From where the idea to specialize in Sugaring came, the creation of Sugaring&Skin Care factory in the Netherlands, the world's first Inuflex Technology ™ formula and many other topics, we talked to our CEO - Radek Pielczyk.
Where did your adventure with sugaring begin?
As a student of Cosmetology in Krakow, Poland, I was invited to a sugaring training in 2008. It was sugar paste imported from Africa and the training itself involved the old method of sugaring with hard paste - as it used to be done in Africa. This involved kneading the hard paste in the hands in a specific motion until it reached the right consistency.
Already familiar with the practical aspects of waxing from school classes, I became enthusiastic about the possibility of removing hair in a more skin and environmentally friendly way. However, the sugaring method I was taught was a bit archaic, took a lot of time... And I had been mixing my own recipes of creams and other cosmetics since the beginning of my adventure in cosmetology, I decided that I would also make sugar paste in my own way, and most importantly, I aimed to make sugaring more effective. And that's how I started preparing my own sugarpaste on my own rules.
Are you able to count how many original recipes you have created?
At the very beginning, in 2008, I created two sugar pastes which I then simply called SOFT and REGULAR. We are still producing them today. I then developed two more pastes based on fructose and glucose without the addition of citric acid, which was quite a innovation at the time (2009). Since 2014, the production of pastes for other brands (so-called private label and contract production) has developed very dynamically and a large number of paste formulations have been developed for different working techniques and climates.
Till today I have created more than 50 different sugar paste formulations. Sometimes I am asked why so many sugar pastes, two good ones are enough. And that is true, we don't need so many pastes in the salon, but it is important to remember that each brand has a slightly different technique for working with sugaring, and brands also want to be different with unique formulas such as scented pastes or pastes with added extracts. Another aspect is the climate and geography; customers in Scandinavia have completely different preferences when it comes to sugaring and customers in California have different expectations.
Now it's time to launch innovative sugar paste formulas based on prebiotics. Where did this idea come from?
For a long time I have been looking for ideas to improve sugar pastes and thus the sugaring epilation method itself. In recent years, science has increasingly recognised the influence of the skin's microbiota on its health and condition. I found this very interesting, especially as prebiotics and probiotics have in the past been very helpful in balancing my gut microbiota. This is how I discovered Inulin and chicory extract, which later proved to have a great effect on the consistency of the sugar paste itself. In addition, I found that the skin recovered faster and was less irritated after epilation with prebiotic-based pastes. I knew how problematic excessive stickiness of the sugaring paste could be in learning sugaring. To solve this problem I excluded citric acid from the recipe and replaced it with a mild gluconolactone. Thus, the combination of gluconolactone with prebiotics and sugar proved to be a hit.
This is how INUFLEX TECHNOLOGY™ came about - INU from Inulin as the main prebiotic and FLEX from flexible as a feature of our pastes. The formulation, consistency and testing took a long time. Now it is time to show them to the world and make their work easier with Premium Prebiotic pastes based on INUFLEX TECHNOLOGY™.
Our buyers don't know it yet, but Radeq Lab Sugaring is not only paste, but also a whole range of additional products that will soon be available in the store. Can you already reveal what will be on offer?
It's true, additional care products are essential, because sugaring is a working tool for many of us and, at the same time, a ritual for our clients that we perform every few weeks.
For example, powders are used to reduce the stickiness of the paste to the skin while absorbing moisture from the skin. Thanks to the use of bentonite clay, our powders have exceptionally strong absorbing properties. In addition, the Prebiotics and Postbiotics used in Premium Prebiotic Powder replenish the skin microbiome and support its regeneration.
I could describe each of our care products here, but that is not the point. It is worth mentioning the unique form of emulsion that we produce, a liquid crystal emulsion with a hexagonal form. This unique form of emulsion, despite its relatively low oily phase, leaves an extremely pleasant protective film on the skin, which acts like a soothing plaster.
Other interesting products that we will soon be releasing include a liquid punctal serum for ingrown hairs - we have been testing its effectiveness for several weeks and are amazed by the results. Thanks to the combination of salicylic acid, gluconolactone and probiotics, we obtain an extremely effective formula for combating this common problem.
From small manufacturing to creating the world's first hair removal paste that takes care of microbiome. How has the sugaring market changed over the last 10 years?
10 years ago sugaring was a certain form of extravagance in the beauty market. Many people wondered why they had to learn a new hair removal technique when there was waxing! I heard many times that "it will not grow", that sugaring had no chance on the market. Well, since then, there have been dozens of brands of sugaring paste, some of which have been helped by our factory to produce a quality product. Today, sugaring is becoming a popular top hair removal method in many countries. There are also many countries where sugaring is still very niche, but this only motivates us to continue working and promoting sugaring!
When I started, I was producing about 50 kg of paste a day, today we produce a minimum of 1,200 kg of sugaring paste a day and we are planning to invest in the next year to speed up the process even more.