Groundbreaking beauty brand a world first

A Wolverhampton entrepreneur has developed the world’s first range of male ‘cosmeceuticals’ with the support of Advantage West Midlands. Rachel Westwood, aged 27, set up Skin Scientists early last year to launch the Manceuticals brand which effectively mimics the actions of botox injections. The brand aims to address the growing demand for male cosmeceuticals – skincare products that bridge the gap between plastic surgery and cosmetics in a market worth an estimated £1 billion. Based at Wolverhampton Science Park, Rachel received support from several Advantage West Midlands-funded

schemes – including Innovation Networks and Mustard – to bring the product to market. The first product in the range, the Manceuticals wrinkle relaxant gel, is already on sale in Harley Street and in outlets across the world.

The product comes in pump gel and is the only one of its kind in the world, with the active ingredient able to reduce the depth of wrinkles by up to 27 per cent within 30 days. Rachel has now been short listed for the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award at the Lord Stafford Awards which take place at the NEC on November 15. The Lord Stafford Awards aim to showcase the best in West Midlands Innovation and collaboration between business and universities. This year, to mark their 10th anniversary, the Awards are being held alongside the first ever Festival of Innovation. Rachel said: “I had been working for a skin care company in Australia about two years ago when I realised there was a gap in the market for cosmeceuticals.

“We’re certainly the only company in Britain to develop this kind of product and, as far as we know, the only one of its kind in the world. “The market for male skin protection creams is narrow but growing and it has been a lot of hard work to get to the stage where Manceuticals is on sale at outlets around the world. “Things are really starting to take-off now and the short listing for the Lord Stafford award is another sign of how far the company has come in a short space of time.” Dr Phil Extance, Advantage West Midlands Director of Innovation, said: “Rachel is a tremendous example of entrepreneurial spirit – from simply spotting a gap in the market, she has built a successful brand. “Importantly, she has collaborated with the University of Wolverhampton and various support schemes to make her dream a reality which is really what the Lord Stafford Awards seeks to celebrate.”