Originally an industrial designer, and a woman of many hats, she is determined to always find a better way.

Normajean Fusco, president and founder of Equibal Labs, is a true renaissance woman whose career in the beauty industry spans over four decades. Educated in the United States and Europe, Normajean has spent time as a teacher, aesthetician, and consultant to industry giants such as Revlon, Coty, and Germaine Monteil.

Norma was inspired during her childhood by her nature-loving grandfather, Dr. Zenon Anthon Einik, a homeopathic physician and herbalist, who formulated remedies and beauty creams in his lab using plants harvested in his own garden. He motivated her to develop products consistent with his thinking – safe, natural, and effective.

Norma’s background as an industrial designer taught her to always look for areas that need improvement and to find solutions. That led her to the hair removal industry. Traditional waxing had not changed for decades and, in 1971, she knew there had to be a better way. With that, she founded Equibal Labs (which stands for equal balance) in 1981 and created the Nufree soy-based (non-wax) hair removal process.

Norma’s humble beginnings began in a rented space with her wearing many hats – chemist, designer, marketer, and distributor. As a woman in business in those days, she spent an enormous amount of time, effort, and resolve to get noticed in the industry. But, with hard work and perseverance, demand for Nufree took off. To accommodate that demand, in 1999, she purchased a 40,000-square-foot former Nestlé factory that she then converted to meet her needs. Today, that renovated factory is home to Equibal Lab’s FDA-registered research laboratory, manufacturing plant, and distribution center.  

As chief chemist, Norma has formulated a wide range of skin care products, including Nufree and finipil. Her philosophy has always been that if you cannot make it better, do not make it at all. Norma believes it is important to commit to continual improvement. Her goal is to make products that genuinely improve people’s lives, not to simply develop a cheaper version of what already exists.

In terms of the future, Norma would like to develop a niche laboratory where she can develop products that deal with unique skin care problems. She deeply believes that investing time and money in research and development is the way to stay at the forefront of the industry. She also believes that spas need to be full service in every way. By offering products that can treat and manage all forms of skin conditions, they will become a valuable resource to their customers.

When she is not in the lab, Norma lives in upstate New York on a 75-acre horse farm that she loves sharing with her horses and dogs. As with the Equibal name, the peaceful serenity of the country provides an equal balance between her personal and professional lives.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT NORMAJEAN

 “It was nearly 18 years ago that I first had the pleasure of meeting Normajean. She is not only humble and knowledgeable, but also passionate about her clients and products. She has clearly put her whole heart into her business distributing worldwide.” Peter Cole, publisher of Spa Canada Magazine