Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Vaulin.
Hi Natalie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I first came to the United States in 2008 as a student. At the time, I had no idea that this country would become my home. I studied marketing and management, built my early career in branding and advertising, and always felt deeply drawn to the beauty industry, not just aesthetically, but strategically.
In 2012, my life took an unexpected turn when I began experiencing severe neurological symptoms. It took years before I was properly diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a rare autoimmune condition. That experience completely changed the way I viewed health, ingredients, and the beauty industry as a whole. I started asking different questions: What are we putting on our skin? How transparent are brands really being? Who is responsible for safety?
When I recovered and entered remission, I knew I wanted my work to reflect that shift in awareness. Years later I founded Vaulabs – a clean beauty manufacturing company based in Clearwater, Florida. My goal was never just to produce skincare. It was to build infrastructure for brands that care about compliance, transparency, and long-term credibility.
Today, we partner with emerging and scaling beauty brands across skincare, haircare, and body care. We operate fully aligned with FDA and MoCRA requirements and help founders navigate formulation, testing, packaging, and regulatory strategy. But beyond manufacturing, my mission is to raise the standard of what “clean beauty” actually means in the U.S.
On a personal level, I am also a wife and a mother of two daughters. Building a business while raising a family has taught me resilience, discipline, and clarity. My journey has never been linear – immigration, health challenges, entrepreneurship, but each chapter shaped the next.
Looking back, I see that every obstacle pushed me toward building something more intentional. Vaulabs is not just a company. It’s the result of lived experience, conviction, and a belief that the beauty industry can and should operate at a higher standard.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road.
The biggest challenge in my life was my health. For years, I experienced severe neurological symptoms without a clear diagnosis. Being told “everything looks normal” while knowing something was deeply wrong is incredibly isolating. Eventually, I was diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a rare autoimmune condition. Recovery required not only medical treatment, but mental resilience. That chapter reshaped my priorities and forced me to slow down, rethink my environment, and rebuild from the inside out.
Immigration was another layer of complexity. Building a life and career in a new country comes with invisible pressure – navigating visas, proving yourself professionally, and building a network from scratch. There is no shortcut for that. It takes consistency and patience.
Entrepreneurship itself has been its own challenge. Manufacturing is capital-intensive and operationally demanding. You are responsible not only for your own vision, but for the brands that trust you with theirs. Scaling infrastructure while maintaining standards requires discipline and long-term thinking.
Balancing motherhood with building a company has also required intention. I have two little daughters, and there is no perfect formula for doing both. There are seasons where one demands more than the other, and learning to release guilt has been part of the process.
But in hindsight, each obstacle clarified my direction. Health struggles led me to clean beauty. Immigration taught me resilience. Entrepreneurship taught me structure. None of it was smooth, but all of it was necessary.
We’ve been impressed with VAULABS, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Vaulabs is a U.S.-based clean beauty manufacturing company located in Clearwater, Florida. We specialize in custom formulation and contract manufacturing for skincare, haircare, and body care brands that want to build credible, compliant, and long-term businesses.
We are not a white-label factory. We develop formulas from scratch, working closely with founders on ingredient selection, claims strategy, testing protocols, packaging compatibility, and regulatory alignment. Our facility operates in compliance with FDA and MoCRA requirements, and we guide brands through stability testing, microbial testing, preservative efficacy testing, and safety documentation.
What sets us apart is that we think beyond “making a product.” We think in terms of infrastructure. Many emerging brands focus on aesthetics first and compliance later. We reverse that. We help founders build the foundation correctly from day one: formulation integrity, manufacturing standards, documentation, and retail readiness.
We work with emerging brands as well as scaling founders preparing for retail or Amazon distribution. Our minimum order quantities typically start at 5,000 units per formula, allowing us to maintain operational efficiency and quality control.
What I am most proud of is that Vaulabs stands for responsibility in an industry that often uses the word “clean” loosely. For us, clean beauty is not a marketing angle – it is a regulatory, formulation, and sourcing philosophy. We aim to raise the standard of what clean beauty manufacturing looks like in the United States.
At its core, Vaulabs exists to give founders clarity, structure, and credibility. When brands leave our facility, they are not just leaving with inventory – they are leaving with systems, documentation, and confidence.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
One thing I would add is that my work goes beyond manufacturing.
I consider myself a clean beauty advocate. Over the past few years, I have seen firsthand how loosely the term “clean” is used in the U.S. There is no unified federal definition, which leaves too much room for inconsistency and consumer confusion. As a manufacturer, I feel a responsibility not only to produce compliant products, but to contribute to raising the standard of what clean beauty should mean.
My long-term vision is to help build a more structured, transparent clean beauty movement in the United States – one rooted in ingredient integrity, regulatory clarity, and accountability. That includes industry dialogue, education, and potentially legislative efforts that protect consumers while supporting responsible brands.
I believe the next evolution of beauty is not just about aesthetics or trends. It is about infrastructure, policy, and trust.
If we want consumers to feel safe, the industry has to operate with discipline. And that is the direction I am committed to helping move forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vaulabs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vaulabsusa
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-vaulin
