AYU Cosmetics founder Suzie O’Neill is on a mission to transform the beauty business by dedicating her through her dedication to vegan and sustainable practices.
It was while teaching a class in makeup artistry that Suzie O’Neill had an epiphany. Conversations with her students revealed to her that there was a gap in the market for affordable, professional, vegan and cruelty-free makeup products.
And so, in 2015 a business was born. Beginning with a line of premium makeup brushes, AYU Cosmetics has since expanded to include a full range of vegan, cruelty-free and dermatologically tested products that today includes skin-care based cosmetics and self-tanning products.
“We wanted to have our own warehouse because it gives us the ability to make it all about the customer – to ensure everything from the packaging to the delivery runs perfectly”
At the heart of all of this is sustainable practices, including the use of synthetic brush hairs, handles from regenerated products and plastic-free packaging.
Consciously creative
The business sells primarily online in Ireland, the US, the UK and Australia. In 2023 it opened stores in Kildare Village, Dundrum Shopping Centre and at Mahon Point in Cork as well as concessions in Brown Thomas and Arnotts. Actress Amy Huberman acts as AYU’s brand ambassador.
AYU – the Malaysian for beauty – recently struck a deal with Bank of Ireland to support the purchase and fit-out of an A-rated warehouse and office in Clane, Co Kildare.
O’Neill’s journey into the beauty business began almost 20 years ago when she qualified as a beauty therapist from the Fernanda Scappaticci College of Beauty in Dundalk and went on to tutor beauty at the Institute of Beauty and Holistic Training in Newbridge.
“We began with vegan and cruelty-free brushes almost 10 years ago and five years ago we went into cosmetics as the business began to grow. The core of it is that I don’t like to think of anything being tested on animals. I’m a big animal lover. Everything we do and produce is ethically-sourced and our brushes’ handles come from sustainable and regenerated forests. The hair is synthetic and it’s fully vegan-friendly in that sense.”
AYU isn’t O’Neill’s first foray into entrepreneurship. Before AYU she had operated her own beauty salon. “I was always creative and gravitated towards fashion. Having worked for many years in the industry with large brands as a trainer and eventually a tutor and I was always soaking up the education piece.
“I realised that my students couldn’t afford all the high-end brands that were out there and they wanted something that was accessible and not intimidating to them. I wanted to make beauty less intimidating for everyday people and be able to give them access to a luxury, premium product that they could afford.”
Like all the best businesses, it began with an idea and it was through constant experiment and sampling that O’Neill found a formula that works. “One of the reasons we went e-commerce from day one was because we wanted to keep a price point that was really accessible, by going direct to the consumer we could cut out the middlemen.”
The key to the product is constant sampling and AYU works closely with five manufacturers followed by stringent testing among her and her colleagues.
Another key was simplicity. In a market where there were a confusing array of eye shadow palettes, AYU’s first eye shadow palette was aimed at suiting customers day and night.
“When I was giving classes to up to 200 people per class I was hearing the same thing quite a lot, about how confusing the market is.
“And so it started with one product and now we have 130 products in the range. Which is quite substantial.”
Direct to the consumer
The business has grown to employ 36 people and O’Neill is adamant that she wants to keep much of the company under the one roof. “We wanted to have our own warehouse because it gives us the ability to make it all about the customer – to ensure everything from the packaging to the delivery runs perfectly. We like to do random acts of kindness like throw a special free gift in with an order.
“And for our e-commerce, our stores and various concessions, having our own facility means we can deliver directly.”
She said that Bank of Ireland supported her in her decision to establish AYU’s warehouse in Kildare.
“They made the whole process genuinely super-easy and non-intimidating. We are completely self-funded so taking this step was a big one for us. They were so supportive and encouraging and made everything seamless.”
Looking to the future, O’Neill wants to focus on laying the groundwork for taking AYU to the next chapter in its development.
“We are focused on accelerating the brand and bringing it to the next level. We want to expand our customer base in the UK and the US. We are bringing in new people and new structures and just getting ourselves ready for success so that AYU will flourish.”
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to support Suzie and Ayu Cosmetics in their vision for growth,” said Andrew Keenan, Senior Relationship Manager, New Business Origination, Business Banking at Bank of Ireland.
“It is a fantastic Irish brand which is going from strength to strength, and we look forward to supporting Suzie and the team in the next chapter of Ayu’s success story.”
AYU founder and CEO Suzie O’Neill
-
Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here
-
Listen to the ThinkBusiness Podcast for business insights and inspiration. All episodes are here. You can also listen to the Podcast on:
-
Spotify
-
SoundCloud
-
Apple
