# NovaLash ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 2004 | | Origin | United States | | Headquarters | Houston, Texas | | Status | Active | | Website | https://novalash.com/ | NovaLash is an American eyelash-extension company founded in 2004 by biologist and cosmetic chemist Sophy Merszei [1]. Built around professional lash extensions, adhesives and related cosmetics, the company sells mainly to salons and trained lash artists rather than directly to consumers, and its products are distributed across the United States and in more than 40 other countries. The company is closely identified with its founder, who developed its early products with physicians and scientists from the University of Houston and Baylor College of Medicine and later campaigned for licensing rules governing the eyelash-extension trade. NovaLash remains independent and founder-led, with an active e-commerce operation as of 2026. ## Origin and founders Sophy Merszei founded NovaLash in 2004 while three years into a molecular-biology PhD program at the University of Houston [9]. According to a 2013 trade profile, she had spent more than two decades in the beauty industry by then, having started at Clinique at the age of 14. There are two framings of what she started. NovaLash describes itself as the creator of "the very first distribution and training network for eyelash extensions" and, subsequently, "the world's first global distributor" of eyelash-extension products [1]. Trade editorial states the claim more narrowly: eyelash extensions themselves originated in Korea and Asia, and Merszei "pioneered the first distribution and training network for eyelash extensions outside of Korea" — in effect, the first in the United States [9]. Both accounts agree on the founding year of 2004. In its early years the company worked with a team of physicians and scientists from the University of Houston and Baylor College of Medicine to develop its products and application techniques. ## History and milestones A defining moment in the company's history came in 2011, when Texas passed House Bill 2727, creating a specialty license for eyelash-extension application. Merszei advocated for the legislation, assembling lawyers, lobbyists and lash artists to press for regulation, and testified before a Texas House committee in April 2011 [1]. The resulting statute set training requirements for the trade in Texas. By 2013, NovaLash reported that its products were distributed in 38 countries and that it had invested more than 10 million US dollars into developing the eyelash-extension industry [9]; the company also described expanding internationally through signature studio salons, including one opened in India. Its distribution has since grown to more than 40 countries worldwide [1]. In February 2019 the company marked its 15th anniversary with a "LashOff" awards event held in Houston [8], reaffirming the 2004 founding date. ## Philosophy and positioning NovaLash positions itself around eye and lash health, presenting its extensions and adhesives as physician-developed and designed to work with the natural lash rather than against it. The company says its adhesive is rubberized so that it flexes with the natural lash, and that its extensions are immediately waterproof, oil-proof and sweat-proof [3]. It contrasts this approach with competitors it describes as using industrial-grade adhesives. Merszei has framed the business partly as a means of economic empowerment, describing a mission to give women a trade and to create better-paying jobs for women in the beauty sector [1]. ## Products and innovation The company's core catalogue covers professional lash extensions, adhesives and removers, aftercare, and a small line of "eyelash extension friendly" cosmetics. Its best-known product is the Platinum Bond adhesive, which NovaLash describes as patented, alongside named products such as LashLiner, a Fume Free Adhesive, Lash+Doctor and CleanLash. Several of the company's product claims are self-reported. NovaLash says it was the first lash brand to pass toxicity testing and publishes laboratory results for its products [7]. It also cites a double-blind study finding that its Platinum Bond adhesive outperforms competitors on strength, durability, pigmentation, texture and curl, and states that its extensions can last up to eight weeks when properly applied — a figure it presents as more than twice that of the leading competitor [3]. ## Recognition and press NovaLash lists awards from a range of beauty and trade publications and organizations, among them the SheKnows Beauty Awards, an ICMAD award, a Better Business Bureau award, VIP Woman, Beauty Launchpad, American Spa and Pure Beauty; the company's awards page names the granting bodies without specifying years or categories [5]. Its media coverage comes chiefly from United States professional and trade publications rather than general consumer titles. The founder and company have been featured repeatedly in outlets such as Modern Salon, Beauty Launchpad, American Spa and Dermascope between 2015 and 2019, and Salon Today profiled Merszei as an Enterprising Woman in 2013 [9]. The company's own record of press features has not been updated past December 2019. ## Current status NovaLash is active. Its e-commerce site remained live and selling in 2026, carrying current promotions and a 2026 copyright notice, and the company continues to operate as an independent, founder-led business distributing to salons across the United States and more than 40 other countries. Its publicly listed press coverage trails off after 2019, but its commercial operations show no comparable pause. ## Sources 1. (T1) https://novalash.com/about/ 3. (T2) https://novalash.com/about/why-consumers-choose-novalash/ 5. (T2) https://novalash.com/about/awards/ 7. (T2) https://novalash.com/about/safety/ 8. (T3) https://www.modernsalon.com/377882/novalash-founder-and-ceo-sophy-merszei-reflects-on-the-brands-15th-anniversary 9. (T3) https://www.salontoday.com/articles/2013-enterprising-women-sophy-merszei --- Glowpedia · · Updated 2026-08-25 Please cite with a link to the article URL.