Making Water the New Beauty Essential.
Karlee Ozener’s beauty journey has taken her from the high-gloss counters of Tiffany & Co. in New York to the fast-paced labs of Huda Beauty in Dubai. But it was in the Middle East that a simple, overlooked problem changed everything. While living in Dubai, Karlee discovered that harsh water, heavy with chlorine and minerals, was quietly sabotaging her skin and hair. The endless cycle of breakouts, brittle ends, and product overload wasn’t about what she was putting on her body, but what she was rinsing it with. Together with co-founder Omer, she launched Hello Klean, a water-first beauty brand that filters out the impurities standing between us and our best skin and hair.
Now based in London and stocked in Selfridges, Sephora, Cult Beauty and recently on Ounass, Hello Klean is helping people rethink the most basic step in their beauty routines: the shower. Whether you’re jetting off to Ibiza, dealing with London’s hard water, or recovering from a chlorine-heavy summer, Hello Klean’s innovative products are offering a quiet revolution. In this exclusive Q&A for KHAMSA, Karlee talks to us about the science of clean water, the beauty industry’s blind spots, and why the next must-have product isn’t another serum, it’s a filter.
All images are courtesy of Hello Klean.
١. Let’s start with the “aha!” moment! When did you first realize it wasn’t your shampoo, but your water, that was messing up your hair and skin?
Living in Dubai really confirmed what I’d long suspected—the problem wasn’t me or my products, it was the water.
Everyone around me was saying the same thing: “Ever since I moved, my hair’s falling out.” It was oddly comforting to know that I wasn’t imagining my hair issues. Once I understood what was happening, I looked into how water impacts hair and skin health, and I was honestly shocked that I hadn’t heard anything about the impact of water before.
٢. Hard water in London, chlorine in Ibiza… What’s the scariest shower water you’ve ever personally experienced & why?
I once stayed at an Airbnb in Dartmoor, UK, that used well water. The moment I walked into the bathroom, I noticed brown rust stains streaking the tub and sink—the water had been leaving its mark for years. When I turned on the shower, I was hit with a really strong metallic smell a bit like coins.
The water felt heavy and left my skin feeling tight and my hair stiff. By the time I finished, I felt like I needed another shower to wash off the residue that was left behind.
٣. We’ve all had that “why isn’t my serum working anymore?!” moment. Why do you think water quality is still such an overlooked part of our beauty routine?
Because water feels invisible. People think water is just water, and that surely it’s clean and not doing any harm. You don’t buy the water you shower in, you don’t choose it from a shelf—it’s just there.
That’s why water quality is so often overlooked.
We’ve had to do a lot of education around this, because most people don’t even consider it. But once someone tries one of our filters and sees the difference, it just clicks.
٤. Your shower head is under 260g and installs in 2 minutes. Was it always the plan to make it travel-friendly, or did vacation disasters inspire that?
Honestly, it wasn’t part of the original plan. But our community started telling us they were packing it in their suitcases, and that inspired us to make the filter as light and easy to travel with as possible. We’re always looking for ways to innovate and improve our products, and this has been one of the benefits of our new designs.
٥. What’s the science behind your Klean Complex™? If you had to explain it to someone skeptical, how would you describe it?
Klean Complex™ is our science-backed answer to a problem most people don’t even realize they have: mineral buildup from hard water. Hair and skin are slightly negatively charged, which makes them attract positively charged minerals and metals in tap water—like calcium, magnesium, copper, and iron. These impurities don’t just rinse off; they cling to the surface and form a barrier that blocks product penetration and disrupts your skin barrier.
Our formula uses 15 amino acids—all naturally found in the skin—plus citric compounds to gently bind to these metals. Together, they act like a magnet for minerals, allowing them to be washed away instead of clinging to your skin, hair, and scalp.
Think of it this way: minerals create an invisible film that sits between your skin and your skincare.
Klean Complex™ stops that film from forming so your products can actually do their job. It’s pH-balanced, biodegradable, and gentle enough to use every day — even on sensitive skin and colour-treated hair. By stopping that film from forming, your products can actually do their job. It’s pH-balanced and gentle enough to use every day—even on sensitive skin and colour-treated hair.
٦. What’s your dream “Hello Klean Summer Survival Kit”? Say we’re packing for Mykonos, what’s coming with us besides SPF?
Definitely our Shower Head 2.0—Mykonos water tends to be heavily chlorinated. Then I’d definitely pack our Blank Space Anti-KP Body Wash to help gently exfoliate and lift away sweat, SPF, and product buildup before it can cause congestion and breakouts. For hair, our Full Length Anti-Breakage Shampoo is a must to neutralise chlorine and keep hair feeling fresh, not filmy, weighed down or stripped. And if your hair is coloured, Smooth Talk Anti-Fade Conditioner is an essential as it protects against metal and chlorine-induced colour fade and discolouration.
٧. What’s next for Hello Klean? Any new products or ideas you’re dreaming up to take water wellness even further?
Yes! We’re innovating hard. Our next few launches will be industry-firsts, and they’re driven by things we know our community will love.
To buy your Hello Klean products press here!
