Jose Luis Palacios Appointed CEO of Biotech Haircare Company Virtue Labs

Virtue Labs has a new CEO; Jose Luis Palacios has been appointed to the c-suite role. Founder Melisse Shaban will continue to serve as an advisor to the CEO and will serve on the board, accordng to the biotech hair care company.

“Jose Luis is a visionary leader, and an experienced operator, with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation in the consumer brands industry. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Virtue, and we are confident that he will lead us to new heights of success,” said John Rice, chairman of Virtue.

Palacios joins Virtue after a long and successful career in the consumer brands industry, including global leadership positions at Procter & Gamble, Coty, and most recently, Google.

“I am honored and excited to join Virtue, a company that is transforming the hair care industry with its groundbreaking and proprietary technology and incredible products. I look forward to working with the talented team at Virtue to accelerate our growth and development across digital, retail and salon channels, in the US and Internationally, and to deliver exceptional value to our customers, consumers, partners and shareholders,” said Palacios in a statement.

More Funding from Combe

Concurrently, Virtue will be funded with a growth equity round of financing led by Combe, Inc., its majority shareholder.

“I am excited for Virtue's future under Jose Luis' leadership, and am delighted to continue supporting the growth and development of a brand that is having an incredibly transformative impact on the health of our consumers' hair,” said Keech Combe Shetty, executive chair of Combe, Inc.

Combe became majority owner of Virtue in 2020.