Your tagline is 'inspired by love', so what's the story behind the brand?
It was truly inspired by love many years ago! When my wife Amy put make-up on, it usually resulted in some sort of reaction like an outbreak of spots or itchiness. It made me question what actually goes into these products and, me being me, I decided to jump in and find a solution. I also wondered if other people suffered too, so I asked a whole bunch of people and realised that many did.
Did you already have a background in chemistry or cosmetics?
I’ve had a passion for chemistry ever since I was a kid. However, I never took it to a degree level and cosmetics chemistry is a bit different to the stuff we learn in school. In the early days, countless time was spent ‘testing on the wife’ with turmeric powder and all sorts. Along the journey, I discovered a great deal about the industry and how cruel some of the practices were. This led me to developing the whole range, not just foundation, by collaborating with experts and chemists.