Growing up, Millie loved experimenting with makeup as a vehicle of expressing herself, which led her to pay close attention to her makeup artists’ work and skincare routines as she entered her acting career. Her experience with makeup and skincare products sparked curiosity about the beauty industry and inspired her to ideate her own clean beauty brand at a very young age. Beyond creating a skincare and beauty brand that would inspire consumers to express themselves uniquely and creatively, Millie also wanted to provide products that were efficacious, clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologist tested. Florence is beauty on its own terms—no rules, no struggle toward perfection, and no boring beauty standards. Just us, playing with how we want to look, feel, and live. Florence is here to help with products that are super easy and always fun.
Founder: Millie Bobby Brown
Founded: 2019
Leadership: Millie Bobby Brown
2023 Full Year Expected Revenue Range: $20 to $30MM
Categories: Skincare, Color Cosmetics, Haircare
Distribution Channels: Prestige, Amazon
Funding Rounds: Self-funded
What are some of your key business initiatives for 2023?
Florence by Mills will focus on further strengthening its position within skincare, makeup, and haircare with some very exciting innovation. We will also be expanding into a new category in Fall 2023.
What are you most proud of having accomplished?
In January 2022, Florence by Mills celebrated Millie’s 18th birthday by launching the Color in Wonderland collection. A collection that featured 28 new SKUs with the vast majority being in the lip and complexion category. Additionally, Florence by Mills expanded into a new product category. Prior to that, in the Fall of 2021, Florence expanded into haircare. Last but not least, Florence launched innovation that included the benefits of protection against blue light.
What has been the biggest surprise since the brand was founded?
Since the brand launched in 2019, Florence by Mills has had such a strong community, and what has surprised us the most is that it’s never faltered. To this day, the loyalty and engagement of the Florence customer is such a blessing.
What aspect of your brand DNA fuels your competitive advantage?
As a lifestyle brand made for Gen Z by Gen Z, Florence by Mills is the only brand with Millie Bobby Brown at the helm of it. As a member of Gen Z herself, Millie is a great representation of the brand's audience and making these creative decisions knowing what it is that our audience wants and needs.
Please share your insight on the future of the beauty industry.
We’ve seen the beauty industry evolve in so many ways over the last couple of years, but we expect to see the expansion of beauty and tech crossovers, especially within the Metaverse.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Build your network authentically, and be sure to stay in touch with everyone in your network, even if it’s just to say “hi.”
Paying it forward, what advice would you give to someone contemplating launching a beauty brand?
Make sure you keep cash flow top of mind, and you can really do a lot with a little, especially in the digital space.
If you could change one thing in the beauty industry, what would it be?
More dedication to making cruelty-free, vegan, clean, and sustainable products. As an industry, we have a lot of work to do to mitigate our impact on the planet.
