We’ve never been shy about our mission to change the skincare industry from the inside out. Like you, we’ve long felt frustrated by all the false promises, empty claims and blanket advice that the skincare world loves to dish out. Add to that all the baseless hype given to sub-standard products on social media and it’s clear that something had to change.
“I was the typical trendy beauty enthusiast, spending so much time in SpaceNK, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols looking at all the latest products,” reveals co-founder Ksenia.“I would buy lots of skincare products, use them for a few weeks and then end up giving them away or chucking them out when they didn’t deliver." To put it bluntly, she – like so many beauty consumers – was more focused on hype than what would actually work for her unique skin.
Fellow co-founder Megan had similar frustrations."I was going off of advice that was extremely general and the more research I did, the more confused I got about what I needed. It actually felt like a maze!"
“We recognised the need for honesty in this marketing-led industry,” Ksenia explains. “We wanted to create a service that we both really wanted as skincare enthusiasts; someone to turn to with all of your skin concerns and questions that would be totally honest, rather than just try to sell products.”
The big idea
And so that’s what we did. No bias, no buzzwords, no BS; Lion/ne is the revolutionary skincare consultancy offering clients in-depth skin assessments alongside trustworthy advice and impartial product recommendations.
One of our biggest bugbears with the beauty industry was that everyone was following the same tips, tricks and recommendations, no matter their personal skin concerns. Advice should be way more personal than that, which is why our Holistic Skin Sessions dig much deeper into the individual, while our Skin Mentors (find the mentor that’s right for you by taking this fun quiz!) remain on hand to coach you the entire way through your skin journey. Better still, we don’t want to just tell you what to do with your skin and send you on your way. Instead, we teach our clients about the inner workings of their skin and why certain ingredients and formulas will work for them. (FYI, we share a lot of useful info on our blog and ingredient glossary) Put it this way: the more you know about your skin, the better you can deal with it.
We also recognise that it’s hard to know who to trust in the skincare world, and that’s exactly why we are always impartial and never work on commercial deals with brands or push disingenuous #ads. And finally, we want to help other skincare lovers build rewarding careers in the beauty industry, which is where the idea behind our Skin Mentor training program came from. BABTAC-certified, this intensive skincare course isn’t only a clear cut route to ensure all our clients receive knowledge-based advice, but it also empowers a generation of consultants to develop the ultimate side hustle sharing their newfound know-how.
What’s next?
“I personally think that the skincare industry is entering a super exciting era,” reckons Ksenia. “There are some incredible emerging brands shaking up the big pioneers in the beauty industry, while consumers are now searching for brands that not only resonate with their skin but also with their values.” She also flags the fact there have never been so many products on retailers’ shelves. “That’s exactly why services such as Lion/ne are crucial to help out anyone that feels overwhelmed.”
To book a Holistic Skin Session click here or to find out more about becoming a Lion/ne Skin Mentor, click here.
