London-based tech entrepreneurs, Flinty Bane and Ben Barter, have secured a £50,000 investment from Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies.
The duo are the creators of skin-care and beauty price comparison app, SKIN, and are targeting a global expansion.
The two friends, who brought their money-saving concept to life during the first lockdown, aim to give consumers access to the very best deals in skincare, make-up, fragrance, hair care and grooming products.
The app is connected with thousands of brands and the UK’s biggest beauty retailers and Sara Davies offered £50,000 for a 10 per cent share of the company.
Flinty Bane, SKIN founder, said: “I’m over the moon that we’re going to be working alongside Sara to grow our business. I believe SKIN is going to revolutionise the way we shop for beauty – with Sara’s backing, there’s no stopping us.”
Ben Barter, co-founder of SKIN, added: “When Sara made us an offer we were absolutely elated. It was clear that she understood our business and mission. As a target user, she could instantly recognise the joy and benefits our app will bring to beauty consumers.”
Davies added: “I love the simplicity of Flinty and Ben’s concept. Comparison sites and apps are the norm in so many other retail sectors, so why not beauty?
Flinty Bane and Ben Barter, of SKIN, with Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies
“I can’t wait to work with the duo to support and mentor them through the next exciting step, taking SKIN to consumers around the world.”
Bane and Barter first met when they worked together in London creating global B2B networking events and went into business in 2020 during the lockdown.
As a lifelong lover of beauty products, Guernsey-raised Bane had an idea for an app that would let her know when her favourite products were on sale.
She shared her idea with her commercially-minded business partner and the pair poured all of their energy into designing and funding the app.
Fast forward four years and the app features thousands of products, from independent producers to major brands, and retail partners, such as SpaceNK, Boots, Look Fantastic and Sephora, for users to place on their virtual ‘shelf’ for which they will receive real time alerts the minute genuine discounts and deals become available.
SKIN is available to download for free on the AppStore and GooglePlay.