To celebrate International Women's Day our Founder and CEO Deborah Mitchell took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions on her world famous brand.
How did your brand start? I suffered from severe acne as a teenager and struggled to find products that were suitable for my skin. When I left school I did a beauty course at my local college and became a mobile therapist by the time I was 17. I used what I learned on the job to start mixing and blending essential oils into various creams for me and then my clients, and Heaven Skincare was born from there. Right from the beginning I wanted to help other people feel better, look younger and overcome whatever skin conditions they had.
What’s your brand’s USP? My skincare is best known for being innovative and instant, and the fact that I have a long list of celebrity and royal clients is testament to this. We’re different to so many other brands because we use totally natural, organic ingredients that are not tested on animals; we lead the way when it comes to recycling and have never used boxes for our products; and anyone can use our range, even those with the most sensitive skin thanks to my award-winning anti-allergy formula.
What do you love about your job? 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’m probably not your average industry boss, I’m very hands-on and I still work on counter and carry out treatments so I have the privilege of meeting my customers day to day. Because inner beauty is just as important to me as outer beauty I love seeing how my products or therapies really make life better for someone.
What lessons have you learnt along the way? I’m not sure if I’ve learnt any lessons! I still look at life through rose-tinted spectacles and I still think people are wonderful, just as I did when I started more than 30 years ago.
What does success mean to you? I enjoy seeing how successful Heaven has become around the world – seeing my products appear in Vogue or Elle in places like China, Japan and Taiwan. I’m not naturally a proud person when it comes to me but I am mighty proud that my daughter Ella now works with me helping to run the business day to day and making decisions alongside me.
