Discover the UK's Fastest Growing Skincare Brand from Yorkshire
One of the fastest growing skincare brands in the UK, 47 Skin is transforming the lives of people with acne. We catch up with Huddersfield-based founder Nic Taylor to find out more
A native of Huddersfield, Nic experienced skin issues from a young age and, despite what he was repeatedly told, it did not go away as he aged. ‘I suffer really badly with acne spots and blemishes,’ he admits. ‘It was never quite the worst at school. There were people who had it worse than me, but then they all went on medication and got better, so I slowly became the worst in my peer group.’
Soon, it began to impact his professional life too. ‘I got into my first graduate job and it was at a point where I just felt enough was enough,’ he explains. ‘I was in charge of sales and the buyer walked in and said “I see they sent a baby to do their bidding,” and they were referring to the fact that I had spots and blemishes on my face.’
Nic tried everything to help, from cheap over-the counter solutions to luxury skincare and even medicated treatments – nothing helped. ‘I used [prescribed pills] for a few weeks. It completely dried out my face, my skin and my lips were cracking. It was getting rid of the spots, so I was actually quite happy, but my skin was knackered.’
By chance, Nic received a parcel from his Grandma with a note that the cream found inside was meant to do wonders for skin. Unconvinced but touched by the gesture, Nic gave it a try. ‘I took it with me on a business trip to Spain and thought, I can at least tell her I’d used it. I used it for four days and to my absolute amazement my spots and blemishes completely went.’ The hunt was on for more of this mysterious cream and Nic was able to trace it back to a scientist, based in the north, who used silver with other naturally occurring ingredients. ‘He mixed them together and noticed the skin condition on his hands started to improve,’ Nic says. ‘He only made a handful of bottles, [but] we partnered and 47 Skin came to be.’
The full range now includes everything from anti-blemish cleansers and repairing masks to hydrating elixirs and daily moisturisers, and the business was recently named one of the UK’s fastest growing companies by The Sunday Times. Their breakthrough ingredient, Silver Chitoderm, holds powerful antibacterial and healing properties which soothe aggravated skin, and the range can be found online, in Harrods and in Boots. ‘The day before Grandma’s funeral, Harrods called us out of the blue. Harrods was always the one we talked about – if you were going to go into a retailer, that would be the one. Then a year later, Boots contacted us and said the director had used it for their daughter and it had cleared her skin up and they’d fully back it.’
While the growing accolades are welcome, for Nic the real reward is the feedback from happy customers. ‘There are unique stories which stand out to me and they are the ones we’ve pulled forward and told in our advertising message,’ he tells us.
‘One was from the mother of a 16-year old who said, “my son has been suffering with acne for over a year – this serum has really cleared his skin”. Because of Grandma’s kindness [we’ve] cut down on this boy’s journey. If his journey is anything like mine, she’s cut down on nine years through her kindness,’ Nic explains. ‘The second one was a 25-year-old lady who said “it’s totally transformed my skin. My boyfriend of six months has just seen me without makeup on for the first time because I felt comfortable enough.”’
Nic also loves to hear from older customers who’ve struggled for decades. ‘One was a 71-year-old woman who said “I’ve had acne all my life. It’s always plagued me and I thought I’d be with it forever. At 71 I’m finally acne free.”’
For Nic, these three reviews bookend the acne experience and what 47 Skin means to customers, covering the experiences of teens who face pressure from school, young adults who are held back from thriving, and older adults who are impacted by what is often assumed to be a young person's problem.
A simple and honest approach to skincare, Nic’s philosophy is clear from his marketing and advertising (using real stories from reviews and real customers as models) right down to the name of the company. ’It’s the atomic number of silver. I wanted something that did what it said on the tin which is sincere, short and to the point.’
