressing skin health at the root cause. In August 2025, Filterbaby announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board, featuring leading dermatologists and skin experts including Dr. Mamina Turegano, Dr. Lindsay Zubritsky, Dr. Anthony Youn, and Dr. Jenny Liu. This group further positions the brand at the forefront of the conversation on how tap water impacts skin health. “We’re incredibly excited and honored to collaborate with these doctors,” says Leah Vairo, Chief Brand Officer. “They’re approached by countless brands every day, yet they chose to join our advisory board because they believe in Filterbaby’s mission. Their conviction reinforces the urgency of educating the public on how water quality affects skin and hair health.” By grounding its innovation in science, Filterbaby is cementing its role as the category leader in water filtration for skin and haircare. The Filterbaby faucet filter was recognized as a finalist at the 2025 CEW Awards for best water filter for Skincare and Makeup Tools, and was also named to NewBeauty’s 2024 NewBeauty 100 list as the best-selling water filter for skincare.
After Filterbaby’s early success with faucet filters, the team turned its attention to developing the most effective shower filters. “We were shocked at how ineffective most shower filters on the market really are,” says Xin. “Many lose up to 50% of their chlorine reduction efficacy in just two weeks—even some of the most popular brands claiming to be the best. When we tested the major players, what we found was that most are marketing companies in disguise— a differentiated or pretty shell with non-innovative filters and in some cases, even questionable filter media like calcium sulfite, or low performance ceiling of KDF 55, which is 50% copper 50% zinc and patented in 1980s which has long expired”
As a healthcare professional with sensitive skin, Shui was meticulous about avoiding these compromises. Instead, Filterbaby committed to building a system rooted in data and design excellence. “We built Filterbaby out of pure passion and dedication to be the Dyson of water filtration—patented, powerful, and scientifically engineered to deliver the most effective shower filters on the planet.”
Filterbaby launched the Pro Series Inline Shower Filter in collaboration with Beverly Hills hair restoration surgeon Dr. Robert Dorfman.
Courtesy of Filterbaby
In Q4 2024, Filterbaby pre-launched the Pro Series Inline Shower Filter in collaboration with Beverly Hills hair restoration surgeon Dr. Robert Dorfman. Unlike most shower filters on the market, the Pro Series is crafted from 100% metal—aluminum titanium—eliminating the risk of plastic housings leaching microplastics, BPA, or phthalates into hot shower water. The engineering team ran more than 300 iterations of its patent-pending filtration formula to address the complexity of American tap water, balancing flow rate, longevity, and contaminant removal. The result is a filter that outperforms every other shower filter in its size class—removing more chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals like lead. Lab testing shows it eliminates up to 99% of chlorine initially, and even after three months of daily use, maintains over 90% efficacy. In stark contrast, most competitors fall below 50% within just a few weeks, Lin notes. And the best part? Each refill is engineered to reduce plastic waste by up to 80%, combining performance with sustainability.
At the same time, the company introduced the Filterbaby Shower Head Pro, which was named one of Time’s Best Inventions of 2024. Recognized for its category-leading efficacy and sustainable refills, it’s one of the very few shower filters that effectively addresses both chlorine and chloramine, making it one of the best shower filters for skin, hair, and overall wellness, while cutting plastic waste by up to 80%. The Shower Head Pro features a patented one-click filter replacement system—no need to detach the showerhead—along with three customizable spray settings and optional aromatherapy pods for a spa-like experience.
The brand has also amassed a cumulative social media following of 1M+ followers. Educating potential customers is one of Filterbaby’s core pillars in building its community. “We educate primarily through social media. Customers can open our filters and see the contaminants trapped inside, which is often shocking. Through strong visuals, before-and-after comparisons, and our viral ‘Street Interview: Test Your Water’ series which has garnered more than 500M views collectively, we show exactly what’s in tap water and why filtration matters. We continue educating through email, turning awareness into action by helping people protect their skin, hair, and overall health,” shared Lynn.
Filterbaby has amassed a cumulative social media following of 1M+ followers. Educating potential customers is one of Filterbaby’s core pillars in building its community.
Courtesy of Filterbaby
Vairo explained that she sees Filterbaby as more than a product but a beauty, wellness and lifestyle brand. Through combining science-backed performance with design that looks aesthetically at home in any bathroom, filtration feels aspirational, not cheap like a sore sight that sticks out of your faucet or shower. “Our brand lives through a constant stream of user-generated content and aesthetic photography, making it both relatable and aspirational.”
Filterbaby continues to scale rapidly in retail, with new partnerships on the horizon. The brand has recently been spotted in Alo’s fitness centers and partnered with Proper Hotels, where its products are featured in luxury wellness suites. Looking ahead, the team is preparing to unveil new innovations in the product pipeline while expanding into additional retail channels—cementing Filterbaby’s position as the leader in water filtration for skin and hair health.
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