The Beauty Accelerator is a joint initiative between The Red Tree, the UK’s leading international beauty brand consultancy, and SFC Capital, a leader in the UK’s early stage investment world that will see one Finalist receive £150,000 equity investment plus the knowledge and expertise of The Red Tree applied over 12 months to take the brand to its next stage and beyond.
The Beauty Accelerator opened for applications on Monday 25th August and ran throughout September. Speaking about the application process, Stirling Murray, Managing Director of The Red Tree said: “We were absolutely delighted by the sheer number and high quality of applicants, which came from all categories of beauty – skin care, colour cosmetics, hair care, fragrance, male grooming, supplements, body care, retail and beauty tech.
"Our intention was to tap into the incredibly vibrant independent beauty brand scene in the UK and The Beauty Accelerator has certainly unearthed dynamic entrepreneurs driving game changing innovation and creating disruptive brands”.
Overwhelmed by the number of high calibre applicants, the timeframe for interviews with short-listed brands was extended by a week. Following discussions between The Red Tree and SFC Capital they unanimously agreed on the Final 6 brands. They are:
- Centred is a concise and considered collection of super-charged, plant-powered hair and scalp heroes. The brand combines wellness with hair care offering straight talking and supportive advice for stressed out hair, body and mind. www.wearecentred.com
- Cutbox will provide convenient, affordable, high quality haircuts through leveraging technology, superior in store processes and highly motivated employees
- Faace offers a solution to skin that’s been disrupted by life. Having found a white space in how people talk about their skin in real life, Faace provides a straightforward solution through a capsule collection of masks that are gaining traction in the UK and internationally. www.wearefaace.com
- Fussy makes living sustainably part of your morning routine. With award winning design and astounding pre-launch buzz. Unveiling deodorants first, the aim is to develop a range of refillable personal care products that are delivered straight to your doorstep. www.getfussy.com
- Glaize is a DTC nailcare brand using technology to transform gel manicures. Glaize use computer vision to design made-to-measure gels personalised to your hand and delivered to your letterbox. The product is easy to apply, lasts 2 weeks and is removed easily. The high quality, toxin free product makes Glaize an easier, faster and safer way for women to shop nail care. https://glaize.co/
- On Beaute is disrupting how consumers reach and buy beauty. It is the first of its kind to provide condensed and calibrated product recommendations via an affiliate model that provides cash back to consumers. Led by a founder and team with a combined beauty and tech experience of 39+ years. www.onbeaute.com
Commenting on the 6 finalists, Stirling Murray said: “Amongst a highly competitive field, the 6 finalists stood out at every stage of the application review and interview process.
"All finalist brands have highly impressive founders, and we look forward to meeting each of them again at The Beauty Accelerator final."
The Beauty Accelerator Final will be held over two days on Wednesday 21 October and Thursday 22 October. The 6 Finalist brands will pitch directly to The Red Tree and SFC Capital and state their case for investment and collaboration.
The Beauty Accelerator 2020 Winner will then be selected and announced. The successful brand will have the chance to dramatically accelerate their growth through significant investment from SFC Capital and a year-long collaborative partnership with The Red Tree.
