UK-based skincare brand for the younger consumers Glow Hub has achieved plenty in five years since it was founded by Tiffany Salmon, and it is now embarking on a rollout in 400 Superdrug stores nationwide.
Salmon has plenty of experience in the beauty sector, as her family business is beauty manufacturer and solutions provider Amelia Knight, where she has been creative director for over a decade.
Glow Hub emerged as a brand for Gen Z, as Salmon believed skincare targeted at teenagers and young adults was more “pharmacy-led” and wanted to fix issues rather than make it personal and individual.
The brand aims to be a positive space with a community feel for the younger consumer, while being cool, relatable, accessible, and educational at an attainable price.
Salmon talks to Retail Week about the growth journey, why it’s important for younger consumers to be educated on skincare, and what it means to have Glow Hub’s products in hundreds of Superdrug stores.
What makes your brand and products catered to Gen Z?
“In terms of Google search, we’re number one for skincare for kids and teens. We’re doing something right in terms of making it clear that we are for younger skin and provide an entry into skincare. However, our main consumer group is aged 18 to 25 as we don’t directly talk to kids—I’m very clear on that—but we know that they’re watching and that they’re being swept up so we have to be responsible.
“We market in a certain way as our typeface is always like a text, we use ampersands and underscores, our punctuation is not linguistically correct and we make sure that our packaging is super easy to understand, fun and engaging. We use smiley faces to make it clear what stage the product is (in the skincare routine). We make sure it’s educational and we also do a lot of live videos, webinars, and focus groups to make sure we’re really listening to our audience.”
What has the growth journey been like over five years?
“We’re now in 39 countries, which seems wild. We are a digitally native brand that was ecommerce driven at the beginning of the journey as we know that’s where our shopper is. We first launched on Asos and were exclusively there for a little while, but as a small, growing brand, we wanted to expand. That saw us in Beauty Bay, Look Fantastic, and those digital spaces.
“In 2023, it was important to move into some bricks-and-mortar, and that’s when we opened in Selfridges and Sephora within a month of each other which was so exciting. I wanted it to be an experiential place for people to go and see the products, look at the testers, and discover the brand.”
How did the process of rolling out to 400 Superdrug stores come about?
“Superdrug approached us and so did another big pharmacy chain at a similar time. Both of them are obviously on huge drives to bring Gen Z into store and mopping up all of the TikTok brands. It was really important that we had some presence and we didn’t just get lost in the big boys with huge marketing budgets, and that was why we took the decision to go with Superdrug because we felt like we could really stand out there.
“We’ve been working really hard in the background to build a marketing plan with them, what the launch looks like, and I think that Superdrug feels like our shopper. There’s a Superdrug on pretty much every high street, and I want that young shopper to access that.”
Talk me through the skincare for kids and teens hub. Why did you set this up?
“I could talk about this all day long. Many were aware of the situation with Sephora where children were caught up with the craze of buying their makeup and skincare, and when it started my phone was off the charts. People that know me, mums, and friends were asking what to do as they didn’t know as much about skincare as the generation coming through. The pester power from a child is insane and I released we could set up a hub giving advice and content that is easy to understand.
“(The hub) is easy to navigate. ‘Click here for ages seven to 11, click here for 13 plus’ and it’s easy for the parent and child to understand. In January 2024 we reached out to more labs with some extra testing specifically for children’s skin and then made them aware of what’s safe and what’s not.
“If your kid wants to use a serum because of pressure or they want to look up to their big sister or the favorite influencer, this is actually safe. So this product is safe from seven plus, safe from 13 plus, and safe from 16 plus.
“I’m putting a very clear symbol at the point of purchase, on those products and on our site, so they can see very clearly. We also update with a blog on where to start, what your child’s skincare regime looks like, and product recommendations. It’s conversational, easy to understand blogs that people can click through to and access shopping links, and it’s been successful and a great place for people to discover.”
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