When Nicola Elliott founded Neom Wellbeing two decades ago, the word ‘wellbeing’ rarely graced beauty counters, and certainly wasn’t a category in itself.
Fast-forward to today, and Neom is celebrating its 20th anniversary and stands as a pioneer in luxury wellbeing, carving out a distinct voice in a once-non-existent market.
“We were trying to educate people into a whole new category,” Elliott tells Cosmetics Business.
“It was hard – not just for the brand, but with retailers too.
“Nobody was talking about stress, sleep or emotional wellness in the way we do now.”
From panic to purpose
Elliott’s personal journey was the catalyst behind Neom’s birth.
Working as a journalist, she experienced anxiety and panic attacks that ultimately led her to essential oils, and an early experiment that would go on to become one of the brand’s best-selling products – a complex blend of 24 oils designed to calm the mind.
“I remember thinking, ‘Everyone I know is struggling with something – stress, sleep, energy, mood’,” she says.
“So, why not create a brand that is all about how you feel, not how you look?”
That emotional underpinning has remained Neom’s core philosophy, guiding its product development and growth throughout the years.
“Everything is developed around our four pillars of wellbeing: better sleep, less stress, more energy and a lifted mood.
“That has never changed.”
Reframing wellness for the real world
The wellbeing space has evolved rapidly, and with that growth has come both opportunity and confusion.
Elliott, refreshingly, is not here to sell a purist dream of 5am yoga and green juice rituals.
“I am not someone who runs marathons. I like a glass of rosé. I am normal,” she laughs.
“Wellbeing should be accessible – small steps that genuinely make a difference, not a prescriptive lifestyle.”
Rather than dictating routines, Neom empowers customers to build their own ‘wellbeing toolkit’.
This toolkit mindset embraces flexibility, authenticity and enjoyment – values Elliott believes are critical in steering people away from online misinformation and wellness fads.
“We do not pretend to have all the answers,” she says.
“We just tell people what we believe in and offer tools that genuinely work.
“I stand by that more than ever.”
Building a business with scent as science
Neom sets itself apart with its scientific commitment to efficacy.
Every product, from candles to magnesium body butters, is built around 100% natural fragrance, formulated using complex essential oil blends and tested extensively.
“You can not have a wellbeing benefit without natural fragrance,” Elliott asserts.
“It is not enough to say a candle smells of lavender. If it is synthetic, it will not help your nervous system.”
That integrity and transparency have become central to Neom’s brand promise, and a foundation for trust with customers navigating a noisy, and sometimes misleading, wellness market.
Retail with real impact
While many beauty brands lean into digital-first strategies, Neom’s “wellbeing hubs” immersive physical stores are designed to deliver an in-person sensory experience and have become a powerful differentiator.
“In store, we can show people what we mean,” Elliott says.
“We have scent discovery stations, we do bespoke routines and we teach people how to build wellbeing into their lives.
“It is that human connection and you just cannot replicate that digitally.”
Still, Neom balances both worlds.
With more than half of its sales now coming via DTC channels, the brand has become a true omnichannel player – an early mover in the online wellness space long before the term became mainstream.
Strategic scaling
Key retail partnerships with UK stores such as John Lewis and Boots, and, more recently, Ulta Beauty in the US, have allowed Neom to scale without compromising its values.
“20 years ago, customers were not interested in the full story. Now they are. They want to know the ‘why’, and that plays in our favour,” says Elliott.
“We do a huge amount of training with our retail partners not just about the products, but our philosophy and how we support emotional health.”
New frontiers in fragrance and function
So, what is next for a brand that helped shape the wellbeing narrative?
“We have just entered into a joint venture with Ulta Beauty in the US, which is huge for us,” Elliott shares.
“And we are about to open our first-ever central London, UK, flagship store. No one knows that yet.”
From expanding its mineral and vitamin-infused ranges to launching Neom’s first summer scenting campaign – a move that takes fragrance outdoors – the brand continues to evolve but without losing sight of its mission.
It also recently launched new hand wash refills alongside newly formulated reed diffusers and refills.
“We are not just launching new products for the sake of it. Everything has to tie back to a real need, a real benefit,” Eliott says.
“We will never be a brand that creates something just because it is trending.”
Leading with empathy
If there is one thing that defines Elliott’s leadership, she says it is empathy.
She knows her customers because she is her customer – a woman navigating the messy, joyful, stressful terrain of modern life.
“Wellbeing is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and it changes as you change,” she says.
“Whether you are in the back of the car with screaming kids or prepping for a big board meeting, those little Neom moments, they matter.”
And in a world where the beauty and wellness categories are often clouded by complexity, Elliott’s message is a breath of fresh air – “Do what works for you. We are just here to help.”
