# The Story Behind Global Skincare Brand: The INKEY List | Ladies Who Launched

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ladies-who-launch-7146914/the-story-behind-global-skincare-brand-the-inkey-list-ladies-who-launched
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ladies-who-launch-7146914/the-story-behind-global-skincare-brand-the-inkey-list-ladies-who-launched.md
Podcast: [Ladies Who Launch](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ladies-who-launch-7146914)
Published: 2026-09-16T05:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://weareladieswholaunch.com
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6762dca9d9cd65ec1eb4ee70/e/6aa99e438b301d45a72c9e48/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ladies-who-launch-7146914/episodes/the-story-behind-global-skincare-brand-the-inkey-list-ladies-who-launched
Duration seconds: 4365

## Resource

Colette Laxton co-founded The INKEY List in 2018 to make skincare less confusing and has since sold over 90 million products worldwide. In this episode, she breaks down exactly how she split her first £300K starting budget between stock, marketing and running costs, including why most of her marketing spend went on one person: Caroline Hirons! We all know the success of The INKEY List but the growth came at a cost. Colette opens up about nearly going bankrupt, the burnout that put her in bed for two weeks straight, and the unpredictability of virality including how a product she never planned to sell became the number one body product on TikTok Shop. It's an honest look at what building a brand from nothing actually takes, budget breakdown included. In this episode, we cover: Leaving a decade-long career at Boots to join a scrappy startup Exactly how she split her first £300K investment Why most of her marketing budget went on: Caroline Hirons The Cult Beauty call on launch day that changed everything Launching The INKEY List into Sephora across North America within six months Nearly going bankrupt, and what it actually takes to get "retail ready" The burnout that put her in bed for two weeks straight How a product she never planned to sell became #1 on TikTok Shop If you’re looking to launch in the skincare space, this one’s for you! We Are Ladies Who Launch! 00:00 Cult Beauty Calls Day One 00:55 Introducing Colette Laxton 03:10 Learning the Corporate Ropes at Boots 10:21 Realising The Skincare Gap 18:41 Leveraging PR for Launch 21:44 Early Funding and Brand Blow Up 27:05 Launching in Sephora US 33:10 Figuring Out Stock and Logistics 37:10 Virality and TikTok Shop 39:09 Our 1 Million Unit Order 40:14 Why Micro Influencers Win 46:23 Leadership at 100 Staff 50:47 Founde…

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## Transcript

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