Written By: Kaleigh Werner
At this year’s WWD LA Beauty Forum, founder and president Courtney Claghorn took the stage not just as a beauty-entrepreneur, but as a strategist asking: How do you scale a brand while keeping identity alive, culture intact—and still push forward in a shifting market? As the article reports, her conversation cut right to the heart of those questions.
Claghorn shared the evolution of SUGARED + BRONZED from one-location startup to national presence—emphasizing that growth was never about expansion alone, but about doing more with meaning. She stressed the importance of aligning brand identity (“who we are”) with operations (“how we show up”) and culture (“how we treat our people and clients”). This focus, she explained, is what allows S + B to maintain its premium feel even as the footprint widens.
One key point she raised: when you invite scale, you invite complexity. But rather than seeing that as a hurdle, she framed it as opportunity. At the Forum, themed “Room to Grow: Finding Opportunity in Uncertainty,” she placed emphasis on staying nimble, staying rooted in mission, and designing systems that support—not dilute—the brand essence.
For clients and collaborators of S+B, this matters. It means that every new store, every new service or product line, is backed by the same attention to detail and experience considered at the beginning. It means that S+B isn’t just chasing scale—it’s ensuring that the standard clients expect isn’t compromised. As Claghorn said, brand growth isn’t linear—it’s layered with culture, values, and client experience.
If you’ve been with us from the early days or are discovering us now, this is your invitation: you’re stepping into more than a tan or sugaring appointment—it’s a membership in a brand that values clarity, consistency and care. Because growth doesn’t mean losing what made us special—it means doubling down on it.
