People & Brands That Inspire Us

Monday, 19th April 2021

This term our Level 2 Beauty Therapy learners have been working on exploring the industry and the inspirational people and brands within it. They have researched and explained why these fantastic people and brands inspire them!

Deciem’s Nicola Kilner
She studied business at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. And, at the same time, she rose through the ranks at British high-street brand Boots from beauty counter to buying manager in two quick years. It was there, as a buyer at Boots, that she first met Truaxe. She felt the infectious spark of his disruptive skincare plans and joined his mission. Years later, Kilner’s steely determination and resilience have seen her soar as she’s taken over from Truaxe. Her appetite for challenge, change, and disrupting the market is inarguable. Now an umbrella of brands, Deciem counts The Ordinary as its most successful. Kilner is a woman with her hands full and thriving.

The reason she stands out and is an icon is mainly that she is a mother and wife while working 18-hour shifts. Personally, for me, this is why she is my inspiration. She has loads of different focuses yet she was able to lead one of the world’s most well-known cult beauty brands.  

By Emily B.

Rihanna / Fenty beauty
Fenty Beauty is a makeup brand that is owned by Rihanna. Rihanna has also branched out Fenty beauty by adding a skincare range which is called Fenty skin. The reason why Fenty beauty is an inspirational brand is that it was the first makeup brand to have over 50 shades of foundation, powder, and concealer. Fenty has also come up with contour, bronzers, blushers, and highlighters that look amazing on all skin shades. Not only has Rihanna created this inspirational makeup line but she also promotes all body types from slim to curvy. All of Rihanna’s models have different body types as well as skin colours and she believes that everyone is beautiful. This is another reason why I am so inspired by her. 

Janet and Jo
Janet and Jo is a nail polish brand that is vegan, cruelty-free, and toxin-free. Janet and Jo created their nail polish brand because their family members had cancer which meant they couldn’t use regular nail polish because of the toxins. So she created a brand with no toxins that are cruelty-free and vegan. Janet and Jo have inspired me because one day in the future I would like to create a skincare brand that has no toxins and is cruelty-free and vegan so everyone can use it and it is suitable for everyone to use. 

By Eva W.

Elemis
This is a facial skin brand which is manufactured in the UK and was founded in the year 1989. Elemis is used in many beauty salons around the country, many beauty salons uptown, in London use this brand as it is a very well-known and skin-changing brand. Elemis is Britain’s number one skincare brand and is available in another 95 different countries. Noella Gabriel said in an interview “I have always had a passion and curiosity for the skin and body and how it all works, so I decided to study nutrition and train as a beauty therapist” which is one of the main reasons she why she wanted to make the big selling brand ‘elemis’

A little background about the brand:

• In 1989, Elemis was founded in London by Linda Steiner who was an investor and entrepreneur. Her thoughts and vision were to create a skincare brand that would become natural as possible in each product.
• In 1994 – 2001 Elemis then launched spa and retail and cruise ships and in 2001 the brand then opened in London’s prestigious Mayfair. Mayfair is one of the most high-end places in London, it attracts people of wealth so the brand gets a lot of attention and recognition in the spas uptown.
• In 2003 they brought out one of their most well-known products which was the pro-collagen marine cream. This was an innovative gel-cream that is meant to deliver intense moisture and younger-looking skin in just a matter of 14 days.
• Through the years of 2006 – 2015, they brought out many more well-known and successful products. However, in 2008 Noella Gaberial, who is the co-founder and president, won the CEW achiever award. In 2014 elemis won the cosmetic executive women award for the best British brand.
• Then in 2016, they brought out one of their most-used brands which is the superfood collection, this collection is a nutrient-rich collection that aims to gently help the skin get its glow back.
• Last year in 2020, elemis was named as the best premium skincare brand by the Sunday Times.

The brand Elemis and who created it was: Noella Gabriel who then had a team of Emer Gillen, Keeley Aydin, Grace Coburn, and Christina Hyams. Noella Gabriel is the co-founder and president, she has worked at the forefront of the industry for over 30 years.

Emer Gillen is the brand ambassador of the brand elemis. She ensures the elemis standards of excellence and enthusiasm in training across the globe. Keeley Aydin who has represented the brand as an ambassador built a 29-year long career as a beauty therapist in which she runs salons in the UK and the north of Cyprus.

Grace Coburn joined the elemis training team in 2014 and her role is to share knowledge and passion for the brands’ products and services.

Christina Hyams is one of the top Elemis skincare experts in which she joined in 2001.

By Lauren A.

Well done Level 2 Beauty on some fantastic research! 

– Brooks Beauty x

hair.beauty@brooklands.ac.uk