Hand cream duo inspired by experiences at heart of NHS

ANTONIA PHILP was working as a paediatric nurse when, in 2010, she was forced to take a fortnight off because of her red, cracked and bleeding hands.

- Lucy Tobin

“It was from the constant hand washing and sanitising required to keep our patients safe,” she explains.

Philp tried “countless hand creams — everything in Boots, all the samples from occupational health — to sort them out, but got nowhere.” The heavy medical ones took time to sink in, and on hospital shifts she had no time to wait. “I needed something super-effective but also lightweight that provided a long-lasting effect — so my husband and I started to research the problem to understand what could be done.”

Said husband is Jonny Philp, who was working for a sports nutrition distribution business focused on cyclists’ electrolyte drinks. His background spanned various entrepreneurial businesses including one making iPad accessories. “I’m not a chemist or scientist, but I love to know how things work,” he says.

Fast forward 13 years and their Nursem hand cream, designed to protect skin that is very regularly washed and sanitised, is a must-have for thousands, with sales exceeding £2 million this year. The duo have also given away more than 600,000 free tubes to NHS nurses and midwives.