Meet Geraldine Jones, the skin expert and entrepreneur who is here to simplify skincare
An aesthetician of 20 years, Jones launched Skin Formula in 2019 and it is quickly becoming one of the most trusted Irish beauty brands
Geraldine Jones created Skin Formulas with one clear goal: to make skincare simple. Working as an aesthetician for 20 years in clinics in Ireland and abroad, she opened Mediskin clinic in Nenagh, Co Tipperary in 2014.
And while the business thrived, Jones found a common theme: there were not enough products with the right ingredients and too many complicated steps. “I wasn’t able to get what my client needed from the existing brands that I had on the shelf,” she recalls.
“I would have a client come in who had acne or who was pregnant and couldn’t use any of our actives. Or if someone was put on prescriptive acne medication, they’re told, ‘You can’t use any of the actives’. So my head was constantly turning in terms of what I would love to deliver to clients if I had my own products to do so.”
So she set about creating her own line, but without a background in cosmetology, she went to the experts, namely the cosmetic scientist behind Australian brand Active Skin. “I worked very, very closely with them in terms of the active ingredients that I wanted to use to deliver these results.”
Her philosophy when it comes to skin health is about looking at the skin barrier, its function and how it is working for the skin. “What can we do to protect it and protect the microbiome, because that is essentially where all disease kind of starts within the skin or wherever there’s an issue – It’s because that barrier is not working properly, or it’s compromised.”
The first product she created addressed just those issues and Clear, a skin treatment, remains her firm’s hero product today.
“It is packed full of prebiotics. Those prebiotics are working to restore the good bacteria in the microbiome so that the bad bacteria are not taking over. And there’s not an imbalance in that microbiome.
“It is an incredible product for anybody who has inflammation, bacteria, congestion and any kind of compromise within their skin.”
And so, in 2019, Skin Formulas was born, and with it the initial range of 12 retail products and three professional products. But it was a risk. When she told her manufacturer that she wanted to launch with 15 products, he replied, “L’Oreal don’t even do that”.
But she was sure this was how it needed to be. With two years of development behind her, there was an intense juggle to keep running the clinic and bring Skin Formulas to the market. And still, the range was not yet complete.
“Behind every decision that I make within the brand is the question, what does the customer need? What is the customer looking for? So when we launched we didn’t have a day cream because I wasn’t happy with the formulation.” Five months later, on the same day as the birth of her second child, the day cream was launched.
Now with over 20 products in the line, new additions are still driven by customer needs, not a marketing calendar. “We listen to customer feedback and that’s how we strategically plan the products that we’re bringing out,” Jones says. “I care about what’s in the product, I want it to be the best that it can be. And I’m not willing to compromise on that. Which means it takes time.”
Her newest launch is a direct response to market changes and market demand, says Jones, with an increasing amount of deeper resurfacing treatments taking place. “A lot of times that means that you’re contraindicated to a lot of homecare products. So the doctor-led clinics and nurse-led clinics are sending clients to the pharmacy to pick up a thermal water spray. So we’ve created two products that are incredibly effective for use post-treatment.”
The Oatfoliant is a gentle, yet effective, exfoliator which uses Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, an anti-ageing formula that enhances skin texture, while the ceramide and hyaluronic Skin Mist is a formulated hybrid mist for hydration and skin barrier protection. Both can be used post-treatment.
But there is more to come. With 14 products launching this year, she has 25 products in development which will be launched by 2025. “You’re constantly looking ahead and saying, ‘What’s changing, what’s innovative?
“I’m a perfectionist,” continues Jones, “and I constantly feel like we can improve them, we can tweak the products. There’s no scientific point where a product is right. I just know when I’ve got it.” It’s an instinct that has paid off. And having gone from packing orders with her husband late at night during Covid, she now has nine employees and growing.
“We’re moving into body care, which we’re very excited about. There are six products in the range and they’ve been in development since 2020.” For someone who loves skin, she says, it was important for her to make sure they were looking after that “from top to toe”.
And while the success of Skin Formulas continues, a step back from the clinic was always going to be necessary, but it still provides an important touchstone for clients and feedback on what is and isn’t working. “I love this industry. I’m always researching and trialling new products. I am just so passionate about the brand and I want to always create the best products I can.”
