British beauty brand PHB Ethical Beauty, which has a store in Cheltenham, has arrived on the shores of Malaysia.
The company, which has a shop in Regent Street, was founded by 23-year-old entrepreneur Rose Brown, whose father Jimmy founded the band UB40.
PHB launched a range of natural, cruelty-free and vegan beauty products in 2012 and opened its second store, in Cheltenham, in October that year.
As well as being sold in dedicated PHB stores, it is also available through other retailers, spas and specialist web stores.
Rose says: “The unique concept, appearance, eco-credentials and efficacy of our products has meant the PHB Collection has quickly gained popularity.
“PHB products are now sold in more than 20 countries worldwide even though it is less than 18 months since we launched.”
Last year, PHB introduced a franchise arm opening franchise stores in Brunei and the Netherlands.
“We have been invited to be on Dragons’ Den numerous times by producers of the show, but we don’t feel this is something we need at this stage,” Rose says. “We’re having an incredibly successful year anyway.”
Rose originally set up PHB Ethical Beauty to provide a natural and ethical alternative to mainstream beauty products, which don’t include any chemicals, dyes, fillers or preservatives.
“Many people don’t realise that a lot of beauty products contain harsh alcohols and animal ingredients,” she says.
“We started by selling the collection in a small store in my home town of Birmingham and online,” she explains. “The products quickly began to gain popularity and we could see that there was a lot of potential.
“Not only do people love the products themselves but they love the fact we are a family-run business dedicated to offering natural, ethical and safe beauty products that are handmade in the UK.
“Traceability, responsibility and efficacy are issues that you can’t always be certain of in the beauty industry today so people appreciate the fact that PHB offers all of these things in a dedicated store where you can find everything under one roof.
“You can shop with peace of mind that these products don’t conflict with your personal beliefs or requirements.”
PHB’s best-selling products include a black all-in-one mascara, Skin Perfect Gel with aloe and rose and a brightening moisturiser with immortelle, argan and licorice.
Its Natural Organic Pencil Eyeliner in black recently won a gold award at The Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards 2014.
The Brightening Serum with organic white birch and frankincense was also short-listed for Best Face Care and its Skin Repair Gel with aloe and lavender for Best for Problem Skin at this year’s Free From Skin Care Awards.
In the future, Rose plans further expansion throughout South East Asia and the Middle East.
She says: “We are proud to have created the largest range of natural, vegan and halal certified products worldwide and we are so excited to have opened stores in four different countries, across two continents.”