We’re celebrating International Women’s Day with a focus on our very own Queen Bee. Heaven Founder Deborah Mitchell has created one of the UK’s leading skincare businesses despite many challenges along the way

Deborah has carved out an enviable reputation in the beauty industry. She is renowned for her age-defying creams, most notably her Bee Venom and Collagen ranges.

She was bullied as a teenager due to her dyslexia and severe acne, but turned both to her advantage. Her troublesome skin provided the impetus to create her skincare products. While her dyslexia allowed her to think up ideas that other people may not even dream of.

She signed up for a beauty course at her local college and became a mobile therapist at just 17, using what she learned on the job to devise her own remedies. She started blending essential oils into various creams and used them on herself before using them on clients. Working from her kitchen table, the determined mum-of-two has always shown determination and self-belief to create what is today a global success story.

She says: “I have always loved looking after people and there is no better feeling than helping someone who may have suffered with a skin issue for years and I can ease that for them. I have the privilege of meeting my customers every day and seeing how my products or treatments really make life better for them.”

From the start, Deborah wanted to create luxurious skincare that was not only organic and natural but also results-driven. Each product has been developed by her to promote a healthy, radiant complexion.

As one of the country’s leading facialists, she remains at the helm of the business working alongside her daughter Ella Jane to devise new and innovative skincare must-haves.