Irish skin care brand Ella & Jo was founded in 2017 by a makeup artist and skin therapist to offer everyday skincare with visible results for busy people.
Retail Week talks to Charlene Flanagan and Niamh Ryan about the brand’s purpose and its strategy for growth.
Founded by two experts in the beauty industry eight years ago, Ella & Jo was created to drive results with high-quality ingredients for busy people who may not make time for their skincare.
Flanagan says hearing a customer say the brand has changed their skin and their confidence will never get old, and it’s now about finding new areas of growth.
The brand makes everything in the founders’ home country of Ireland, with them aiming to replicate the success seen there in other markets.
Along with expansion, the new B-corp certification and its recent launch on TikTok Shop in Ireland – and soon to be the UK – has really helped them get noticed among social media users.
Flanagan and Ryan spoke to Retail Week about the successes, challenges, and goals for Ella & Jo.
What would you say are some of the career highlights so far?
Flanagan: “It’s seeing the reviews and feedback. We do a lot of customer-focused events, so when you get those good reviews or hear people say they bought our products for their mum or sister, or friend – to us, that’s the biggest compliment that you could ever receive. Anything customer-led really lights me up.”
Ryan: “We’re both really aligned on the customer aspect being a highlight, but I would also say winning the CEW (Cosmetics Executive Women) best brand in the UK last year is a major one for us.”
Are there any challenges you’ve faced in the past few years?
Flanagan: “We’ve built this brand from essentially nothing and we’re both really fortunate to have each other in this journey, as it would be quite overwhelming and quite lonely on my own. Like every business, scaling is definitely a huge challenge.
“We are very focused on export and becoming a global brand is definitely a long game. It can take years, it can be expensive and you’re still unsure whether all of your efforts and needs are going to be met with a retailer. It’s a long game, but if you’re patient and consistent and always know what your core values are – it’ll help you when you’re finding things difficult.”
What do you think it is that makes you stand out from other beauty brands?
Flanagan: “I definitely think because myself and Niamh are the consumer that we’re targeting, that helps. We’re having those open conversations and receiving feedback, and I think that’s how we’ve become so successful. Those one-to-one conversations are honestly dynamite that grows your brand because you get that on-the-ground feedback as to what people like and what they need.
“We also have a really high repeat rate, higher than the industry standard. The “melt the day away cleansing balm” has a repeat purchase rate of 80% – which is extremely high in the beauty industry.”
Ryan: “I think people deserve more. Our products are for busy women who run around with a million things to do on their to-do list – and they are the last on their list. We want to be the piece that they pick up and say ‘I’m taking a few minutes for myself now’ and their shoulders come down from their ears and they literally leave the day behind them.”
Which retailers do you currently work with? Are there any you’re keen to work with in the future?
Ryan: “In the UK we’re online with Debenhams and we have absolutely loved building that relationship. They’re a strong team with a huge amount of experience, that’s been such an insight into the market. We’re really strong department store retailers in Ireland and we’re also in Boots in Ireland. So we’re looking for more of that collaboration and partnership in the UK.
“We’ve been doing market research for so long with many proposals, but we haven’t said yes to anything yet. We’re looking for somebody who is ahead of the trend, as I believe we’ve been ahead of the trend in terms of linking wellness and skincare.”
Flanagan: “If Selfridges, Sephora or Harrods are reading this article, reach out to Charlene and Niamh at Ella & Jo.”
What is the priority for the brand over the next year?
Ryan: “I think we’ve got a lot of depth to go in the UK market. I think that’s a really strong market for us, and finding that right partnership is a key priority for the next year as well.”
Flanagan: “We’re also focusing heavily on international expansion, and we’ve had some visits to Canada and The Middle East as we plan to explore those markets. We’ve got new product launches coming at the beginning of Q4 so that’s really exciting, as well as opening up a new category in the Ella & Jo family.”
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