Skip to content
thetimesW

Beauty devices got under my skin, and now we’re on Netflix

_methode_sundaytimes_prod_web_bin_991c8a72-d547-11ed-a747-57887c44a580

How I made it: Laurence Newman, co-founder of CurrentBody

Laurence Newman sat stock still and stared at the WhatsApp message he had just received from a contact in the fashion industry who was watching the hit Netflix series Emily in Paris.

“He said, ‘You won’t believe this – your mask is on Emily in the opening scene,’ ” recalled Newman, the co-founder and chief executive of CurrentBody, which makes and sells electronic beauty devices, including the best-selling LED face mask.

He quickly realised the impact of such a product placement. “Every time we see a celebrity in a CurrentBody mask, there is excitement … but this was [a] different level. I hadn’t appreciated that Emily in Paris was so global – the reach was crazy.”

The exposure will help sales of the £280 mask, which claims to reduce wrinkles and improve skin tone, reach £20 million this year, Newman estimates. This should take CurrentBody sales to £86 million in total, up from last year’s £59 million with a £4 million pre-tax profit.

The popularity of the LED mask, launched in 2018, leads many to assume that CurrentBody has been “an overnight success”, said Newman, now 48. But it’s been “a very long journey”.

He grew up in Cheshire with a surgeon for a father and a maths teacher for a mother, but “I got absolutely none of their intellect. I failed all of the sciences – I remember the teacher were like, ‘Something’s gone wrong [with you].’ But still, “I was one of those people that everyone thought, ‘He’ll find a way of getting by.’ “

On completing a degree in business information studies at Manchester University, he was “convinced” he wanted to start his own business. His father planted the seed of getting involved in the beauty industry by being part of the team who invented an anti-ageing nutraceutical product, Imedeen. “As much as he was a surgeon, he was always interested in natural health products,” said Newman.

His father made some introductions to contacts who were making natural alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatments for relieving symptoms of the menopause. “I was just out of uni and pretty wet behind the ears, but started to find products to sell,” said Newman.

As time passed he was introduced to a company in Bordeaux that was making an electrolipysis machine. This helped people to lose weight by passing electric currents through the skin to break down fat cells. Newman became a distributor, selling the machines to spas and clinics at £4,000 a pop, and he got his first big break in 1999 when a journalist covered the benefits. “We had a double-page spread with a headline saying, ‘Could you lose two pounds or more in just 60 minutes?'”

Newman was inundated with inquiries about the device, called Gaia Form which he sold through his distribution firm, Medical Innovations. Later, he saw a chance to rent the machines to cruise companies, with the electrolipolysis devices being used on 30 cruise ship spas, including P&O liners.

He also realised he was missing a trick by selling only to businesses and having nothing to offer to consumers to take home. “After a treatment, they’d be sold a pot of cream … whereas I just made a small amount of money on the weekly rentals.” His solutions was to developed a mini-version of the Gaia to be sold on the ships for $500 each. “They were $125 to buy and we sold them to the ships for $250.”

This marked the start of Laurence’s foray into consumer electronics, and in 2009 he was introduced to Andrew Showman, his CurrentBody co-founder. They met for a coffee in Manchester and instantly hit it off. “He’s an absolute whizz online and was selling digital cameras. He was doing £7 million [in sales]” said Newman, adding that there were surprising similarities between selling cameras and selling beauty devices. “It was all about customer service and education.”

They started CurrentBody the next day and owned the firm 50/50 from the outset. “We’ve never had an argument and we have no overlapping skill sets,” said Newman. “He’s brilliant at e-commerce and I had all the contacts and the experience in beauty devices.”

He gradually made his exit from his Medical Innovations business, which he had sold to a rival. Eager to go full-time on CurrentBody, he didn’t complete his earn-out, which meant losing out on some of the proceeds of the sale and a “good salary”.

“It was a genuine gamble; I had to remortgage our house,” he said.

An early success for CurrentBody was signing a deal to distribute the Clarisonic skincare device, which was bought by beauty giant L’Oreal in 2011, and by 2017 it contributed 60 per cent of the firm’s annual £4 million sales. But, Newman recalled: “It was an absolute distorter in terms of business model. We had an over-reliance on one product and an over-reliance on one territory.” CurrentBody’s sales were 95 per cent in the UK at that point.

In the years since, much has changed. Newman raised £15 million from venture capital firms – in two rounds of fundraising in 2018 and 2019 – to help launch his firm’s own product range, including the LED mask.

But taking institutional investment was a steep learning curve, Newman admitted. “There are pushes and pulls in terms of what [venture capitalists] want out of it. There are different personalities involved; you’ve got people on your board who are put there – you don’t choose them.”

Newman counted on his chairman Michael McGrath and non-executive director Simon Cooper, the outgoing boss of travel company On the Beach, to hero him navigate the transactions. The latest was in November 2021 when CurrentBody sold a majority stake to investment firm eComplete for £50 million. By that point, it had 17 international websites and 14 million users around the world.

The entrepreneur, who is married with four children, says he remains thankful that he stuck to his guns on the potential for beauty devices when faced with naysayers. “Our strategy was basically to be this expert in a field that didn’t exist yet. Now it’s proven to be right, but at the time, if you were an investor in my business, you’d be like: ‘Why are you just doing devices? Why are you not doing creams and potions?’

“I believe that there’s always room for one expert in a sector – and we are going to be that expert.”

Our Latest on Social Media

Our latest case study for No. One Angel Square. View the full case study: www.blaze-marketing.co.uk/case-studies/no-1-angel-square #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #office #casestudy #branding #brochure #web #video #banners
Positioned in the heart of Spinningfields, XYZ offers prime office space in a thriving community surrounded by some of the world's most recognised office, retail and leisure occupiers. We were commissioned by the agent Savills to create a brochure and a video to market vacant office space (part 5th and 6th floors 8,200 sq ft to 32,055 sq ft). The brochure concept is a play on the expression "As Easy a Choice as ABC", symbolising the quality of the office space and great location that's perfect for any business. #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #brochure #brochuredesign #video #mcr #office #spinningfields
Some excellent feedback from one of our clients. Our no-nonsense strategic approach to design and marketing can bring brands to life and energise property projects. Take a browse on our website, via the link in the bio, to learn more about us and view our recent projects. #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #branding #webdesign #brochure #video #signage #advertising #virtualtours #strategy
HyHAUL is the Protium led project delivering the largest hydrogen mobility corridor in the UK to accelerate the decarbonisation of the heavy haulage sector. We were commissioned by Protium to create a website that would showcase the project, with information on how it will progress. The website design used the protium brand style, using circles as graphic devices. The functionality of the website includes: content animation, roll over animations and a contact form. See the website for yourself: www.hyhaul.co.uk #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #web #webdesign #webbuild #hydrogen
Bluecroft Finance is a specialist UK based lending provider on a range of assets such as watches, jewellery, cars and property. They provide unique lending options with flexible terms to enable access to money within just 48 hours. We have recently completed the design and build of their website, which acts as an information hub for potential clients. The website is designed to reflect the high-end nature of the business, using bold typography and a dark colour palette that pairs well with the imagery. The website functionality includes: rollover animations, accordion menus, contact forms and interactive menus. #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #web #webdesign #webbuild
We've just launched a website to promote Bridge House - high quality office accommodation in the heart of Media City. We were commissioned by the agents Lambert Smith Hampton to photograph and design & build a website that would promote the entire office building of up to 105,000 Sq Ft to potential occupiers. The website layout is designed to help communicate key information, in an easily digestible format. See the website for yourself: www.bridgehousemediacity.co.uk #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #web #webdesign #webbuild #office #mediacity #salford
Introducing Chatham Mill – where we have completed a full branding exercise which included a logo, brochure, signage and website. The former cotton spinning mill offers quirky and charterful workspace in a stunning Grade 2 listed office development located in the heart of Manchester’s Oxford Road corridor. The logo design has a young playful look to it, which represents the target market. The 3D style of typography was implemented headings across the various design assets to create a uniformed style. See the website for yourself: www.chatham-mill.com #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #branding #brochure #web #website #webbuild #logo #signage #office #mcr
Our latest case study for our client Trebor Developments. View the full case study: www.blaze-marketing.co.uk/case-studies/trebor-developments #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #industrial #branding #logo #animation #web #webdesign #webbuild
We have just completed a set of CGI's to support the sale of 4 luxury homes in North Wales for Helyg Homes. To create these high quality images, our team only require elevation plans and a schedule of external finishes. We start with a plain wire frame image, once the angle/aspect is approved, we will then start to render, which becomes the finished visual. The final images are to be used on Right Move and site marketing signage. #propertymarketing #computergeneratedimagery #CGI
We're proud to have recently worked on such an iconic building, to produce the marketing brochure for office space at The Royal Exchange in Manchester, promoting available fitted space from 5,951 sq ft to 79,006 sq ft. Dominating St. Ann’s Square, the Royal Exchange combines a nationally renowned theatre and a unique shopping experience coupled with high quality large floor plate office accommodation designed to meet the needs of a wide range of businesses. We were commissioned by @jll to create a brochure that would showcase the excellent location and high specification of the office space to potential occupiers. #propertymarketing #graphicdesign #designagency #creativeagency #marketing #brochuredesign #brochure #officespace #mcr #office

Contact Us

0161 387 7252 0161 387 7252
3rd Floor, The Ironworks, 39 South King Street, Manchester, M2 6DE 3rd Floor, The Ironworks, 39 South King Street, Manchester, M2 6DE

    How can we help?




    Registered office address: Alex house, 260/8 Chapel Street, Salford, Manchester, M3 5JZ. Registered in the UK 8685255.

    © 2022 Blaze Marketing All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.
    Proud supporters of

    francishouse
    embassy
    MMU

    Follow us on LinkedIn