As we wrap up yet another year at Formula Botanica, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the incredible journey that’s been 2024. We couldn’t be any prouder of our amazing students and graduates, which is why I wanted to dedicate today’s post to some of our graduate successes.
At Formula Botanica, we love talking about our students and their achievements. Each story is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and passion that fuel our diverse community. We’ve stood by each student throughout their unique journey, providing support every step of the way—from their first formulation to graduation and beyond.
This year’s graduate stories are nothing short of inspirational. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the wonderful moments that made this year so special. And who knows? You might be featured next!
A year in review: Formula Botanica
Before we dive into our graduate success stories, let’s take a moment to review some of this year’s highlights at Formula Botanica.
Celebrating a year of growth of success
As the world’s leading online formulation school, we’re constantly improving to provide the best experience for our students. To recap, in 2024 we have:
- Expanded our global community: This year, we welcomed an incredible 1,500 new students! Our vibrant global community now includes over 21,000 students and graduates across 193 countries, along with over 1,500 active Lab members. We’ve also provided FREE training to over 100,000 future formulators, shaping the next generation of formulators.
- Hosted 50 support sessions: In 2024, we hosted 50 dedicated support sessions. From book recommendations and formulation tips to motivation sessions and monthly Zoom check-ins, these sessions have been great to connect and support you on your journey!
- Supported students: This year alone, we’ve answered 21,541 helpdesk tickets and also featured 30 new brands in our Graduate Gallery. We’re committed to being there for you during and after you’ve completed your studies, helping you every step of the way.
- Connected through meetups: We love to meet our student community, which is why we’ve started hosting meetups this year. In 2024, we’ve hosted two events: one in Birmingham, and another in London. It was wonderful to meet you in person and see you exchanging contacts and stories, and starting new friendships. We can’t wait to host more next year!
- Donated to worthy causes: As advocates of green beauty, we proudly donated £15,000 to Plantlife’s Forgotten Fungi Appeal. This contribution reflects our commitment to preserving biodiversity and fostering a thriving, healthy planet for generations to come.
Noteworthy achievements
But that’s not all! Here’s more to celebrate:
- Beauty awards: Our CEO, Lorraine Dallmeier, has been voted into the Top 5 in the Who’s Who in Natural Beauty for the 10th year running. Please take a moment to celebrate her in the comments. We’re also incredibly proud of our graduates who made the list. Huge congratulations to Apinke Efiong of Ekó Botanicals, Naz Bashir of Solo Skin London and Natasa Tavcar of Galbaia.
- Podcast milestones: The Green Beauty Conversations podcast, hosted by our CEO, reached over 130,000 downloads this year, crossing 1 million total downloads. We’re also thrilled to have finished the year in the Top 0.5% globally, out of 3.5 million podcasts!
- Blog success: Our blog had an outstanding year with over 1 million visitors, thanks to your ongoing support and engagement.
- Course refresh: This year, we’ve also refreshed and relaunched our Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation—the most popular online formulation course in the world! With years of work behind it, we’ve refined the course based on your feedback, making it better than ever for the next generation of formulators.
What’s next?
2025 is shaping up to be another exciting year, particularly with the Lab. We’ll be researching trends every month, and to kick things off, January’s Mini Lab will focus on sustainable packaging—a topic we know you’re passionate about.
If you’re not yet part of the Lab, now’s the perfect time to join! It’s your exclusive space to boost your formulation skills, stay on top of the latest trends, and become an even better formulator.
Thank you for being part of our community, and here’s to an amazing year ahead!
Our graduates: New brand launches
Now let’s take a look at some of our amazing graduate launches this year!
Since I can’t possibly cover all of the new amazing brand launches in this post, you can head over to our Graduate Gallery, where we feature over 330 brands.
I highly encourage you to take a look at these incredible brands and show your support by following them, and purchasing something if you can. These graduates have built something truly special, and they deserve all the love and recognition they can get! Plus, with our search function, finding local brands has never been easier.
Personally, when I’m short on time and can’t make my own skincare, I love to buy products from Formula Botanica graduates.
Here are a few of my favourite success stories from this year:
Debbie Smith, Remi Organics
Debbie launched Remi Organics in January 2024 after months of delays, stress and triumphant moments. When Deb first enrolled at Formula Botanica, she had no idea what a humectant or emulsifier was—but she quickly became hooked on formulating (and honestly, who wouldn’t?). She loved the student and tutor support and in-depth training we offer in our award-winning courses.
After graduating, Deb turned her newfound passion into a brand. She founded Remi Organics, an all-natural, marine-based skincare brand for radiant skin. Her advice for anyone launching a brand? Embrace the setbacks, take your time to get it just right, and always stay true to your vision.
Lucy Cardwell, Skiin Days
Lucy also launched her brand, Skiin Days, in January 2024. After years of running a natural skincare brand in the UK, she decided to close that chapter in early 2023 and move back to her home town of Adelaide, Australia. There, she reimagined her vision and launched Skiin Days with two products: an oil-based cleanser called Fresh Face and a face oil called Radiant Face.
With the tagline “Pro-Age Natural Skincare for Ageless Beauty,” Skiin Days celebrates timeless beauty and natural, age-positive skincare (everything we stand for!).
Shabnam Pechek, SHAI Skincare
Shabnam launched SHAI Active Ayurvedic Skincare in June 2024, a brand dedicated to holistic, Ayurveda-inspired skincare. Shabnam’s journey has been both fulfilling and empowering, and she credits Formula Botanica for her formulation and business knowledge.
At the start of her entrepreneurial journey, Shabnam overcame the complexities of starting a business in Austria as a third-country national. As sales grow, Shabnam is excited to expand her brand’s reach through marketing and PR.
You can learn all about starting and running an indie beauty business with our Diploma in Beauty Brand Business Management, which we refer to as our indie beauty MBA.
Honourable mentions
- Nassim Smith, Nassim Skincare: Nassim launched her brand Nassim Skincare in June 2024, after years of hard work. Her brand is all about skincare that speaks to the soul and connects mind, body and spirit.
- Chioma Patricia Onu, Ivory Organic Skincare: Chioma launched her US-based organic skincare brand for the whole family, Ivory Organic Skincare in July 2024.
- Hanson Tan, AMANARI Botanicals: Hanson launched his wellness skincare brand Amanari Botanicals in October 2024. He launched with two products and is grateful for the knowledge and skillsets he learned from us.
If you are a Formula Botanica graduate and just launched your brand or already have a brand, don’t forget to contact us so we can feature you in our Graduate Gallery!
Major graduate achievements
Now let’s take a look at some more graduate successes. Our graduates are leading the way in the indie beauty industry, setting new standards in beauty, and we’re so proud to share their achievements this year.
First, let’s take a look at beauty awards.
Beauty Awards
Formula Botanica graduates are often nominated for awards and more often than not win. Just take a look at previous years:
Formula Botanica year in review 2020
A year of awards: our graduate achievers in 2021
In 2024, many of our graduates won the Beauty Shortlist Awards. Among them are:
Jennifer Biagioni, Creation Skin
Jennifer was awarded “Best Natural/Organic Brand” for her brand Creation Skin.
But that’s not all: her brand also won awards for four other products across three product categories! Well done Jennifer.
Emma Vilà, Le Chat dans L’Armoire
Emma won not one, but two Beauty Shortlist Awards for her solo brand Le Chat dans L’Armoire this year.
Her Grand Soleil and Fleur d’Oranger Mediterranean sea salt soaps have also been awarded winner badges in the “Best Artisan Soap” category. Congratulations Emma!
Hend El Demerdash, Pretty Nature
Hend also won the prestigious Beauty Shortlist Awards this year. On top of that, she won the editor’s choice for her brand Pretty Nature.
What an achievement. Congratulations Hend!
Shannon Ferry Aydar, Koloré
Shannon won three Beauty Shortlist Awards for her brand Koloré.
She credits Formula Botanica for our guidance and first-class training. Thank you, Shannon!
Lilia Ivanov, LILIXIR
Lilia won two awards for her brand LILIXIR. She won an award in the category “Best Day Serum Age 30+” and another in the “Best Night Serum Age 40+”.
She also is grateful to Formula Botanica for our support. Have you noticed that’s a recurring theme amongst our graduates? We are grateful for them!
Major achievements
Now let’s take a look at some major graduate achievements! Here are a few highlights from 2024:
Tuna Ziver Yoney, Ziver Organiques
Last year, Tuna took a bold step and entered the Beauty Tank challenge in the skincare category “Makeup in New York” 2023.
Tuna’s brand Ziver Organiques competed against 85 international brands and was one of the five finalists, ultimately earning a runner-up spot!
Irene Simon, Mrembo Naturals
Irene from Mrembo Naturals was one the winner of the Under-30 CEO’s Awards in East Africa in the category “Beauty and Cosmetics”.
She dedicated this award to women all over the world who embrace their natural beauty and remain true to themselves, as well as to women entrepreneurs.
Katja Kokko, Yin Your Skin
Katja celebrated an extraordinary milestone in 2024, as both of her brands, Djusie and Yin Your Skin, won awards at the prestigious Attracta Haute-Beauty Awards.
Congratulations Katja! We can’t wait to see what you do next.
Hazem Sawaf, 7 Hopes London
Hazem’s private label manufacturing brand, 7 Hopes London, won the “Leading Cosmetic Products Manufacturer – 2024 – London UK” in the 2024 Corporate America Today Awards!
This just shows how much you can do with your diploma once you graduate.
If you are a Formula Botanica graduate and either won or were nominated for an award, do let us know! Contact us and share your achievements so we can credit you in our Graduate Gallery.
Brand recognitions
And last but certainly not least, our graduates got a lot of recognition this year. I wanted to feature one in particular:
Roshanne Dorsett, The Glowcery
Out of hundreds of applicants, The Glowcery was selected to be in Pinterest UK’s first year of running its Inclusion Fund Programme for merchants. Well done Roshanne!
We often feature Roshanne in our posts and on our podcast, Green Beauty Conversations. If you’d like to find out more about Roshanne, you can give this episode a listen:
Podcast 157: From bootstrapping to award-winning beauty brand
Honourable mentions
- Sangeeta Patil, Nesa Botanicals: Sangeeta launched her brand Nesa Botanicals in March 2024, with over 70 attendants. She is grateful to Formula Botanica for all the knowledge she gained during her studies. Nesa is now growing her brand and starting to approach retailers. What an amazing step!
- Pooja Bhimra, Ziji Skin: Pooja launched her first product on her brand’s website, Ziji Skin, in May 2024. She credits Formula Botanica with helping her build every detail of her brand and product.
If you’d like to hear more about our graduate achievements, why not listen to our Green Beauty Conversations podcast? Formula Botanica’s CEO Lorraine regularly sits down with our graduates and interviews them on their entrepreneurial journey.
Here are just some episodes from this year, featuring our graduates, you might enjoy:
Podcast 195: The Birch Babe journey from midlife to beauty entrepreneur
Podcast 219: Why beauty brands are getting sued for sustainability claims
Podcast 223: The factory pioneering sustainable manufacturing
We know far more of you deserve attention, so please don’t hesitate to contact us and share your industry achievements with us so we can credit you in our Graduate Gallery.
Don’t forget to give all these brands a follow and support them if you can. We’re a big community here at Formula Botanica, and we love to feature and support our graduates.
Launch your own indie beauty brand
After seeing our graduates’ incredible success stories this year, you might be wondering if you could launch your own indie beauty brand too. And I’m here to tell you you absolutely can. Most of our graduates started exactly where you are, with little to no experience in formulation or business. How did they do it? Well, they took that first step: learning to formulate.
You can start your entrepreneurial journey too with our free training course, where you’ll get a first taste of organic skincare formulation (and I know you’ll be hooked). Then, when you’re ready, take a look at our International Organic Skincare Entrepreneur Program, where we teach you to create high-performance formulations and launch your own beauty brand. See you there!
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Ariane is Formula Botanica’s content creator and an active member of the student community. She has worked as a professional journalist, blogger, copywriter and editor before joining Formula Botanica full-time in 2024.
