Virtue Labs

A North Carolina researcher studying how the human body rebuilds damaged skin for burn victims, identified a specific human keratin in protein that could also repair damaged hair. He patented the isolation method and launched a hair care brand around it. Luke Anthony Burnett founded Virtual Labs in 2014 after research at RTI International in North Carolina isolated a human keratin protein called alpha keratin 60KU, originally targeted at wound healing applications. The protein bound to hair at damaged sites and rebuilt the cuticle at a molecular level. The company patented the extraction process from ethically sourced human hair and launched consumer hair care products. The human keratin protein was a genuine scientific lock. Competing hair care brands used plant keratin, hydrolyzed wheat proteins, or animal keratin from sheep wool, none of which matched the amino acid profile of human hair.