British business magnate Lord Alan Sugar wants to bring cruelty-free and vegan skin care brand Tropic Skincare to the U.S.
Australian-Chinese entrepreneur Susie Ma — also a former contestant on Sugar’s show “The Apprentice” — founded the brand after discovering her passion for cosmetics at home, in her mum’s kitchen. Aged 15, she made a homemade natural body scrub, which she then sold in Greenwich Market.
Since then, Ma has gone from strength to strength. She was named on the Forbes “30 under 30” list in 2018, and Tropic Skincare reported annual sales of nearly £30 million in the same year.
The company — which specializes in natural, nutritious products — runs on Ma’s simple mission “to create beauty products that are truly good for you.” She told the London Stock Exchange Group, “I believe that staying on-trend and true to your ethics is crucial for growth.”
Lord Sugar became a 50-50 partner in the business in 2012 and believes in Tropic Skincare’s potential to sell in the U.S.
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“I think when we hit £100 million to £150 million turnover, and the profits will be very, very high, we can show a profit path for the past 10 years which has tremendous growth. We may, at that stage, consider a flotation of the company in order to finance replicating this in America,” he said in a statement.
Sugar and Ma recently unveiled the new company headquarters, located in Croydon, following a £4 million investment by Sugar. Ma commented to the Croydon Advertiser “We’re delighted to be upgrading Tropic’s Surrey Beauty Kitchen to accommodate our growing team and production.”
The Rise of Vegan Beauty
Vegan food isn’t the only market that has enjoyed an exponential increase in popularity in the last few years. Vegan and animal-friendly beauty items are also increasingly popular amongst consumers who are starting to pay attention to what is in their favorite products.
Big brands have increased their ranges of vegan products available. Superdrug in the UK “increased its offering by 20% over the last few years,” according to Elle Turner from The Pool. Vegan beauty lovers may also remember that COVERGIRL become the largest beauty brand to earn Cruelty Free International’s “leaping bunny” symbol last year.
