It’s International Women’s Day! 88% of people employed in the beauty industry are women, and a large portion of those are business owners. So, it’s the perfect time to spotlight just a few of the UK’s trailblazing female founders

Below, three entrepreneurs share their tips for promoting equity, jumping industry hurdles, and what they are most proud of

Rachel Jones, Co-founder of Skin + Me

Why did you start your brand?

When I met the co-founders of Skin + Me, I was blown away by what the business could become. I had worked in the beauty industry more broadly and was at a point in my career where I wanted to use beauty to make a difference in people’s lives. When I investigated prescription ingredients and personalised formulations more, I realised we could treat people with significant and life affecting skin conditions in a positive way.

How can we make the industry more equitable?

When I think about the industry as a whole it feels overwhelming. Where would you even start if you wanted to affect change?  In my opinion, we are still a long way from equality, let alone equity.

I believe, everyone should consider the areas they can influence themselves to try and make small, positive differences everyday. Be a bit of a pain, be a bit of a nuisance, and speak up either for yourself or others if you believe things aren’t fair.

What challenges do you face as a woman in industry?

I have faced challenges and there is not denying it’s because I’m a woman. I spent a number of years having to have fertility treatment, which is a difficult thing to go through anyway, but I was told by my employer at the time that they would question my commitment if I were to go through the process. It was bamboozling to me that these leaders couldn’t find a way to support people in their work aims and life ambitions too.

Years later, when I managed to have a succesful pregnancy. Opportunities that had been available suddenly weren’t because I was pregnant. Now, I take a stand, and call out this injustice in the hope that it will help other women down the line.

What are you most proud of?

From a work point of view, I am proud of the teams that I have built. Being able to find women and really facilitate their development has meant that I have been able to create friendships and long lasting relationships with great people.

I’m also weeks away from having my third child. Somehow, I have found a way to find a balance between having a growing, content, secure family, and a fulfilling career that’s making a difference.

What would you encourage women to think about this IWD?

One thing that I don’t think has improved is the ability for women to advocate for themselves and really believe in their self-worth. I think that if we don’t champion ourselves, what we bring to the table isn’t realised.  By knowing your worth, you are able to acknowledge when that isn’t being recognise, and walk away from opportunities that don’t match what you deserve.

I’ve been told loads along the way that I’m too nice, or not ruthless enough. This feedback can make you want to change who you are in order to fit into a particular environment. I think that it’s really not worth it, if you find yourself in any situation where you are not being valued for who you truly are, my advice is get out of there!

Jenna Unwin, CEO of Million Dollar Facial

Why did you start your brand? 

I started my skincare brand after practicing as a therapist for 13 years and developing a training academy. I knew what it was like to have huge minimum orders hanging over your head when you first open a salon, and having no way to get your foot on the ladder. Million Dollar Facial is dedicated to breaking this barrier and enabling salon owners to place smaller opening orders, with a drop in shipping which means they don’t have to hold back unnecessary stock.

What challenges have you faced as a woman in industry?

I wanted to create a bespoke tool for derma-planing and we approached several factories. Many of these were heavily male dominated, and a lot of them were completely dismissive of my project, I got the feeling that they didn’t think it was worth their time.

I overcame this by citing just how much the beauty industry contributes to the UK economy. The conversation completely changed once I had educated the manufacturers on the power of the beauty industry, and the effect our treatments have on people’s mental health too.

What are you doing to promote equity in the beauty industry?

It is a fundamental aspect of our business that everyone has a voice, just as much as everyone listens to others. This inclusiveness helps all of us to manage our biases – when your ears are open you open, your eyes to different perspectives.

We deal with 5000 customers in the UK alone, who all have their own customers as well, so promoting equity is key to us because we are dealing with a vast and diverse group of individuals who need to feel supported and represented.

What are you most proud of?

In my personal life, I am proud of the freedom that I have created for my family, and ensuring they are always the top priority. Professionally, I am proud that I can give people the opportunity grow businesses, seeing someone flourish and achieve is incredible for us. I am dedicated to making affordable entry levels for people, as this is what I needed when I first started my salon.

What would you encourage women to consider this IWD?

All that separates us is mindset, things don’t happen over night but mindset is a huge part of building a great foundation. For too long, women have been in competition with one another, but I have only ever focused on myself and what I can control. So many people are worried about what other people are doing, but that only takes away from your time and energy as well.

Susan Allen Augustin, Co-founder of Here We Flo

Why did you start your brand? 

My co-founder and I met during our Masters at London School of Economics. At the time, I was working in the social justice sector and Tara was working in the music industry. We were both inspired by our classes and wanted to start a ‘feminist mafia of the LSE’, but needed a money maker.

Most of the conventional personal care brands are run by men, who have never had a period. That’s why the packaging is terrible, the commercials are completely unrealistic, and all the stuff that is in the products is trying to kill us. We wanted to change this by making personal care products that break the social stigma which exists around some of life’s messiest moments.

What challenges do you face as a woman in industry?

So many people challenge whether the premise of our company makes sense, but we’ve been doing this for five years now and have cultivated £3 million in turnover. There is always a bit of ‘mansplaining’ because in a lot of people’s minds ‘business’ is still for men. We welcome the challenge of the patriarchy in everything that we do. We work hard and work with people who are collaborative and understand the vision so that we can stand up and prove these people wrong.

How can we make the industry more equitable?

We are seeing more diversity on the front end of things, but it is just as important that the creators and brand owners are diverse as well – I think that’s when you move from equality to equity. The influence of having diverse voices on the creation side of beauty brands is so clear when you look at Rihanna’s Fenty, which triggered loads of other brands to become more inclusive.

At Flo, we have a set of five values that are used to govern everything from internal conflict, to how we deal with cost errors, and even our recruitment, it helps to keep us grounded in the values that we started the business with and ensures we attract people that want to work, live, and thrive in our environment.

What does power mean to you? And, what are you most proud of?

For me, power is having the ability to build a brand with an understanding of how to pull people together to achieve a shared vision. Even though people don’t often think they can, power, collaboration, and humility can all coexist.

I’m proud of our team – we have always been intentional about building a good foundation from the very beginning. It’s an awesome team made up of people who are able to get along, work together really well, `and have a really strong trust-based culture. We all work to achieve excellence, when it’s time to burn the midnight oil to get something over the line we all pitch in.

What would you encourage women to think about this IWD? 

I want to encourage women to band together and realise the power in sisterhood. Find your tribe and start a conversation, because who knows what you will build, fix, or what things you’ll challenge.