Danielle Correia’s Passion for Natural Beauty Products Led to the Creation of an Emerging Wellness Franchise Opportunity
Danielle Correia’s (right) introduction to sugaring hair removal almost 20 years ago was an eye-opener. The newly licensed esthetician learned sugaring was organic, chemical-free, plant-based, eco-friendly, effective and gentler than waxing. “There are so many benefits! This is amazing! Why isn’t everyone doing it?” she wondered.
Correia simply was ahead of her time – or, more accurately, right on time. She set up a small studio and honed the process, founding sugaringLA in 2011. She now owns four studios in California and has launched her sugaring hair removal franchise with territories available across the country. Twenty units have been sold with six slated to open this year. The first location, scheduled to open this summer in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., is owned by Destinee Enomoto (below and above with Correia), who was a sugarist for Correia and is now a sugaringLA franchise owner.
Enomoto also was surprised to learn about sugaring. “I was Googling one day in my very boring office job, and I found this amazing holistic school where I learned all about skin care. And then we got to the waxing part,” she says. “I was like, ‘OK, so we’re talking about putting organic ingredients on our face and eating clean to help our glowing skin, and then we’re putting this hot plastic on our skin and ripping it off?’
“There has to be something better! And I heard about sugaring and thought this is something better. It’s not hot. It’s just sugar, water and lemon juice. It goes along with the holistic approach, so why aren’t we learning about this?” Enomoto remembers.
Demand for Eco-friendly Skin Care
The surging popularity of sugaring as a hair-removal technique has coincided with explosive growth in the self-care and wellness industries and in consumer interest in eco-friendly skin care products and ingredients. The hair removal industry is valued at over $5 billion, and it’s not hard to see why. Americans are seeking better self-care now more than ever and have come to value the in-person experience that comes with visiting their local beauty shops.
A primary factor driving the market is growing awareness of the adverse effects of chemicals on the skin, such as irritation and dullness, and the benefits of organic ingredients, prompting consumers to seek eco-friendly, natural skin care products, according to Grand View Research.
Research also shows that consumers, particularly those who are millennials and Gen Z, increasingly favor environmentally conscious brands over those that haven’t invested sufficiently in sustainability, and that sustainability promotes trust, according to the Harvard Business Review.
“We have a more educated consumer base these days and they want clean, sustainable approaches to everything in their lives. We are at the forefront in the beauty industry,” Correia says. “We want to make these practices and products more accessible and affordable because high-quality organic ingredients should not be out of reach. For those looking to invest in an environmentally conscious business, sugaringLA provides some of the best wellness franchise opportunities available today.”
Sugaring Versus Waxing
Sugaring, based on an ancient Egyptian form of hair removal, involves a paste of sugar, lemon juice and water, while wax used for hair removal includes resins and preservatives, according to Forbes Health. Other differences between sugaring and waxing include the following:
- Sugaring paste is applied at room temperature, while wax is hot when applied, which can cause it to burn, adhere to, and even remove and damage skin, some dermatologists report. Sugaring, by contrast, helps exfoliate only dead skin cells.
- sugaringLA sugarists work the paste into follicles in the opposite direction of hair growth and remove it in the direction of hair growth, removing more hair at the root. Wax is typically applied onto the skin in the direction of hair growth and pulled off against the hair growth, which can damage the hair follicle and break hairs off at the surface, resulting in shorter-term results.
- Because of the heat and application method used with wax, it’s only safe for use on some parts of the body, whereas sugar may be used anywhere on the body.
Wellness and Self-Care
“After I sugared her face, she held the mirror up and just started crying. The fact that there was a solution that was gentle and worked for her was life-changing.”
Danielle Correia
“I love sugaring because it’s safe for everyone, so there’s no age barrier and there’s no gender barrier,” Correia says. “We’ve had young girls with excessive facial hair who are teased at school and embarrassed, and I can’t tell you how many people we’ve had who are transitioning and have hair in places they don’t want it. We also have 75-year-old men coming in to get ‘manzilians.’ We provide a safe, gender-neutral space where we can help individuals feel confident and comfortable in their skin. And we want that for everyone.”
One of her earliest memories was working with a 17-year-old client who had pale skin and excessive, dark facial hair. “She tried lasers, she tried waxing, and she was burned, she was scarred. And she came and tried sugaring,” Correia says. “After I sugared her face, she held the mirror up and just started crying. The fact that there was a solution that was gentle and worked for her was life-changing.”
Correia says sugaringLA isn’t solely about beauty. “With the products we use and the education we’re giving our clients, we are about health and wellness,” she says. “With our commitment to using only natural ingredients, sugaringLA stands out as an eco-friendly franchise.”
Innovation and Support
Correia continues to hone the process, sharing innovation with team members in all studios through an interactive online platform that’s constantly updated. Correia has developed a technique that’s faster and gentler, as well as customized pastes for different types of hair.
New franchisees go through streamlined onboarding as well as one-on-one training in everything from hair removal to operating the business. sugaringLA offers best-in-class support for franchisees through its partnership with Franworth, a franchise incubator and accelerator that provides various support for franchisors with 450-plus years of franchising experience. Additionally, sugaringLA receives support from REP’M Group, a franchise firm that offers expertise in site location, construction, marketing and more.
As a hair removal franchise, sugaringLA offers a unique opportunity for business owners to capitalize on the growing demand for natural and effective beauty treatments. Correia says ideal sugaringLA franchisees have good business acumen, strong leadership skills (either in leading their own teams or identifying a studio manager who will do it), are passionate about business ownership, and love the brand. They also must have a genuine interest in fostering a culture of caring.
Enomoto says the sugaringLA franchise culture and Correia’s, Franworth’s and REP’M’s support convinced her to take the next step as a franchise owner. “It’s a culture of care, and we really do care for our clients. sugaringLA is a sustainable, eco-friendly franchise. We care for our teams and we care for the Earth, and you can see that in everything we do.”
About sugaringLA
sugaringLA® is a leading sugaring hair removal business. Its mission is to provide natural, effective, and sustainable hair removal solutions that enhance the well-being of its clients. By using organic, biodegradable ingredients and a proprietary sugaring technique, the wellness franchise helps individuals feel confident and comfortable in their skin. For details about wellness franchise opportunities with sugaringLA, visit sugaringla.com/franchise.
About Franworth
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Franworth builds, incubates, and grows franchise brands through mentorship, education and best-in-class support empowering entrepreneurs and creating brighter futures. With over 450 years of combined franchise experience, the Franworth team has been recognized with the highest honors in franchising and for repeatedly scaling brands using a franchise model. Franworth’s portfolio of Beloved Brands includes MilkShake Factory®, sugaringLA®, MosquitoNix®, Garage Kings®, HealthSource America’s Chiropractor®, and Degree Wellness®.
