Celebrating four decades in beauty in 2025, SLG Brands is looking back at some of the key milestones that shaped its journey from garage start-up to major brand incubator – all from its base in Gloucestershire.
SLG started life in 1985 as a niche private label cosmetic applicator supplier, with its in-house manufactured products found on the shelves of a handful of UK beauty retailers.
It then expanded its outsourced product portfolio to include makeup brushes, false eyelashes, false nails and other related beauty accessory products, going on to drive growth by building strategic relationships with Boots, The Body Shop, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer.
Its first major milestone came in the early 2000s, when it secured a high-profile licensing deal with Cosmopolitan magazine and the creation of the beauty accessory collection, Cosmopolitan Beauty – in a move that 'revealed SLG's ambition to create category-disruptive brands with global resonance'.
From there, SLG continued to evolve and grow, with its first non-licensed own-brand girl2go hitting shelves at Boots and Superdrug in 2003, followed by a partnership with Sex & the City in 2008.
With the aim to remain ahead of the curve, SLG recognised a new category in 'influencer beauty' and partnered with YouTube beauty vlogger Zoella in 2014, producing a sell-out product range that grew into a £20 million brand; a move that would define what influencer-driven beauty would look like in the decade to come.
In the same year, SLG launched COLAB Dry Shampoo in collaboration with beauty influencer Ruth Crilly, a brand that has since become the world's most followed dry shampoo on social media.
Next came Johnny's Chop Shop, a collaboration with London barbershop entrepreneur Steven Ross; LMX Beauty, a skin-colour inclusive beauty brand with Little Mix; and long-standing relationships with Laura Ashley, Radley and Osprey.
Fast forward to 2025 and SLG continues its successful run of partnerships with iconic British designer Paul Smith and Gen-Z's favourite Australian fashion brand, White Fox, creating debut beauty lines with both respectively, while building its own-brand portfolio which includes Rhyme & Reason and Happy Hair People – with the award-winning products stocked in over 40,000 stores worldwide.
Miles Dunkley, founder and executive creative director of SLG Brands, said: 'When I look back to the first days of SLG – my mum and dad starting out in our garage with just one product – it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come.
'Forty years on, SLG has grown into a global beauty company and at every step of that journey creativity has been our driving force.
'What began as a small spark of entrepreneurial spirit by my parents has become a thriving global business that partners with world-leading brands and retailers reaching millions of consumers worldwide.
'Our 40th year seems more than just a milestone, it’s a celebration of our people and the imagination.'
