In conversation with Samantha Freedman of Curate Beauty

Founders Samantha Freedman and Margot Vitale

Curate Beauty is the gold standard for beauty retailers right now. As consumers, we can now gain unparalleled access to a wide range of the best indie beauty brands on one convenient wholesale marketplace platform. Yes, that’s not a joke. Luckily for us then, we got to speak to former Grazia beauty editor and one half of the female duo that started Curate Beauty to find out what lessons they’ve learned and hear about the plans for 2021.

Why did you and Margot originally start Curate Beauty?

I was a beauty journalist for 12 years, working at Grazia as the beauty editor, it was here that I really fell in love with independent brands, I loved everything they stood for, their passion for their products, so I wanted to set out to help them get more visibility through new stockist opportunities. 

At this time, I met Margot and her background was in buying and merchandising, having worked at the department store Saks Fifth Avenue for several years. We were frustrated how antiquated the wholesale model was and decided it needed a 21st century makeover and to go digital. 

We saw how successful wholesale marketplaces could be in other sectors, so we created one that was made exclusively for indie beauty, grooming and wellness brands. We are currently the first in Europe to specialise in this category! 

Why did you both choose to sell indie brands over more traditionally well-known brands?

Most importantly, that’s where we’ve seen the beauty industry going, indie brands are resonating with consumers more than their legacy counterparts right now. Each indie brand comes with such a great story, often the founders struggled to find a product to fit their needs, so they created one themselves, which makes them incredibly unique and impactful to buyers. Everything is so well thought out, from the branding to the ingredients chosen. The founders are filled with so much passion which I think really shines through when you hear their stories. Consumer habits are definitely changing, and brands need to stand out, with a unique story or proposition, and indie brands definitely have that. 

Has starting a business in the beauty industry (which, as we know is so competitive) been difficult in terms of cutting through the noise and getting your wholesale brands products to the right people?

There is no denying it has been tough as a new business during the pandemic, beauty buyers (our customers) aren’t always up for trialing new brands in the midst of all this uncertainty, but we are definitely making some exciting waves with now 165+ brands on our platform. It’s also been a really great time for indie brands and retailers to shine, as consumers are focused on shopping small and local to help support smaller businesses, this couldn’t have acted more in our favour! 

How did COVID-19 effect the business? Have you noticed any beauty trends that have changed as a result?

We stated the business in February and Covid hit the UK in March, so it’s definitely been an interesting year for us. I guess we don’t know what ‘could have been’, but as a new company we were able to act fast and shift our focus from brick and mortar stores to online only. We now have over 200 retailers signed up, predominately online, which we’re really proud of. 

We have curated our site into Collections that are trending and topical to help buyers navigate the influx of new brands out there. In April we launched our Self Care & Love Collection which still proves to be one of our most successful and clicked on collections. In there you’ll find everything from facial tools, face masks, candles and home fragrances, all great sellers for us.

What other women do you admire?

Holly Tucker I think is an incredible woman to watch. Having started notonthehighstreet.com, she has now taken her experience to the high street with her own shop Holly & Co, and launched The Independent Awards to support incredible small business, something we’d love to be a part of next year! 

You opened Urban Retreat in Knightsbridge, what prompted the move from an online business to having an offline pop up?

Our Curate Beauty website is only for wholesale, but we kept getting asked questions from friends and family where they could buy these incredible indie brands from. Then we were actually put in touch with George, the founder of Urban Retreat, and when we explained our business, he offered us space at The White House. Formerly the Queen mother’s best friend’s home - it includes a hair salon, nail spa, medi spa, plant-based restaurant, barber, tattoo and piercing parlour and now us, all under one roof! It’s such an innovative concept that we had to be a part of! 

We are using the space as an indie beauty pop-up shop for consumers, but also as a showroom to bring our retailers to, so they can experience the brands we stock in person too. You can also purchase our brands on their website at www.urbanretreat.co.uk/curate! 

What advice would you give other women looking to start their own business?

You have to love what you do because there is so much hard work that goes into creating a successful business and if you’re going to do it every day you have to really have the drive to make it a success! So often you see the ‘best bits’ on Instagram, but what you don’t often see are the late nights, long hours and box schlepping! 

What’s your favourite product on the Curate Beauty website?

Oh goodness, that’s like asking a mother to pick her favourite child! I do have a soft spot for quite a few: Affirmation Culture is a British candle brand that comes with a cute affirmation card designed to be read out every time you light the candle, brilliant as a self-care present for someone. 

I also am a big fan of Teya - a silk accessory, pillowcase and eye mask brand that just feels so luxurious when you touch it! And Booming Bob has proven to be incredibly popular with their waterless face, hair and body oils! 

What’s next for Curate in 2021?

We are trying to raise money for the business at the moment to help improve our tech and execute strong digital marketing, so that both brands and retailers understand what we do. Watch this space!