Forty one of the names in BusinessCloud’s inaugural Founder 250 list work in the growing health and beauty sector.
The sector – which accounts for 16 per cent of the names on the main list – includes everything from skincare, supplements, protein, health, wellness and marketplace platforms to digital clinics and haircare products.
Two of the highest-profile names on the list are influencer Jess Hunt and Jenna Meek, who launched REFY Beauty in 2020.
It’s now one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the UK, with an annual turnover of more than £40m. Meek achieved a lifelong dream by becoming a Dragon on Dragons’ Den earlier this year.
Tropic Skincare founder Susie Ma also appeared as a guest Dragon in the latest series of Dragons’ Den.
She was just 15 when she recreated and sold her grandma’s body scrub recipe at Greenwich Market to help her mum pay the bills. Today, Tropic Skincare has grown into a $100m+ revenue business and has won more than 450 awards.
Another name on the list is London-based doctor Ben Maruthappu, founder and CEO of Cera, Europe’s largest HealthTech company and one of its fastest-growing businesses.
Fitness enthusiast Tom Ryder has been making headlines as the CEO and founder of Applied Nutrition.
He observed that demand for supplements was skyrocketing among increasingly health-conscious consumers, but high-quality, convenient products were difficult to get hold of.
Applied Nutrition went public in October 2024, and Coleen Rooney is an ambassador for the firm and owns a significant shareholding.
MyoMaster is one of the UK’s fastest-growing health and wellness businesses and one of only 20 British business owners backed by Google.
Lottie Whyte scaled MyoMaster – the business she launched in 2021 – to a £20m valuation in just four years. She raised her first round of investment six weeks after giving birth to her first child.
Whyte appeared on Dragons’ Den and delivered one of the most-watched pitches in the history of the show, with more than 30 million online views.
Many of the health and beauty founders included on the list have a personal connection to the businesses they created.
They include Charlotte Ali, who came up with the idea for Rheal in 2017 after struggling with her health as a newly diagnosed coeliac.
Charlotte and Sean Ali, who married in 2023, set up the business – initially known as Super U – in South Shields in 2017 after the then students hunted down natural ingredients to help improve Charlotte’s health. In the last three years, the company has generated more than £50m in sales.
The Founder 250 is a UK-wide list celebrating 250 of the country’s best founder-led and founder-influenced businesses.
To qualify, companies must have a significant UK presence, be cash-generative and have been founded no later than 2024.
The list primarily focuses on businesses where the founder is still involved in some capacity, although not necessarily on a day-to-day basis.
RSM UK is the headline sponsor of the Founder 250, alongside law firm CG, property specialist OBI and investor Mercia Ventures.
Note: Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the information on the list. However, if you spot any errors, please email us here.
| Founder name(s) | Company | Sector | Founded | Location | Region | Full profile | Female founder? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Reid | Merwave | Health & beauty | 2021 | Whitley Bay | North East | Full profile | ✔ |
| Alice Sagnier & Bridget Chance | EverySkin | Health & beauty | 2021 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| Charlotte & Sean Ali | Rheal | Health & beauty | 2017 | Sunderland | North East | Full profile | ✔ |
| Daniel Cray | Phizz | Health & beauty | 2015 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Dr Ben Maruthappu | Cera | Health & beauty | 2016 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Dr Krishan Ramdoo | TympaHealth | Health & beauty | 2017 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Dr Peter McQuillan & Akil Memishi | Novomins | Health & beauty | 2020 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Dr Sonia Szamocki | 01Health | Health & beauty | 2022 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| Dr Soum Rakshit | MV.Health | Health & beauty | 2014 | Puttenham | South East | Full profile | |
| Dr. Megan Rossi & Jon Walsh | Bio & Me | Health & beauty | 2019 | Chester | North West | Full profile | ✔ |
| Hollie King | Sweet Bee Organics | Health & beauty | 2018 | Frome | South West | Full profile | ✔ |
| James Mishreki, Phil Wilkinson, Horatio Cary, Mike Passey & Rachel Jones | Skin + Me | Health & beauty | 2018 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| James O'Loan & Ricardo Laverty | JCCO Healthcare | Health & beauty | 2011 | Skelmersdale | North West | Full profile | |
| Jess Hunt & Jenna Meek | REFY | Health & beauty | 2020 | Manchester | North West | Full profile | ✔ |
| Kate Prince | Ancient & Brave | Health & beauty | 2018 | Lewes | South East | Full profile | ✔ |
| Kieran Fisher | KBF Enterprises / Warrior | Health & beauty | 2008 | Manchester | North West | Full profile | |
| Kunal Thakker | Tooth Club Group | Health & beauty | 2020 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Laura Earnshaw | myHappymind | Health & beauty | 2016 | Alderley Edge | North West | Full profile | ✔ |
| Laurence Newman & Andrew Showman | The Beauty Tech Group | Health & beauty | 2009 | Macclesfield | North West | Full profile | |
| Lottie Whyte & Joe Gray | MyoMaster | Health & beauty | 2021 | East Molesey | South East | Full profile | ✔ |
| Melissa Snover | Get Nourish3d / REM3DY Health Group | Health & beauty | 2019 | Birmingham | Midlands | Full profile | ✔ |
| Nazmul Kadir | Cloud Pharmacy | Health & beauty | 2016 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Full profile | |
| Nic Taylor | 47Skin | Health & beauty | 2018 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Paige Louise Williams | P.Louise | Health & beauty | 2014 | Stockport | North West | Full profile | ✔ |
| Ranjan Singh | HealthHero Group | Health & beauty | 2019 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Richard Thomas & Joss Langford | Activinsights | Health & beauty | 2008 | Kimbolton | East of England | Full profile | |
| Rohini Sofat & Arjun Sofat | Free Soul | Health & beauty | 2018 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| Sach Gulati | Nature Spell | Health & beauty | 2009 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Samantha Faiers & John Bailey | Revive Collagen | Health & beauty | 2020 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| Sokratis Papafloratos | Numan | Health & beauty | 2018 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Stephen Smullen | PBG Group | Health & beauty | 2020 | Burscough | North West | Full profile | |
| Sunna van Kampen | Tonic Health | Health & beauty | 2019 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Susie Ma | Tropic Skincare | Health & beauty | 2004 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu | The Turmeric Co | Health & beauty | 2018 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Tom Pellereau | Stylpro | Health & beauty | 2011 | Hemel Hempstead | South East | Full profile | |
| Tom Ryder | Applied Nutrition | Health & beauty | 2014 | Liverpool | North West | Full profile | |
| Tracy Mort MBE | Cole Beauty | Health & beauty | 2007 | Cheadle | North West | Full profile | ✔ |
| Varun Bhanot | MAGIC AI | Health & beauty | 2021 | London | Greater London | Full profile | |
| Vicky Ellis & Anastasia Tozer | REHAB. | Health & beauty | 2022 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| Will & Anna Brightman | UpCircle Beauty | Health & beauty | 2016 | London | Greater London | Full profile | ✔ |
| William Zeqiri & Nick Miller | Fresha | Health & beauty | 2015 | London | Greater London | Full profile |