LEADING LADIES

THE OK! BEAUTY BOX TEAM HAS PUT TOGETHER A SPECIAL LIMITED FEMALE FOUNDERS EDITION, FEATURING BRANDS HEADED UP BY INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN. THIS WEEK, WE SPEAK TO MORE OF THOSE ENTREPRENEURS ABOUT THE SECRETS OF THEIR SUCCESS

- LYNNE HYLAND

CLARE ANDERSON
CLARE, 47, IS THE FOUNDER OF SENSORY RETREATS, BEST KNOWN FOR ITS MULTISENSORY EYE AND FACE MASKS

The moment that set me on this course was… the pandemic. Fourteen years ago, I’d launched Lava Shells into spas and salons, but when Covid happened my whole business shut overnight. I’d always wanted to launch a retail product so I just used that moment to go for it.

What makes my brand unique is… it goes beyond beauty. We launched with a multisensory heated eye mask at a time when everyone was stressed, and it felt so important to give people a feel-good moment they could use anywhere.

The thing that drives everything I do is… the memory of my younger brother, who took his own life at 19. It’s why mental health is so important to me. If I can create a product that can help to improve somebody’s mindset and sleep, and make them feel good, that’s ultimately all I need.

The best compliment I’ve had about the brand is… a nurse told me that they found our eye masks so relaxing they no longer needed medication to sleep. That was pretty humbling.