On the 15th February Brighton-based founder of Faace skincare, Jasmine Wicks-Stephens nervously entered the Den. Jasmine stepped out with all three males having invested in her ethical skincare brand. Steven Bartlett was the first to make an offer and was joined by Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman, as the self-proclaimed ‘three musketeers’ pledged to support the hormonal based skincare line in its next steps.
Jasmine explains, “I applied for the Den knowing what a great platform it would give to my female founded, independent brand. Female entrepreneurs are typically less likely than men to get investment for their ventures, but I was intrigued to see if that stacked up in the Den, where it’s a slightly more predominant male zone too. I secretly wanted Deborah Meaden to invest but was thrilled to have the support of all three male Dragons. Steven Bartlett, who has built such an impressive following and Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman who are so established in business, are a dream team.”
And on the experience overall, Jasmine says, “It was definitely more intimidating than I had expected. When you enter that room, with the Dragons that you’ve seen on TV so many times before, whilst you get a sense they are rooting for you, it’s also very intense, with them firing off question after question at you.”
Following the investment Jasmine is excited to see what comes next, “It remains to be seen what happens next for Faace, but I’m certainly excited to have the backing of Dragons.”
The episode saw Jasmine receive glowing feedback from the dragons:
“Everything you’ve done is really good. I think you’re brilliant… you’ve really got something.” – Peter Jones
“I think you’ve done a lovely job with the branding.” – Deborah Meaden
“The product is fantastic. I would give it a solid 9.5 out 10.” – Sara Davies
“Your story is good, and you’ve created some great products.” – Touker Suleyman
“I would love to go on this journey with you… She’s a star” – Steven Bartlett
Faace’s Founder, Jasmine Wicks-Stephens, says, “Skin can be complicated, especially when hormones are playing havoc, but we believe routines don’t have to be. I started Faace when I’d just become a new mum and good routines went out the window. I wanted to create something fast acting and effective, but also easy. Also, I love that we’re owning being on our period, or being sweaty – there’s something empowering in that.”
Jasmine is passionate about raising awareness of the lack of funding that females get in comparison to men (something that is widely reported). Research from the European Investment Bank revealed that female entrepreneurs secure only 2% of venture capital investment*.
In 2020 Faace set out to disrupt the £13billion UK beauty industry with hormone based, vegan, ethical skincare designed to look after your skin, when you don’t have the time or energy to do so. To date, Faace has been self-funded, plus, with investment from angel investors, investment awarded from the SFC Capital x The Red Tree beauty accelerator, as well as achieving a successful crowdfund campaign with Seedrs in 2023.
Faace’s vegan skincare has won 13 awards (including Elle and Cosmopolitan), is available in retailers including Selfridges and QVC, and gives back to support period poverty organisation Hey Girls and The Menopause Charity with purchases.
You can catch up on the episode on BBC iPlayer now.
For more information about Faace visit www.wearefaace.com
References
https://www.eib.org/en/stories/investment-in-women-entrepreneurs
https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/the-battle-for-the-uk-beauty-consumer/
