When Virtue Labs founder and CEO Melisse Shaban was first introduced to a new technical process for extracting keratin, which promised to upend the world of hair care, she was skeptical. "These guys sold me hard that they had a very unique piece of technology that would revolutionize the skin- and hair-care businesses," she said on the latest episode of Glossy Beauty podcast. "And I was sort of like, 'Hmm, I've heard that before in my lifetime.'" (Shaban was previously the CEO of StriVectin and Frederic Fekkai, the latter before it was sold to Procter & Gamble.)
But to her surprise, that technology lived up to the hype. Virtue Labs dedicates 15 employees to extracting keratin -- the protein integral to hair and nails -- from human hair before reintroducing it into shampoos, conditioners and hair masks. The result leaves customers' hair stronger, healthier and fuller -- all of which are adjectives being shouted by every beauty brand in Sephora, Ulta and CVS. "When you overdeliver on promises that people have heard for their entire lives, people are shocked. And they're thankful."
Shaban joined the Glossy Beauty podcast to talk about keratin, old school marketing and the technology her brand relies on, which was first invented by an Iraq War veteran seeking to treat battle wounds.