Interview with Lauren Bartholomeusz, CCO, KeraFactor

This interview is with Lauren Bartholomeusz, CCO, KeraFactor.

Lauren, as Chief Commercial Officer in the health, wellness, and fitness space leading peptide-driven dermatology solutions, how do you introduce your expertise and current focus to someone discovering your work on Connectively?

I am the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of KeraFactor®, a physician-developed scalp health company focused on advancing the science of healthy hair through biomimetic peptides, growth factors, and innovative topical delivery systems.

My work sits at the intersection of science, commercialization, and clinical education. I collaborate with dermatologists, plastic surgeons, researchers, and aesthetic providers around the world to translate complex hair and scalp biology into practical, evidence-based solutions for both professionals and consumers.

My expertise includes scalp health, hair biology, cosmetic dermatology, peptide technologies, topical delivery systems, practice development, and building science-backed health brands. I regularly speak with media about emerging trends in scalp care, hair wellness, longevity, women’s hormonal hair loss (perimenopause/menopause), GLP-1-associated hair changes, and how innovation can be responsibly communicated in an industry often driven by marketing rather than evidence.

My goal is to help make the science accessible, ensuring conversations about scalp health remain accurate, clinically grounded, and meaningful for readers.

What key experiences and decisions shaped your path to CCO, and how did they prepare you to commercialize biotech formulations like KeraFactor in dermatology and skincare?

My path to becoming Chief Commercial Officer wasn’t a straight line, which has ultimately become one of my greatest strengths.

I studied biology, business, and finance because I originally planned to become a dermatologist. While my career took a different direction, it never strayed far from science. I spent over a decade in the wine and spirits industry, working in sales, distributor management, forecasting, brand development, and national account strategy. That experience taught me how to build brands, understand customer behavior, launch products into competitive markets, and create long-term commercial partnerships.

Joining KeraFactor allowed me to combine those commercial skills with my passion for science. My husband, James Bartholomeusz, a particle physicist and medical device innovator, identified an opportunity to approach hair health through the biology of the scalp rather than the hair itself. Together with board-certified dermatologist Dr. Amy Forman Taub, we built KeraFactor around clinically informed innovation rather than marketing trends.

As CCO, my role has been translating highly technical science into education that providers and consumers can understand and trust. That means working closely with physicians, researchers, regulatory teams, distributors, and commercial partners while helping grow KeraFactor internationally. We’ve expanded into North America, Europe, the UK, Australia, and additional global markets while remaining 100% founder-owned and focused on long-term innovation.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that great science doesn’t automatically become a great product. Commercial success requires education, transparency, thoughtful execution, and earning trust over time. Especially in dermatology and skincare, where new trends emerge constantly, credibility is built by consistently communicating what the science supports and being honest about what it doesn’t.

Starting with peptide selection, which real-world criteria and lab assays have most reliably predicted clinical outcomes for you when choosing sequences for skin or scalp?

Peptide selection always starts with biology, not trends.

The first question we ask is: What biological pathway are we trying to support? Rather than selecting ingredients because they’re popular, we work backward from the mechanism we want to influence—whether that’s supporting the scalp environment, maintaining healthy skin function, or promoting the appearance of fuller, healthier-looking hair.

From there, we evaluate several key criteria:

• Scientific rationale and published literature supporting the peptide’s mechanism of action.
• Stability within the final formulation, since an active ingredient is only valuable if it remains functional throughout the product’s shelf life.
• Compatibility with other ingredients in the formulation.
• The ability of the peptide to reach its intended target through an appropriate topical delivery system.
• Safety and tolerability for repeated cosmetic use.

Ultimately, the strongest predictor of clinical success is the combination of thoughtful formulation, an effective delivery system, and well-designed human clinical studies. A peptide may demonstrate promising activity in the laboratory, but if it isn’t stable, cannot penetrate appropriately, or isn’t incorporated into a well-designed formulation, those laboratory findings may never translate into meaningful real-world results.

That’s why we believe formulation science deserves just as much attention as ingredient selection. The delivery system, stability, and overall product design are often just as important as the peptide itself.

On formulation and delivery, what stability, penetration, or compatibility challenges with peptides have you solved, and which techniques—such as nanoliposomes or excipient choices—proved decisive in your products?

One of the biggest misconceptions in topical biotechnology is that adding a peptide to a formula is enough. In reality, formulation and delivery often determine whether an ingredient has any meaningful opportunity to perform.

Peptides and proteins can be inherently fragile. They may degrade over time, interact with other ingredients, or lose activity if they are not formulated appropriately. Stability, compatibility, and delivery are challenges that have to be addressed from the beginning of product development, not after the formulation is complete.

At KeraFactor, we have invested heavily in delivery technology because we believe the formulation is just as important as the ingredient itself. Our biomimetic growth factors and skin proteins are individually nanoencapsulated within proprietary lipid-based nanoliposomes. Encapsulating each protein separately helps protect the molecules during formulation and storage while supporting more effective topical delivery and minimizing unwanted interactions between ingredients.

Another important consideration is matching the delivery strategy to the clinical setting. In a professional treatment such as KeraLase, for example, a non-ablative thulium laser is used to create temporary microchannels in the skin before the topical serum is applied, supporting increased delivery compared with topical application alone. For daily home care, however, the formulation itself must be designed to perform without relying on an in-office procedure.

Ultimately, I have learned that successful peptide formulations are rarely defined by a single “hero ingredient.” Clinical performance comes from the combination of thoughtful ingredient selection, formulation chemistry, delivery technology, rigorous stability testing, and quality manufacturing. Those pieces have to work together to give the active ingredients the best opportunity to support healthy skin and scalp.

As someone who leans on statistical data analysis, how do you design lean but credible clinical or in-practice studies for peptide products that earn dermatologist trust?

For peptide products, credibility starts with a focused question, a clearly defined patient population, and endpoints selected before the study begins.

We design lean studies around:

• standardized photography
• trichoscopy
• hair counts or density measurements
• investigator assessments
• patient-reported outcomes

Baseline conditions, lighting, timing, treatment protocols, and adherence must be controlled as consistently as possible.

When feasible, split-scalp or comparator designs are especially valuable because each participant serves as their own control.

Even with a modest sample size, predefined endpoints, appropriate statistical analysis, and transparent reporting can produce meaningful evidence.

Dermatologists do not expect every early study to be large. They do expect the methodology, limitations, and results to be presented honestly.

From a regulatory and claims perspective, how do you navigate differing rules for peptides across the U.S., EU, and APAC while keeping marketing accurate and compelling?

Navigating global regulations starts with recognizing that claims and labeling requirements can vary by market, even when the product itself does not.

We work closely with our regulatory partner, Obelis, for the EU and the UK, and rely on our distributors and local regulatory experts to help us meet regional requirements. We are proud to sell the same formula across all of our markets. We do not reformulate the product from country to country.

Instead, we adapt how the science is communicated so that our claims remain accurate, supported, and appropriate for each jurisdiction.

KeraFactor is currently available in the United States, Canada, the EU, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, with plans to expand into APAC this year. As we grow, our priority is to maintain one consistent, high-quality formula while respecting the regulatory standards of every market we enter.

In go-to-market execution, what approach has most effectively integrated in-clinic peptide treatments with at-home regimens in your experience as a CCO?

The biggest lesson has been that in-office treatments and at-home care should never be viewed as separate products; they are part of the same treatment journey.

The in-clinic procedure creates excitement, delivers high concentration, provides time with the provider for a scalp analysis, and serves as the catalyst, but long-term success comes from what patients do every day at home. That’s why we’ve built protocols that pair professional treatments with simple, easy-to-follow daily regimens. Providers appreciate having a complete solution, and patients understand that consistency between visits is what supports the best long-term outcomes.

Commercially, we’ve found this approach strengthens patient adherence, improves satisfaction, enhances results, and creates lasting relationships between practices and their patients.

In your direct-to-consumer education, what content format or tool has most measurably improved adherence and outcomes for peptide-based skincare?

The biggest driver hasn’t been a specific platform but rather education that sets realistic expectations. We’ve found that simple provider handouts, email education, short videos, and consistent follow-up perform better than highly technical content because they help patients understand what to expect and why consistency matters.

People are far more likely to stay on a peptide-based regimen when they understand the timeline, how the products fit together, and that results are gradual rather than immediate. In our experience, clear education builds confidence, improves adherence, and ultimately leads to better long-term outcomes.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I think we’re entering a really exciting era for skincare, where the focus is shifting from simply making hair look better to supporting the biology of the scalp. As our understanding of peptides, growth factors, delivery systems, and skin biology continues to evolve, we’ll see more targeted, science-driven solutions than ever before.

My biggest hope is that the industry continues to prioritize education alongside innovation. Great science only creates value if providers understand it, patients know what to expect, and companies communicate with transparency. That’s how we build trust and ultimately improve outcomes.