20 British Beauty Brands The C&TH Editors Love
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16 minutes ago
These British-born beauty companies are some of our favourites on the market…
Looking for some homegrown cosmetics? Britain is still a major player in the increasingly globalised beauty world, with absolute powerhouse brands like Elemis and Charlotte Tilbury to shout about, alongside small independent brands utilising fresh British ingredients. Here, we round up some of the C&TH team’s favourite British beauty.
The Country & Town House Responsible Buyers’ Guide
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Bamford
Bamford was founded by Carole Bamford, the owner and founder of Daylesford Farm, one of the most sustainable organic farms in the UK. Established on the belief that what we put on our body is as important as what we put into it through our food, all of the bath and body products are made in England and the natural active botanicals used are drawn from the fruits and herbs of English gardens.
Biotell
An exciting new name to have on your radar is Biotell, a home-grown cosmetics brand that makes all of its products right here in the UK. With a team of pharmaceutical and beauty experts working together, Biotell creates bespoke skincare and haircare routines for you to follow at home, which help smooth and plump up skin and leave hair feeling healthy and nourished.
By Sarah London
The only UK skincare collection with full transparency of formula on the front label, By Sarah was founded in 2017 by two sisters – Lauren and Sarah. When Lauren was diagnosed with leukaemia – for her subsequent recovery, Sarah wanted to find skin products that would support her rehabilitation but also be gentle and natural. Not satisfied with what she found, the only answer was to launch her own range. By Sarah products are completely formulated with vital nutrients, enzymes and lipids with the aim of supporting the skin’s microbiome – they’re also all organic, vegan, cruelty free and handmade here in the UK.
Charlotte Tilbury
British make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury MBE, one of the most influential makeup artists of her generation, launched her eponymous makeup line in 2013, and the rest is history. Her mission was to share the power of makeup and show every woman how easy it is to look and feel like the most beautiful versions of themselves. Boundary-breaking brand firsts so far have included the augmented reality ‘Magic Mirror’ to the first ever Virtual Reality perfume experience starring Kate Moss. Her products represent the ultimate in British glamour.
Cowshed
Cowshed is a collection of spas and natural products for the body and home from Soho House. Born from the group’s very first spa in Babington House in 1998, the collection can now be found in all the group’s houses, spas and restaurants worldwide. They’re known for their delicious scents thanks to the gorgeous of pure essential oils and wild crafted plant extracts used in their products.
Dr David Jack
Treating skin from the inside out is the ethos of medical doctor Dr David Jack’s product range which he launched in 2018 to help his clients simplify their skincare routines. As one of London’s leading aesthetic doctors, he understands the formulas that can really help improve the skin, but also it really starts on the inside. Three topical products form the core of the range, with a day formula, a night formula and a weekly peel, plus a recommended range of oral supplements.
Dr Sebagh
The Dr Sebagh brand, co-owned by cosmetic doctor Jean-Louis Sebagh and businesswoman and philanthropist Melissa John, is one of the few privately owned skincare brands that formulates and manufactures its own products. This independence enables them to develop unique and powerful formulations using advanced bio-tech ingredients, carefully chosen for their potency and specific benefits in addressing a particular skincare need or concern.
Elemis
Luxury British skincare and spa brand Elemis formulated and manufactures its products in the UK with a ‘field to face’ philosophy. The brand, which achieved B Corp status in 2023, also works with award-winning British growers to get the best quality, natural oils, extracts and ingredients. Elemis also supports a diverse range of British oilseed crops, helping the sustainability of honey bees through the farming of starflower, echium and camelina. Its beloved Pro-Collagen range has long been a firm favourite with editors and beauty buffs alike.
ESPA
One of the most prestigious spa brands in the world, pivotal not only within the history of British skincare but also within the spa industry as a whole, ESPA focuses on delivering natural beauty and inner calm to treat mind and body through its innovative spa treatments and skincare products. ESPA was founded in 1993 and is now the chosen partner for 550 globally acclaimed spas worldwide. The brand has multiple, award-winning flagship spas, one of which is ESPA Life at Corinthia, London.
Liz Earle
The British beauty brand was founded in 1995 by its namesake, Liz Earle, an author and botanical beauty authority, and Kim Buckland, a skincare industry expert. The pair chose Isle of Wight as the home of Liz Earle Beauty Co, where over half the island designated as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. With a focus on the potent power of naturally active ingredients, Liz Earle was one of the first brands to make sourcing botanicals for their unique efficacy a priority.
Molton Brown
Molton Brown holds a Royal Warrant for the supply of toiletries by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen, an honour the brand takes extremely seriously as the ultimate noble seal of approval, winning international customers’ trust for providing fragrances of unquestioned merit. A beloved name on the British (and global) beauty scene, Molton Brown was established in 1973 and have been delighting customers with their sophisticated fragrance collections and indulgent bath and body collections ever since.
Neal’s Yard Remedies
Modern British apothecary Neal’s Yard Remedies started small in a quiet corner of Covent Garden (from which it takes its name) but now has over 50 stores in the UK and a presence in five continents across the world. They always use the highest possible percentage of organic ingredients in their products, believing that natural, organic ingredients are kinder to the earth and kinder to the skin.
ORVEDA
London-based brand ORVEDA aims to deliver results in a way that is cleaner, greener, and vegan. Combining ‘the best of Nature with the best of Science’ (specifically Biotechnology), ORVEDA creates products that will make your skin glow and give you the confidence to go make-up free. ORVEDA was launched back in 2017, and is the brainchild of Sue Y. Nabi and Nicholas Vu. Known for her work as CEO of L’Oreal and Lancôme for 20 years, Nabi is a force to be reckoned with in the world of beauty.
OSKIA
Founded in 2009 by Georgie Cleeve and George Gordon, skincare brand OSKIA specialises in bio-cellular skin nutrition through patented micro-encapsulation and liposome technology. The British beauty brand makes all of its products here in the UK, using naturally-derived and bio-identical ingredients.
Pai Skincare
Natural, ethical and sustainable are the watch words behind British beauty brand Pai Skincare. It was founded by Sarah Brown, who was left struggling to find effective skincare after a bout of irritated, hyper-sensitive and acne-prone skin. She was inspired to go out and create her own range of products that she could trust. Everything is formulated in Pai’s London HQ, and independently certified by COSMOS (Soil Association), Cruelty Free International and The Vegan Society.
The White Company
The White Company has over three decades of history under its belt, and a growing network of 50+ stores in the UK and US (with a flagship on New York’s fifth avenue). The brand’s spa and wellness products have been formulated to encourage relaxation while improving your skin’s firmness, clarity and texture. Many are also infused with The White Company’s signature scents, meaning every self-care session will smell amazing.
Rhug Wild Beauty
The only estate in the UK to hold a Royal Warrant, Rhug in Wales has been a successful organic farm for more than 20 years. Its owner, Lord Newborough, is passionate about sustainability, and in 2020 he decided to bring this ethos to another industry: beauty. The result is a luxury skin and body care line, Wild Beauty, made from ingredients foraged on the Rhug Estate in Wales, and formulated in Dorset. There’s heather, picked by hand by the estate’s foragers, known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties; gorse, which tightens and tones the skin; and yarrow, which helps the treatment of acne and oily skin. These powerful ingredients – to name just a few – are effective yet gentle, with tangible results after just a few uses.
TEMPLESPA
Although it’s a proudly British brand, TEMPLESPA has Mediterranean beauty principles at its heart. Its products are inspired by the area’s culture, lifestyle, landscapes and mindset, and feature luscious botanicals combined with technically advanced formulations to deliver noticeable and long-lasting results. TEMPLESPA was created by Liz and Mark Warom over 20 years ago. To this day it makes 90 percent of its products in the UK, with powerful ingredients that have a low or zero environmental impact. While the brand is used in spas around the world, it’s also available to buy in Harrods and online, for professional-quality skincare in your own home.
THIS IS SILK
A B Corp certified skincare brand with a medical heritage, This Is Silk was founded in 2018 by Sonal Keay after she discovered the healing powers of silk on her own skin condition. The clinically proven range is built around the brand’s proprietary SF-VII® silk peptide technology, which works with the skin’s own renewal processes to boost collagen, hydration and elasticity.
Trinny London
When Trinny Woodall launched her own makeup brand in 2017, she brought decades of styling expertise to the beauty counter. Trinny London is built around the idea of stackable, handbag-friendly pots of cream-based makeup, alongside the brand’s Match2Me tool, which uses your skin, hair and eye colour to recommend products tailored to you. The shade range is inclusive, the formulas are buildable, and the ethos is about helping women of every age look like themselves, only brighter.
