Leanne studied Chemistry with Forensic Analysis at undergraduate level and continued her studies to earn a PhD in Bioinorganic Chemistry from Loughborough in 2010. Her studies – alongside career experience – provided her with the basis to begin the business as she was able to utilise her knowledge of formulations and cosmetics to create the beauty products.
Leanne began her career in cosmetic formulation for No7 at Boots and later worked in science and innovation, creating patented healthy skincare technologies.
She moved to a new organisation in 2019 but was unfortunately made redundant three months later. Leanne had just found out that she was pregnant, and then the covid-19 pandemic hit just before the baby was due.
Leanne felt spurred on to create a business from scratch. It gave her the opportunity to earn a living by utilising her chemistry knowledge.
Leanne’s husband Graham supported from the technology side. By this point they had two children and a pandemic to navigate, but the timing felt right for Leanne who had always had ambitions to build her own cosmetics brand.
She said:
“We now run this together as a team and it’s been a real learning curve but it’s also exciting. We really take pride in how far we’ve come, and we are very confident in the products with more in the pipeline.”
Beauty Favours is now a couple of years’ old and currently has several cruelty free solid shampoo bars available, which combine haircare and skincare. They offer cost saving benefits as there is less wastage and the bars are said to last two to three times longer than liquid shampoo.
The bars of shampoo do not require any plastic packaging and are formulated without using water, making them an environmentally friendly option. The lack of packaging also means that they are lighter and more eco-friendly to transport and are also easy to pack when travelling.
The shampoo bars that are currently available come in Champagne & Roses Argan Oil, Charcoal & Tea Tree and Tropical Fruit Mango Butter & Jojoba Oil options. The products are cruelty free, and Leaping Bunny approved.
Reflecting on how her studies at Loughborough have supported her, Leanne added:
“Joining Loughborough's Chemistry department was definitely the right decision for me with such supportive and knowledgeable staff to help guide me.”
Check out Beauty Favours online, where you will also find a blog containing tips, facts and inspiration.