Manchester born brand Transformulas has been a pioneer in the skincare world for twenty years. The company’s mission is for people to feel long-term confidence in their skin, regardless of their age.
The product range includes ‘Facefixers’ to add instant volume to lips and ‘lift’ the eyes, ‘Daily Radiance’ products with anti-ageing properties, and their flagship, milti-award-winning Marine Miracle Cream, which promises instant radiance and skin firmness.
Founder Rosi Chapman launched Tranformulas in 2003 to create skincare without surgery. Childhood trips to the dentist had left her with a terrible fear of needles so she developed a range of beauty products which instantly sculpt, lift and firm the face without the need for invasive procedures.
Working alongside top formulators, innovative key active ingredients, and backed up by clinical trials, Rosi has created a range of skincare products that deliver high performance results.
It’s all about the products and the quality of ingredients, and there are products out there for everyone’s pocket
Beauty standards and treatments have evolved over the years and when Rosi started the Transformulas brand there wasn’t as much pressure from social media or instagram filters. With fillers and Botox becoming more normalised, we asked the beauty entrepreneur whether it’s possible to look younger without having to spend time with a person wearing a mask and rubber gloves…
“Going back, it was the elite that had Botox,” she says in an accent that confirms her northern roots. “All the film stars had it, and it became the norm with Botox parties, and ‘trout pout’ lips. I thought there’s got to be a different way of making you feel younger, healthier, better.
“Fillers or Botox actually thin your skin. You can look very plasticky, you know how everyone looks very taut and their eyebrows go up and they’re lacking expression? Everyone has a choice what they want to do, but in the later years of life when the collagen depletes, and the sun damage is getting through, what is their skin going to look like?”
Surely once you start with injections and cosmetic procedures, you have to carry on, so, even though there’s a cost for any skincare, aren’t you saddled with a lifetime expense to keep up with it?
“If you have treatments done, you will then want more,” says Rosi. “Your body gets used to it and that’s when you start to see the horror stories where you can hardly recognise some of the celebrities.”
Rosi is a practical woman. “You’re not going to stop ageing, it’s a natural progression,” she says. “But now people want the truth to decide. People are now looking for a healthier more natural lifestyle. Everything usually does a full circle doesn’t it?”
Let’s hope that’s true. Rosi turns 60 in June and has looked after her skin religiously. She looks great, has she had any ‘work’ done at all? She admits to regular facials and uses all her own products.
“I have a saying,” she says. ‘We’re like flowers. Put us in water and we’ll last a week. If you change the water, we’d last a fortnight. If you change the water and put food in, we’d last a month.’ It’s all about the products and the quality of ingredients, and there are products out there for everyone’s pocket.”
Rosi’s early career was in high street cosmetics working with big name fashion brands like Christian Dior, Lancôme and Chanel. She found herself mingling with all the people behind the scenes from retailers to scientists, and she asked a lot of questions.
“I’ve got a very inquisitive mind and one thing led to another,” she says, “and that helped me meet a lot of people who I’ve kept relationships with over the years.
“I first launched Transformulas in 2003 with LipVolume, because I thought I had very thin lips. When I was aware of my pigment I brought out Flawless PhotoGlow SPF 30+, and now I’m looking at Wrinkle Block which is going to be launched in June and helps with fine lines.” Rosi wonders what product she’s going to come up with when she’s 70.
Her biggest achievement has been launching Transformulas via inflight shopping in 2006. Since then, her products have flown to over 150 countries.
“When I started Transformulas, the high street was the path to go. I was fortunate to meet a buyer for the airlines and we just clicked. Monarch was the first airline we launched on in 2006. Since then, we’ve done most of our sales from the air. It just takes one brave buyer and if your timing is aligned, that’s when it works.”
The brand remains strong on UK airlines and top selling products include the Transformulas LipVolume, Transformulas Eye Lifting Gel, Transformulas Marine Miracle Crème and Marine Miracle Eye Zone.
Rosi makes it sound simple, but how can you sell a relatively unknown brand in a wrapped box without someone actively talking through the products?
“We gave every member of the crew a free product, so they got to know the properties. The airline supports suppliers by training. It is hard and its expensive but it’s a great way to get it out into the market. Once people have got the products in their hands and they’ve used it, they come back. Products usually only stay on an airline for a couple of seasons, but we’ve been on ever since.”
How did they manage when the pandemic effectively put a halt on air travel and salon trips?
“Covid hit us very hard, but it gave me time to think,” Rosi admits. “It gave me time to refocus and rebrand. We’ve had a chance to realise that our products are bloody good and everyone that uses it loves it, so let’s get it out there.
“We’re very focussed. We flew to 159 countries prior to Covid and now we’re back growing and getting new partners. We’re looking at the export market and are launching into retail. We’ve done it the wrong way round really, but that’s me. I do everything back to front. I even read books backwards.” This seems apt for someone who is keen to reverse the effects of time.
Transformulas has just launched on Sephora and in The Fragrance Shop. They produce products in units of thousands. But in an era when people are a lot more knowledgeable about key anti-ageing ingredients, how has Rosi managed to keep one step ahead?
“Everything in cosmetics is very regulated. You can say you have a product containing something, but it might not have the level of an ingredient that’ll give you the effect you want because some ingredients are very expensive. We don’t heavily market, so we put all our revenue back into the scientific research that we need,” she says.
You get value for money because the quality of the ingredients and the percentages are phenomenal.
Rosi talks me through some of the products currently in development including an LED travel mask and a men’s range, Manformulas, which she said came about because she’d been told often that men tend to pinch their wives’ skin and eye creams.
In terms of skincare, is there really a difference between high end and high street?
“People will spend what they can afford,” she says. “And when they find a product like mine that they really like that suits their skin, they will find that they only need a small amount, so it’ll last longer. We offer Klarna now so people can pay in stages and if people subscribe to our mailing list, they get bespoke offers.”
The competition between skincare products is steep, what makes Transformulas stand out?
“We are a modest brand,” she explains. “We’re not cheap, and we’re not overly expensive. You get value for money because the quality of the ingredients and the percentages are phenomenal. And you will get results. We offer a high level of customer service, and we do care.
“I didn’t start out wanting to create an empire or be an entrepreneur, I just followed my heart. My fear became my fate and that led me to find my passion and live my dream.”
The Transformulas principle – to bring mood-changing skin confidence with results-driven, advanced formulas for immediate and long-term skin benefits without invasive or harsh measures – has seen the company sky-rocket in popularity (quite literally, given its popularity on the airlines) and accumulate a plethora of awards and accolades over the years.
Visit the Transformulas website to see the full range and explore the latest offers.
