FROM UNI DROPOUT TO £6M BEAUTY BUSINESS SUCCESS

BEFORE her skincare brand became a TikTok sensation and hit the shelves of Boots and Superdrug, Laura Mallows was just a girl from Cowbridge, trying to figure out what to do with her life.

- LOIS MCCARTHY

“I was a fashion girly - I have done so many pivots in my life!” Laura laughs, reflecting on her unconventional path. A winding journey that took her from a university dropout to founder of Mallows Beauty, one of the UK’s fastest-growing self-care brands.

If you've spent any time scrolling TikTok in the past couple of years, chances are you've come across Mallows Beauty. Now turning over millions of pounds, Mallows is instantly recognisable with its playful packaging, intriguing product names and unapologetic commitment to self-love with its various body products.

Yet, behind the bright aesthetic is a story far from the glitz and glamour of a thriving entrepreneur - but of self doubt and starting over more than once.

Speaking from her bubble gum-pink office, Laura says she very nearly went down a different route.

“When I was in school, I was really good at history,” she recalls.

“My school encouraged me to go to Oxbridge to do it but I actually ended up picking Southampton because the nightlife was better!”

However, Laura quickly came to the realisation that this wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life.

“Three months into my history degree, I was like - I don’t like this. I was falling asleep in my lectures.

“There was a boy in my class and I told him - ‘I'm going to have to copy your notes.’ He just said: ‘You're not listening in your lectures, you're snoring - this is bad, you need to stop!’

“After that I just decided to drop out. I rang my mum and dad, and was like ‘I'm not enjoying it.’ They asked me what I wanted to do and I said, ‘Fashion. I love fashion.”

Laura switched to a fashion design degree and finally felt like she had found her place. After university, she went on to land a job in London's Dune branch, buying handbags and accessories. However, it was during this time that Laura was battling some internal demons.

“I have always struggled with my body image,” Laura admits.