Meet the doctor behind Lamelle Research Laboratories

For Dr Bradley Wagemaker, product development is not about creating another skincare product for the sake of adding something new to the market. It starts with a much bigger question: Can we do this better?

As Medical Director and one of the founders of Lamelle Research Laboratories, Dr Wagemaker has been instrumental in shaping the company’s reputation for innovation, evidence-based skincare and products that challenge conventional thinking. Lamelle has built its reputation on introducing “many firsts” to the South African market through technological innovation and a deep understanding of healthy skin biology. But being first is never the objective.

For Dr Wagemaker, the objective is to push beyond the limits of what is currently possible. And sometimes, that means creating something that does not yet exist.

Don’t develop what already exists

The skincare market is crowded. Consumers have access to thousands of products, ingredients and claims, making it increasingly difficult to create something genuinely distinctive. This is where Dr Wagemaker’s approach to product development sets Lamelle apart. The starting point isn’t necessarily, “What product can we make?” It is closer to: “What problem are we trying to solve, and what is the best way we can solve it?” And if the ingredient needed to solve that problem doesn’t exist? Make it.

Around 15 years ago, Lamelle introduced technology to the market that nobody else had. More than a decade later, nobody else has that technology. That is not innovation for innovation’s sake. It is the result of a philosophy that refuses to accept that the existing ingredient catalogue represents the limit of what skincare can achieve.

“With most of our ingredients and formulations, we don’t simply draw from a catalogue of what is already available,” is the thinking behind the approach. “If we can’t find what we need to achieve what we want to achieve, we make it ourselves.” It is a very different way of approaching product development.

Rather than asking what ingredients are available and then deciding what can be formulated around them, Lamelle starts with the desired biological outcome and works backwards. What do we want to achieve? What is preventing us from achieving it? And what would we need to create to overcome that?

That requires looking beyond trends and asking more sophisticated questions about skin genetics and biology, formulation technology, clinical need and, ultimately, what matters to people.

The never-say-no attitude

There is a particular mindset required to work this way. At Lamelle, it can be summed up simply: Never say no. If there is a problem worth solving, “we can’t” is not necessarily the end of the conversation. It may simply mean the technology, ingredient or formulation approach required has not yet been developed.

That philosophy has driven Lamelle to explore areas where conventional formulation approaches cannot necessarily provide the answer. It also explains why some Lamelle ingredients are so unique that direct comparisons with other products are not always possible.

If you cannot find an equivalent ingredient elsewhere, there is no meaningful comparison to make. And that is intentional. Lamelle’s solutions are designed to address biology from multiple angles rather than relying on a single fashionable ingredient or one-dimensional approach.

The sophistication is not necessarily in having the longest ingredient list. It is in understanding which biological pathways matter, how they interact and how they can be influenced together.

First to market, but never for the sake of it

Being first to market sounds exciting, but true innovation requires more than spotting the next trend. For Lamelle, innovation is about identifying an opportunity where science, clinical experience and consumer need intersect. There is a fundamental difference between creating something new and creating something new that matters.

That distinction has remained central to Dr Wagemaker’s approach throughout Lamelle’s development. The company does not develop products simply because a particular ingredient is trending or because there is an obvious commercial gap on shelf. Products are developed around the things that matter to people. That is the priority.

Dr Wagemaker’s medical background gives him a particularly scientific lens through which to approach product development. His extensive knowledge of the sciences and experience across areas including medical aesthetics, research and development and clinical research provide a foundation for understanding skincare beyond the surface.

This is where Lamelle’s sophisticated approach begins: Science first. Product second.

The sophistication is in the thinking

When consumers think of sophisticated skincare, they may think about beautiful packaging, elegant textures or premium positioning. For Lamelle, sophistication goes much deeper. It is in formulation. It is in the selection and development of ingredients. It is in understanding how those ingredients interact with cells. It is in consideration of delivery systems, concentration, compatibility and clinical relevance. And sometimes, it is in creating an ingredient that simply does not exist yet.

The question is whether that ingredient contributes something meaningful to the overall formulation and whether the formulation ultimately makes a meaningful difference to the person using it.

The company’s philosophy of confident innovation combines cutting-edge science with proven skincare expertise to create products designed around meaningful outcomes. It is also why Lamelle’s products may not always fit neatly into conventional categories or comparisons.

If we don’t make it better, we’re not finished

Innovation does not stop when a product reaches the shelf. Lamelle operates with a philosophy of continual improvement, driven by the belief that if a formula can be made more effective, more sophisticated, or more relevant, it should be. That does not mean every formula needs to change. In fact, if a Lamelle formula remains unchanged, the reason is not complacency. It means the team has not yet found a way to make it better. The benchmark is not simply whether something works. It is whether there is a scientifically credible way to make it work better.

New research emerges. Technologies develop. Understanding of skin biology evolves. New ingredients become possible. And every one of those developments creates another opportunity to ask: Can we improve this? That mindset of continual evolution has been fundamental to Lamelle’s reputation for innovation over more than two decades. It is not about constantly changing products to create something new. It is about refusing to stop looking for something better.

The courage to be different

There is also an entrepreneurial quality to Dr Wagemaker’s approach. Being different requires confidence. It means being willing to invest in an idea before everyone else understands it. It means taking calculated risks, questioning accepted approaches and sometimes going in a direction where there is no obvious roadmap.

Rather than asking: “What are our competitors doing?” the more interesting question is: “What should modern skincare be doing better?”. That question creates a very different kind of innovation. It allows Lamelle to explore new technologies, develop proprietary ingredients and create solutions that may not have an obvious comparison in the market. If something genuinely improves the outcome, investigate it. If it does not, move on. If the required technology does not exist, develop it. If the formula can be improved, improve it. And if the answer has not yet been found? Keep looking.