Community Highlights: Meet Vera Pigaleva of Sugaring Labs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vera Pigaleva.

Hi Vera, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Russia, where I earned a degree in chemistry. My academic background was not related to cosmetics; I specialized in the processing of plastics and elastomers. After graduating, however, I was unable to find the right opportunity in that field, and my career took an unexpected turn into the beauty industry.

I began as a hairstylist and later moved into management, first overseeing one Beauty center and eventually managing a network of five full-service beauty centers. These businesses offered a wide range of services, from hair and beauty treatments to advanced aesthetic and device-based procedures. That experience gave me a deep understanding of both the service side of the beauty industry and the realities of building and managing a growing business.

Eventually, I decided to build a business of my own. While I was still working in the beauty industry, I partnered with someone whose background was in IT, combining my product expertise with his technology and business development skills to launch our first company. We chose professional hair removal as our focus, and I used my chemistry background to develop a natural Sugaring paste formula that delivered the performance professionals were looking for. That original formula became the foundation of our business and continues to perform exceptionally well in the professional Sugaring market today.

After moving to the United States in 2015, we rebuilt the business here, establishing a production facility, launching a new website, developing sales channels, and growing the company in the U.S. market. Over the years, I gained extensive experience in cosmetic manufacturing, product formulation, operations, and the professional Sugaring industry.

After many successful years of building one of the leading brands in the professional Sugaring industry, my business partner and I decided to pursue separate paths. In 2023, I sold my ownership interest in the company. For me, however, leaving the industry was never the plan. I saw it as an opportunity to build a company entirely around my own vision, values, and experience. In 2024, I founded Sugaring Labs.

Because I am both a chemist and a cosmetic formulator, product development is at the heart of the company. I personally formulate every product and develop each new collection. Today, Sugaring Labs offers three primary product lines, with several additional concepts currently in development. My role extends far beyond formulation: I oversee operations, production, hiring, business development, strategic partnerships, and the external teams that support our marketing and growth.

Sugaring Labs grew quickly because I was not entering an unfamiliar market. I already understood the industry, the professionals we serve, the challenges they face, and what they expect from a high-performance product. I was able to combine more than a decade of industry experience with my scientific background and create a company that reflects my own vision of quality, innovation, consistency, and professional support.

Today, Sugaring Labs is not simply a new company. It is the result of everything I learned as a chemist, beauty professional, manager, manufacturer, formulator, and entrepreneur, brought together under one brand that I am building entirely on my own terms.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has certainly not been as smooth or as simple as it may look from the outside.

One of the biggest challenges was immigrating to the United States and entering an entirely different market. The business environment, customer expectations, industry culture, and even the way products are presented and marketed were different. It took time to understand the needs of American customers and learn how to communicate the value of our products in a way that resonated with them. I had experience, technical knowledge, and a strong product, but I still had to adapt that experience to a new country and a new audience.

Another major challenge came years later, when I left my previous company and decided to start again with Sugaring Labs. That transition was both intimidating and exciting. Even though I had many years of experience in the industry, I was introducing a completely new brand to the market. I had to rebuild recognition, earn trust under a new name, and help customers understand my transition from a company they had previously associated me with to an independent brand created entirely around my own vision.

At the same time, that challenge brought an incredible sense of possibility. Starting again meant that every decision was mine, from product formulation and branding to company culture and long-term direction. I was fully responsible for the outcome, but I also had the freedom to create without compromise and build the company exactly as I envisioned it.

There is something deeply rewarding about realizing that you are no longer simply contributing to someone else’s story. You are responsible for writing your own.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Sugaring Labs is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in professional sugar-based hair removal products. We develop and manufacture Sugaring paste, the product used for a hair removal technique known as Sugaring.

Sugaring is similar to waxing in its purpose, but the product itself is made primarily from sugar and is designed to provide a gentler, more natural approach to hair removal. It offers many benefits for both professionals and their clients, including less irritation, gentle exfoliation, and effective hair removal while being less aggressive on the skin than many traditional waxing methods.

What makes Sugaring Labs unique is that we are not simply a product brand. We are also a manufacturer and development partner for other beauty businesses. In addition to offering our own professional product collections, we provide Private-label manufacturing for companies and entrepreneurs who want to launch products under their own brand without developing formulas, building a production facility, or managing the manufacturing process themselves.

One of the things that distinguishes us is our accessible minimum order quantity. Many manufacturers require very large production runs, which can make Private labeling unrealistic for smaller businesses. We intentionally created a model that makes it possible for independent Sugaring professionals, small studios, training academies, and growing beauty companies to launch their own branded product lines with a manageable initial investment. They can begin at a scale that makes sense for their business and increase production as they grow.

I am especially proud of the diversity we have created within the Sugaring Labs brand. Rather than offering one formula in different consistencies, we have developed several distinct collections designed for different professional preferences and market needs. Our portfolio includes a classic professional line, an organic and vegan collection, and premium formulas enhanced with skincare ingredients such as aloe vera, activated charcoal, and kaolin clay. Several additional product concepts and collections are currently in development.

Because product formulation and manufacturing are both handled in-house, we are able to continuously innovate, maintain consistent quality, and respond to the evolving needs of the professional beauty industry.

I also want readers to know that Sugaring Labs is open to a wide range of business-to-business partnerships. We work with professionals who want products for their own studios, entrepreneurs launching beauty brands, companies selling through online marketplaces, training academies developing branded product collections, retailers expanding their product offerings, and established businesses looking for a reliable manufacturing partner.

Our goal is not only to manufacture a high-quality product. We want to provide the foundation that allows other businesses to build, grow, and create opportunities around that product. We have the manufacturing experience, infrastructure, and capacity to support our partners as they grow, from a small initial private-label order to larger-scale production and retail expansion.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
One of the most important lessons I have learned is that helping other businesses grow does not make your own business smaller. It makes it stronger.

Earlier in my career, I viewed success more traditionally: build your own brand, sell your own products, and focus primarily on growing your own company. Over time, I realized that business growth does not always have to be competitive. Creating opportunities for other entrepreneurs can become one of the strongest foundations for your own growth.

Through Private-label manufacturing, our products can become part of someone else’s story. They may help an independent beauty professional launch a first product line, allow a training academy to create its own brand, or give an entrepreneur the foundation to enter online marketplaces or retail. As those businesses grow, our company grows alongside them.

I have learned that not every new brand has to be viewed as a competitor. When we provide other businesses with a high-quality product, reliable manufacturing, and an opportunity to build something of their own, we strengthen the industry and create long-term partnerships rather than simply completing individual sales.

For me, success is no longer measured only by how large I can make my own brand. It is also measured by how much opportunity we can create for the businesses that grow with us. Their success does not take away from ours. It becomes part of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sugaringlabs.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugaringlabs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SugaringLabs/
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/sugaring-labs-llc/

Image Credits
Valeriia Rieka
Mirror Studio LA