In the beauty and healthcare industry, trends come as fast as they go. Brands have to stay informed about the latest regulations, feature cutting-edge ingredients in their formulations, and strategically consider how they source materials and packaging for their products, communicate their ethos to end users, and which platforms to advertise their products on. These are all tabs that need to be kept current in order for cosmetic retailers to stay afloat in today’s market.
Sam Dhatt, Founder and CEO of Allure Labs and expert chemist with over thirty years of experience started his business out of his garage in 1995. He was the first chemist to formulate with matrixyl, the second to formulate with glycolic acid, and one of the first to work with Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA), which is now known as a powerful exfoliating ingredient popular on the ingredient labels of a variety of skincare products. What started as an in-home family business consisting of Sam, his wife Renu, their son Sumeet and daughter Roopa would eventually become Allure Labs Inc., a reputable custom contract manufacturer that employs 170 employees.
When he reached his first million in sales, he reinvested the initial profits back into his craft and expanded his workspace to what exists today as a 65,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility which encompasses Allure’s headquarters, research & development lab, filling and production warehouses, and logistics center. In his second year in business, he planted seeds for a host of fruitful, long-lasting professional relationships with over one hundred clients he would nurture the health of over the following decades. Building solid relationships remains at the heart of Allure’s brand, which has proven to serve them well. This is showcased by their current book of business of 700+ satisfied clients as of October 2022.
This exponential growth can be accredited to Allure’s equally notable capability expansion. On his own, Sam produced high-end, anti-aging skincare using the revolutionary ingredients he experimented with. He created fresh, innovative formulations for foundations, concealers, bronzers, blemish balms, and color-correcting creams. These manufacturing capabilities have since grown to also include over-the-counter FDA-registered products, topical and sublingual CBD products, hair care, fragrance, and even oral care product capabilities. As a pioneer in his industry, Sam has remained diligent about keeping an R&D team of researchers, scientists, and lead chemists who are similarly esteemed in their field. Although he is invigorated by the challenge of riding the waves of success of industry trends, he believes diversifying his perspective by maintaining a team of individuals that each bring a unique skill set and innovative approach is how Allure continues to dwell at the forefront of the Research and Development and Custom Contract Manufacturing fields.
The R&D team at Allure today consists of twelve chemists who each hold their own respective accolades in laboratory science. Director of Research & Development, Sree Nalabolu, leads the team with over twenty years of industry experience, alongside a team of Senior Chemists who have been ingredient innovators for more than a decade. Together, they have formulated some of the beauty industry’s most popular products sold in major retailers (i.e. Ulta, Sephora, CVS, Wholefoods, and Target) today, steadily hitting the mark on keeping up with key trends.
In hindsight, there were a handful of trends that hit the market deserving of prolonged attention. Consequently, they became staples in pushing Allure’s evolution story forward, and largely contributed to catapulting them into new levels of success. Another key contributor is the high standards they hold themselves to. In addition to the R&D team, Allure also maintains prominent Quality Control and Quality Assurance teams to make sure every project is handled with top-of-the-line care and precision. Always prudent about standards, oftentimes Allure has found that the industry was playing catch up with them.
One example is how they encouraged sustainable packaging and sustainably-sourced ingredients for clients, before the trends were established. Another was using safe, effective natural and organic ingredients in their formulations. In previous posts, they have made their pledge to the clean beauty movement, committing to thoroughness and transparency on ingredient labels. When the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp production was passed Allure hit the ground running, opening a door to an entirely new market for Allure’s current and prospective clients. As an extension of the Allure Labs’ family, CBD women’s health brand, Ladykind LLC was launched in 2019.
Another pivotal change that shifted the success of Allure Labs as a custom contract manufacturer was the cruelty-free trend. Testing cosmetics and healthcare products on animals has been looked down upon for years, but only in 2017 was ushered in as an industry staple in the regulatory world thanks to custom contract manufacturers such as Allure normalizing it as a part of their filling and production processes.
As standard practice, Allure implores clients to label their products with ‘clean’, ‘cruelty-free’, and ‘sustainably sourced’ stamps. They are seasoned in complex capabilities that push the boundaries of basic skincare, cosmetic and personal care product formulations. They stay adept in mastering emerging trends quickly and productively, offering the ability to scale small brands into seven-figure businesses.
In spite of its wide spectrum of ability, Allure prefers to work with clients who are interested in nourishing a long-term alliance. If you’re looking to start your own product line, or if you’re an existing brand looking for a new contract manufacturer, you’ll need one who can keep up. Allure’s demonstrated success creates a foundation of trust clients can’t find with just any manufacturer.
Get started by filling out your product development request on our website today to become a part of the Allure Labs family!
