Marcia Kilgore has built some of the industry’s most talked-about brands (think: Beauty Pie, Soap & Glory, and Bliss), and she isn’t slowing down. We caught up with the beauty entrepreneur to talk smart skincare, game-changing launches and the habits that keep her ahead of the curve.

Looking back, was there a single moment when you realised entrepreneurship was in your DNA?

Probably when I realised I was physically incapable of walking past something inefficient without wanting to fix it. Some people see a problem and sigh. I see a problem and start drawing diagrams on napkins. I don’t think entrepreneurship is necessarily about loving business. It’s about having an almost pathological inability to leave broken systems alone.

You’ve created several hugely successful brands. What’s the common thread that connects them all?

Every business I’ve built started with something that irritated the life out of me. Why are spa treatments so intimidating? Why is beauty so spectacularly overpriced? Why are the cutest shoes apparently only made for women with feet the width of breadsticks? If enough people are muttering the same complaint under their breath, there’s probably a business hiding in it.

Beauty Pie completely challenged the industry’s traditional pricing model. Did people initially think you were mad?

Absolutely. Some still do. People get surprisingly emotional when you point out that the £180 cream and the £35 cream may have been born in neighbouring vats. Just last week, a well-known influencer was offended because we showed our product alongside one costing three times as much.

Beauty Pie isn’t about embarrassing anyone who’s paid luxury prices. Most of us have. I certainly have. It’s simply about saying, “Here’s how the system actually works.”  

What’s the biggest business risk you’ve ever taken, and would you do it again?

Beauty Pie. Without question. I did briefly wonder whether I should invest in a bulletproof vest. We weren’t launching another beauty brand. We were wandering into a room full of people who quite liked the old economics and politely announcing they’d been overcharging everyone.

What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever ignored?

I’ve had lots of people tell me, “You can’t do that.” Honestly? It’s rocket fuel. If someone tells me something’s impossible, I immediately want to know whether it’s genuinely impossible… or just inconvenient for them.

Beauty Pie isn’t about embarrassing anyone who’s paid luxury prices. It’s simply about saying, “Here’s how the system actually works.”  

Marcia Kilgore

If you were launching your first business in 2026 instead of the 1990s, what would you do differently?

I’d become embarrassingly good at AI. I’d automate everything that wasn’t adding real value so my brain could stay focused on the interesting problems instead of wondering where version 17 of the spreadsheet had gone. And I’d learn finance much earlier. Nothing ruins a founder’s day quite like not understanding the numbers.

Which daily habit has had the biggest impact on your success?

Curiosity. I ask an exhausting number of questions. Why? But why? Who says? Eventually someone admits the emperor isn’t wearing very much. Also exercise. And gratitude. One helps the body. Both help the brain.  

What’s permanently in your handbag that might surprise people?

I don’t carry a handbag. I carry a Caraa Sling, which is basically a tiny survival kit. Passport. Lip products. Receipts I’ll never look at again. AirPods. Sunglasses. The essentials.

Which beauty trend do you wish would quietly disappear?

Any trend that requires a spreadsheet to remember what goes on your face first. 

What does wellbeing mean to you now that it perhaps didn’t ten years ago?

Boundaries. Ten years ago, I thought resilience meant absorbing absolutely everything and showing you could. Now I think wellbeing occasionally means blocking someone on social media who’s trying to shame you in public because the shoes they bought in the summer sale haven’t been received back by the warehouse fast enough for their liking.  Growth. Self-respect. Setting and sticking to those boundaries. That’s wellbeing. 

I think wellbeing occasionally means blocking someone on social media who’s trying to shame you in public because the shoes they bought in the summer sale haven’t been received back by the warehouse fast enough for their liking.

You have access to almost every beauty innovation imaginable; what products or treatments genuinely earn a place in your own routine?

The boring things that actually work, such as:

  • Vitamin C.
  • Microencapsulated retinoids.
  • SPF.
  • Peptides.
  • Niacinamide.
  • LED.
  • Collagen.
  • Protein.
  • Fibre.

People are always looking for one miraculous new ingredient. I’m mostly looking for consistency.

If someone spent just £100 at Beauty Pie today, what would be your non-negotiable shopping list?

A membership (£59), obviously, followed by Micro Caviar Overnight Moisture Mask (£32 Member Price) OR our Youthbomb Extreme Retinal Serum (£49 Member Price) 

What’s one luxury you’ll always happily spend money on, and one you think is wildly overrated?

I’ll happily spend money on beautifully made clothes, incredible food and travelling with friends. Wildly overrated? Handbags. I simply don’t understand why some of them cost more than a second-hand Mini Cooper.

I’ll happily spend money on beautifully made clothes, incredible food and travelling with friends. Wildly overrated? Handbags.

What’s the one misconception people have about building a successful business?

That it’s glamorous. The glamorous bit represents approximately 0.7% of the job. The other 99.3% is making decisions, solving problems, hiring brilliant people and wondering why nobody warned you that Tuesdays would become so strangely complicated.

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I still must talk myself into going live on Instagram. People assume I bounce into it full of confidence. Not true. Five minutes beforehand, I’m usually negotiating with myself like I’m trying to persuade a reluctant toddler to put their shoes on.

Finally, what’s next? What problem are you itching to solve that nobody else seems to be tackling yet?

There’s one everyday appliance that’s astonishingly overdue for reinvention. I can’t tell you what it is yet. But every time I use it, I think, “Really? Humanity put people on the moon, and this is still the best we’ve got?”

Quick fire round

What’s the one beauty product you simply couldn’t live without?

SPF, obvs.

You’re given 24 hours completely off grid. Where are you, what are you doing, and who’s with you?

Costa Rica. Staring into the jungle, watching Scarlet Macaws and monkeys. With my ‘summer friend posse’ 

Favourite city in the world for eating, shopping and people-watching?

New York, I think. Tokyo also very good. Also, Hong Kong. (But I have not been to Shanghai yet.)  Sorry, I’m about no limits.

What’s the last thing you bought that sparked genuine joy?

A pair of summer-wash Nili Lotan jeans. Sadly, they were a size too big, so I’m waiting for the replacement pair. 

Your perfect Saturday looks like…?

A long walk by the river with my dog. A casual lunch with a friend. Reading. Getting some work done so it’s not hanging over my head on Monday. Checking in with my Mum. Then maybe a movie. Or a concert. Or seeing a play – if there’s anything great on. 

Fill in the blanks: I never leave home without…

…My phone; I’m always craving information, and I’m currently obsessed with artificial intelligence-powered agentic internal process generation.

I still must talk myself into going live on Instagram. Five minutes beforehand I’m usually negotiating with myself like I’m trying to persuade a reluctant toddler to put their shoes on.

Beauty, Beauty Interviews, Skincare

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