In partnership with Cosmetics Business, Alexandra Forbes, Managing Director of Caroline Hirons’ Skin Rocks, reveals how she helped to establish the buzzy skin care player.
Alexandra Forbes is Managing Director of Skin Rocks, the consumer skin care brand by beauty authority Caroline Hirons, which has been making a name for itself since launching in 2022.
This year, Skin Rocks has not only expanded its empire with a line of professional-only products, Skin Rocks Pro, for use in beauty salons and clinics, but has also secured strategic investment to fuel its global expansion plans. Forbes, who has been at the company from the start, charts Skin Rocks’ journey below and explains her key duties. She also shares the essential skills a cosmetics industry professional needs to possess to make it to the top.
Tell us about your first job in beauty?
My first role in the beauty industry was at luxury department store Harvey Nichols in London, UK, where I joined as Assistant Department Manager. I started in October, just as the store came alive with gift wrap, coffrets and glitter-drenched makeovers for the festive season. It was magic, and I knew within six minutes that I would be in beauty for the rest of my life.
What was a lesson you learned early in your career?
If you do not know, ask. Early on I spent a lot of time nodding and agreeing, pretending I understood everything, especially in meetings. That approach backfired on me spectacularly in one particular meeting with a major department store. I learned then that confidence is not about having all the answers, it is about being confident enough to say, ‘Can you explain that, please?’
Is there someone who has helped you climb the ladder or provided some key advice?
Meeting [beauty authority and Skin Rocks co-founder] Caroline Hirons changed the trajectory of my career. We crossed paths 19 years ago in the stockroom at Harvey Nichols, and Caroline has been a pivotal force in my life ever since. We work incredibly well together because we bring different strengths to the table, while being governed by a mirrored work ethic and unwavering love for what we do.
What is the best thing about your current job?
Everything. Skin Rocks is not a job to me; it is part of who I am. If I were forced to pick one thing, it would be the people. I am surrounded by brilliant and really passionate minds who challenge and inspire me every working day.
What core skills do you need to have as a leader today, particularly in beauty?
The ability to stay anchored. When your team lives online and trends are everywhere, your role as a leader is to discern what matters, [figure out] what is noise and what aligns with your brand’s purpose.
What do you look for when hiring a team?
People who know more than I do and people who bring different perspectives to the table, and who challenge ideas and feel confident saying: ‘Can I suggest a diferent way?’
What is your proudest moment to date at the brand?
The response to our first product launches, Skin Rocks’ Retinoid 1 and Retinoid 2, was incredibly validating. We took a bold approach [to the launch] – clear and directive naming; ‘use this much’ instructions on the packaging; straightforward messaging like ‘you need this if/you don’t need this if’; and [use of] unapologetically bright category colours. Investment was a whole new world for us, and the breadth of the process was not easy to navigate. From launch, we have run at pace and going through investment, forced a long, hard look at the infrastructure.
What tips do you have for anyone starting out?
Get on the shop floor. Spend real time with customers. You will never learn more than you will from being in the thick of it – listening, observing, and understanding what people actually want, need and how they shop.
Tell me something about your job that might be unexpected?
My skin care knowledge is pretty basic. People often assume I can give them a personalised routine on the spot, but that is not my area of expertise.
Taken from Cosmetics Business- please see the link to the article here
