Skingredients eyes expansion in UK, US and Australia

Skingredients, the Irish-owned skincare company owned by Jennifer Rock, is planning to significantly scale up its British operations in the next year, driven by a number of new deals with major retailers across the Irish Sea.

The Enterprise Ireland-backed firm, which was set up in 2019, is building a “UK-specific team” as part of its plans to grow its presence in the country, Rock told the Business Post.

Rock, also known as the Skin Nerd, has become a household name in the Irish skincare industry over recent years. She’s a skincare tutor and author, and frequently appears on radio and TV with lessons on how to effectively care for your skin.

In 2017, she founded the Skin Nerd, a consultancy that offers customers advice on the best products for their skin. It employs qualified skin therapists and has more than 50,000 clients.

With the Skin Nerd going from “strength to strength”, Rock decided to start her own line of skincare products and Skingredients was born.

“In the Skin Nerd, we house many brands, and we pick what’s right for you. With Skingredients, we created a simple line of seven products,” Rock said.

The brand’s products are free of fragrances, and don’t contain synthetic or essential oils. They’re designed to be used by people of any age and gender and Rock said they were developed after an exhaustive research process.

Skingredients consists of two capsule collections: the Key 4, four products designed for daily use, and the supplementary Mix and Match range, which is made up of three products designed to address more specific skincare issues.

“When it comes to our diet, we all have baseline information about what we put into our body,” Rock said. “The exact same premise should apply to skincare.”

Rock, who employs 28 people across the Skin Nerd and Skingredients brands, said the products were “not commercially driven as their sole focus”.

“The sole focus is to get the correct level of ingredients, with the correct people, to ensure that the entire product is tested,” she said.

That standard isn’t adhered to so rigorously by some other companies in the industry, she said. “Sometimes, unfortunately, products include ingredients that are hype-driven, and trend-driven, and won’t have the correct level to actually make a difference.”

Rock is also breaking new ground when it comes to sustainability. Products made by Skingredients are housed in reusable, durable outer tubes.

“I don’t believe sustainability is a reality in our sector,” Rock said, noting that 142 billion units of plastic are created each year by the beauty sector. “So when you’re creating skincare, you’re very aware that you have a responsibility to act wisely.”

Rock’s Skingredients range recently started selling in Cult Beauty, one of Britain’s biggest online retailers, and she is in talks with a number of bricks-and-mortar stores in England too.

In 2024, the brand plans to launch in the US, and expects to be selling in Australia and the United Arab Emirates within five years.

“It’s quite an aggressive 18-month plan from 2024 onwards,” Rock said.