Graduate couple from Ipswich take on the beauty world with their own range of natural skin care products

SKN-RG products, England (Image: Archant)

The couple met when they both attended university in Ipswich, and lived on the Waterfront.

The quicky became an item and now, from their rural home, they are developing their own beauty business.

Having plenty of energy is a pre-requisite for anyone starting a new business, and it was putting energy into their beauty products that is bringing global success.

SKN-RG (an abbreviation of ‘skin’s energy’) is a range of beauty products that the couple believes has what it takes to take on the big brands of the beauty industry.

Beauty treatemnt; SKN-RG from Essex (Image: Archant)

Two years after establishing the brand SKN-RG is now being stocked by salons and stores across the country, including Suffolk.

Interest has also come from overseas.

Explains Robert: “We realised that while it is challenging to get UK salons to switch brands, online stores and overseas markets offer great potential and an ideal opportunity to raise our brand.”

They were introduced to an expert at the Department for International Trade, and took a twelve-month programme of courses to prepare them for exporting.

“This was really interesting and with DIT’s support we acquired key skills,” says Robert. “It’s a fantastic resource to have on tap and something that we’d usually have to spend a lot of money on.”

They’ve had buyers from Pakistan, Hungary, Austria and Vietnam knocking on their door, but have decided to be very selective in choosing export partners.

“We knew it was going to take a lot of time, effort, investment and commitment so we had be selective about the opportunities we pursued,” explains Robert.

What they chose was to start closer to home with the Natural Products show in Malmo, Sweden, which attracts buyers from across Scandinavia and Germany. “We came back with a number of leads and decided to focus our efforts on a couple of these.” This led to an order from Sweden. “We are also exporting to a store in Hong Kong and we are at advanced stages in the Polish and Singapore markets.”

What they have been pleased about is the fact that so far the export business has come to them. “It’s a nice position to be in,” says Robert. “The companies we’re dealing with are open to change and like what they see”.

What they see, says Robert, is a range of that: “addresses skin care concerns but also ticks the boxes of being natural, organic and cruelty free as well as being alcohol free. My wife also wanted to produce something that looked and felt good and that women wanted to pick up.”

Scientific proof was also always a major priority as they were developing the product, so they have included scientifically proven and high quality active ingredients including pre and pro biotics (this is also is where the energy comes in).

The products are developed using Quanta Frequency Technology, “An energizing frequency that gives lasting youthful results”.

The couple met when they were living in Ipswich and both students at the university.

“We were both mature students, having had other careers,” explained Robert. He was studying photography in 2007/8 and living on the Waterfront.

They quickly became an item and married in 2009.

Debs added: “I have always been interested in animals and ecology, I studied species and habitat management (animals and ecology), and I am a Buddhis student and there is frequency in all things.

“We are both trained as therapists.

“And we have created these creams and we feel they are making a benefit for people. We are making peoples’ skins better.

“It is not good enough just to see it work, but we want to know why it works.”

As for where they will grow, Deborah’s dream is to be stocked by a high end London department store and Robert would like to be in 15 to 20 countries around the world within the next three years.

“We’d really like to be there rubbing shoulders with other household skincare brands,” he added.