Three entrepreneurs who started mixing skincare formulas in their kitchen are taking their frustration with the beauty industry public through a crowdfunding campaign that promises to deliver what they call real science instead of empty promises.
Lab of RAD’s Indiegogo campaign represents the next chapter for Riley, Angela, and Donovan, who transformed their dissatisfaction with existing beauty products into a business built around copper peptide technology. The family-run operation is seeking funding to scale production of their RADical Revival serum and StrandTheory haircare line.
“We didn’t make this brand to fit in. We made it because nothing else did,” the founders explain, positioning their company as an alternative to what they view as an industry of recycled formulations and inflated claims.
The brand’s origin story reflects a growing trend of consumer-entrepreneurs entering the beauty space. Each founder contributed specific expertise—Riley focused on ingredient research, Angela pushed for clean formulations, and Donovan provided the scientific framework and business vision. Their collaborative approach resulted in products centered on GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu, copper peptides with decades of research supporting their use in skin and hair applications.
Lab of RAD maintains a deliberately small-scale operation, with founders hand-testing and hand-pouring products. This artisanal approach, combined with their focus on concentrated formulas, distinguishes them in a market dominated by mass production. “We don’t do filler. We don’t do fluff. Just clean, effective formulas that actually perform,” they state.
The crowdfunding strategy allows the brand to maintain independence while testing market demand for their science-driven skincare approach. Rather than pursuing traditional venture capital or retail partnerships, the founders are betting that consumers share their frustration with conventional beauty products.
“If your serum isn’t telling your cells what to do, it’s just expensive water,” the team asserts, taking direct aim at competitors they believe prioritize marketing over molecular science.
The beauty industry has seen increasing consumer demand for transparency and efficacy, with 43% of consumers considering ingredients an important factor when purchasing skincare products. Lab of RAD is positioning itself to capture this market segment by emphasizing their research-based formulations and rejecting what they call the industry’s tendency to repackage “the same watered-down formulas” in different bottles.
Their product line includes RADical Revival, described as a concentrated peptide blend designed to reset skin at the cellular level, and StrandTheory, which applies the same peptide technology to haircare. Both lines feature copper peptides as primary active ingredients, supported by what the company calls clean, high-performance botanicals.
The founders’ late-night research sessions and kitchen experiments have evolved into a business philosophy that prioritizes substance over style. “We didn’t launch Lab of RAD because it was easy—we did it because it was necessary,” they explain, framing their venture as a mission rather than merely a business opportunity.
The company’s messaging—from “The glow-up is molecular” to “We didn’t invent peptides. We just gave them a platform”—reflects their attempt to differentiate through education and transparency rather than traditional beauty marketing tactics.
For the founders, the crowdfunding campaign represents more than capital raising. It’s a test of whether their molecular approach to beauty resonates with consumers tired of what Lab of RAD calls “settling for products that don’t deliver.”
The campaign’s success will determine whether their kitchen-born brand can scale while maintaining the hands-on approach and concentrated formulations that define their products. In an industry where new brands launch daily, Lab of RAD is betting that their combination of family ownership, scientific focus, and frustration-driven innovation will carve out a sustainable niche.
“This brand was born out of our kitchen, fueled by late-night research, and made real with a whole lot of grit, heart, and hustle,” the founders note, encapsulating the bootstrap ethos driving their expansion from home laboratory to commercial venture.
