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Glosslab is a New York City-based beauty and personal care company that operates a membership-based nail salon chain focused on modernizing traditional manicure and pedicure services. The organization utilizes a subscription business model to provide quick, hygiene-first nail treatments specifically targeting busy professionals and working parents seeking convenient personal care. As of December 2022, the enterprise had scaled its physical retail footprint to nearly 20 locations nationwide, representing significant growth from its initial three studios. During its pre-launch development phase, the firm uniquely utilized contractors from the gig economy platform TaskRabbit to conduct market research and observe consumer operational patterns at existing salons. The corporate growth strategy involves strategically clustering new storefronts and deploying temporary pop-up retail models that frequently transition into permanent operational fixtures. Glosslab was officially founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Rachel Apfel Glass.
Glosslab has raised $7.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Glosslab has raised $7.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Glosslab has raised $7.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Glosslab's investors include 01 Advisors, 75 & Sunny, Accelerator Ventures, Acrew Capital, AllerFund, Altimeter Capital, B Capital Group, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bonfire Ventures, Boosted Commerce, Bryant Stibel, Electric Ant.
# Glosslab: A Beauty Tech Company, Not a Technology Company
Glosslab is not primarily a technology company—it is a beauty and wellness business that leverages technology to modernize the nail salon experience.[1][4] While the company uses technology tools to enhance operations, its core business is providing hygiene-first, membership-based nail services through physical studio locations.
Glosslab operates as a nail studio chain focused on delivering manicures and pedicures with an emphasis on hygiene, efficiency, and customer membership models.[1][4] The company serves clients who prioritize cleanliness and modern convenience in their beauty services. Founded in 2018, Glosslab has approximately 29 employees and generates $8.5 million in revenue.[1]
The business addresses a critical pain point in traditional nail salons: hygiene concerns. Glosslab differentiates itself by operating as a completely water-free studio, eliminating a primary breeding ground for germs.[1][4] Beyond in-person services, the company has expanded into retail, offering proprietary polishes, at-home manicure and pedicure kits, nail treatments, and skincare products.[4]
Rachel Apfel Glass founded Glosslab in 2018 after the birth of her second daughter, driven by a desire to modernize the nail salon experience.[1][4] Glass built the company on three foundational pillars: Hygiene, Efficiency, and Membership.[1] Beyond customer experience, she prioritized creating a safe working environment for employees with fair wages and genuine career development opportunities.[1]
The founding moment reflects a personal realization—Glass recognized that traditional nail salons fell short on cleanliness standards and worker conditions, inspiring her to create an alternative model that addressed both client and employee needs.
Glosslab reflects a broader shift toward hygiene-conscious, technology-enabled beauty services. The company emerged during a period when consumers increasingly demanded cleanliness standards and contactless experiences—trends accelerated by COVID-19 awareness.[4] By positioning hygiene as a core brand promise rather than an afterthought, Glosslab taps into growing consumer consciousness around health and safety in personal care.
The membership model also aligns with subscription economy trends, creating predictable revenue while building customer loyalty. The expansion into retail products demonstrates how beauty brands are diversifying revenue streams beyond physical locations.
Glosslab has transitioned into franchising as of 2023, signaling ambitions to scale beyond company-operated studios.[4] The company's emphasis on hygiene, efficiency, and membership positions it well in a post-pandemic beauty landscape where consumers remain conscious of cleanliness. Future growth likely depends on franchise expansion success and whether the retail product line gains meaningful traction.
The broader question for Glosslab is whether its hygiene-first positioning remains a durable competitive advantage or becomes table stakes as other salons adopt similar standards. Its success will hinge on execution of the franchise model and whether the membership concept drives sufficient customer lifetime value to justify premium positioning in a competitive beauty market.
Glosslab has raised $7.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Seed in May 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2021 | $4M Seed | — | 01 Advisors, 75 & Sunny, Accelerator Ventures, Acrew Capital, AllerFund, Altimeter Capital, B Capital Group, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bonfire Ventures, Boosted Commerce, Bryant Stibel, Electric ANT, Fifth Wall, First Round Capital, Greylock, KLI Capital, Launchpad Venture Group, Lead Edge Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, Mantis VC, Mayfield, Operator Collective, Pelion Venture Partners, Republic Records, Sapphire Ventures, Shine Capital, Torch Capital, ULU Ventures, Demi Lovato, Elie Seidman, Jeffrey Wilke, Jeremy Zimmer, Josh Yguado, Karl Peterson, Mark Gillespie, Michael Stoppelman, Nick Jonas, Richard Branson, Sean RAD, Vivek Garipalli | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2020 | $3M Seed | — | Story Ventures, Hannah Bronfman, Justin Mateen | Announced |
