Why I studied formulation instead of buying a private label

When I decided to make products, the fastest route was obvious: find a manufacturer, put my label on an existing formula, and start selling. Plenty of brands do exactly that and there is nothing wrong with it.

I could not do it, because the whole reason I started was that the products already on the shelf were not right for my clients. Relabelling one of them would have solved nothing. If I was going to ask people to trust me with their hair, I needed to know what was in the jar and why.

So I enrolled in a professional haircare programme and became certified in formulation. It took much longer. Eighteen months of making, testing and remaking four products, with my own clients telling me honestly what was working in week six. That feedback is still how we decide what to change.