TheIndustry.beauty Awards Winners’ Interview: Clara Managing Director Simon Smith on disrupting hair tools and care through innovation and value

TheIndustry.beauty Innovators Awards 2026 celebrated the people, products and businesses driving the beauty industry forward - recognising not only groundbreaking innovations, but also the diverse range of expertise, disciplines and leadership required to achieve true market distinction.

Presented by UK- and USA-based private-label cosmetics manufacturer Orean, TheIndustry.beauty named Saudi-born hair-styling brand Clara the winner of the Best New Brand award. Clara develops professional-grade styling tools and vegan haircare products designed for different hair types and textures. The brand’s products are available through the Clara website and UK retail partners, including Boots, Amazon, Superdrug, Debenhams and TikTok Shop.

In this interview, Managing Director Simon Smith discusses the inspiration behind the brand, what sets Clara apart in an increasingly competitive beauty landscape, how innovation shapes its growth strategy, and what consumers can look forward to as Clara enters its next stage of growth.

Clara Managing Director Simon Smith with Orean Account Manager Deb Farrell.

What inspired the launch of Clara and what gap in the beauty market did you set out to address?

Clara was inspired by a simple idea: to make high-quality, effective hair care accessible to everyone. We saw a gap in the beauty market where consumers were often forced to choose between premium hair care products and premium styling tools, with very few brands offering a complete solution.

Clara is unique because it brings together both advanced electrical styling tools and high-performance haircare under one brand, providing comprehensive support from root to tip. Our goal has always been to deliver salon-quality results at exceptional value for money, ensuring customers don’t have to compromise on quality, performance or price.

By combining innovation, accessibility and affordability, we’ve created a brand that helps people achieve healthier, more beautiful hair through a complete hair care ecosystem rather than individual products.

What are the core values that define Clara and how are these brought to life across the business?

At Clara, our core values are centred on innovation, accessibility, quality and trust.

We believe everyone deserves access to premium beauty solutions without paying premium prices. That philosophy influences every decision we make - from developing innovative electrical styling tools and high-performance haircare products to ensuring they deliver exceptional value for money.

Quality is non-negotiable. Every product is designed to perform to professional standards while remaining easy to use and accessible to a broad consumer audience.

We also believe in building long-term trust with our customers. We do this through honest product claims, continuous product improvement, and listening carefully to customer feedback so we can keep evolving to meet their needs.

These values are brought to life across every part of the business- from product development and sourcing to customer service, marketing and our partnerships with retailers. Our ambition is to create a seamless hair care ecosystem that supports consumers from root to tip, making great hair care simple, effective and affordable.

What sets Clara apart in an increasingly competitive beauty landscape and what do you believe has resonated most with consumers and industry judges?

What sets Clara apart is our ability to offer a truly complete haircare solution. Unlike most brands that specialise in either haircare products or electrical styling tools, Clara uniquely combines both, creating a seamless ecosystem that supports healthier, more beautiful hair from root to tip.

We’ve also built the brand around delivering exceptional quality at an accessible price point. Consumers shouldn’t have to choose between performance and affordability, and that’s a principle that runs through everything we do.

We believe this combination of innovation, value, and simplicity has resonated strongly with consumers. They appreciate products that work together, deliver visible results, and make their daily routines easier without compromising on quality.

For industry judges, I believe our differentiated proposition, commitment to innovation, and ability to bridge the gap between premium performance and everyday accessibility have made Clara stand out. We’ve created more than a collection of products - we’ve built a brand with a clear purpose, a cohesive vision, and a genuine commitment to helping people achieve healthier hair.

What did winning Best New Brand mean for Clara and how does this recognition reflect the brand’s journey and vision?

Winning Best New Brand was a proud milestone for everyone at Clara. It was more than an award - it was independent recognition that our vision and approach are making a real impact in a highly competitive beauty industry.

From day one, our ambition has been to build a brand that does things differently by offering consumers a complete haircare solution. Clara uniquely combines innovative electrical styling tools with high-performance hair care products, delivering root-to-tip support at exceptional value for money.

This recognition reflects the journey we’ve been on: challenging convention, investing in innovation, and remaining committed to making premium-quality beauty accessible to more people. It also validates the trust our customers and retail partners have placed in us.

While we’re incredibly proud of this achievement, we see it as the beginning rather than the destination. It inspires us to continue innovating, expanding internationally, and setting new standards for what consumers can expect from a modern beauty brand.

How does innovation shape Clara’s growth strategy and how do you identify and respond to emerging consumer needs?

Innovation is at the heart of Clara’s growth strategy. We don’t innovate for the sake of it - we innovate to solve real consumer needs and make everyday beauty routines simpler, more effective and more accessible.

Our unique position across both electrical styling tools and haircare gives us a deeper understanding of the complete consumer journey. This allows us to develop products that work together as an integrated ecosystem, delivering healthier hair from root to tip rather than standalone solutions.

We identify emerging customer needs by staying close to our consumers. We continuously analyse customer feedback, retail insights, social media trends and market data, while working closely with our retail partners and product development teams. This enables us to spot changing behaviours early and respond quickly with relevant, innovative products.

Our approach is always consumer-first. Every new product is designed to deliver meaningful benefits, exceptional performance and outstanding value for money. That combination of insight, agility and innovation is what continues to drive Clara’s growth and strengthen our position in an increasingly competitive beauty market.

What opportunities and challenges do you see shaping the future of beauty and how is Clara positioned to adapt and lead?

The beauty industry is evolving faster than ever, driven by changing consumer expectations, digital innovation, and the growing demand for products that deliver real results and genuine value.

One of the biggest opportunities is the shift towards complete beauty solutions rather than individual products. Consumers increasingly want brands they can trust to support their entire routine, combining innovation, convenience and performance. This is exactly where Clara is positioned. By offering both advanced electrical styling tools and high-performance haircare, we provide a unique root-to-tip ecosystem that few brands can match.

At the same time, the industry faces challenges, including increased competition, rising customer expectations, and the need to innovate at speed while maintaining quality and affordability. Brands must also remain agile as consumer trends evolve more quickly than ever through social media and digital commerce.

Clara is well positioned to lead because innovation is embedded in our culture. We stay close to our consumers, use data and customer insights to guide product development, and continually invest in solutions that make beauty routines easier and more effective. Combined with our commitment to exceptional value for money and our expanding international presence, we believe Clara is well placed not only to adapt to the future of beauty but to help shape it.

Since launching Clara, what has the response from consumers been like and what feedback has been particularly meaningful?

The response from consumers since launching Clara has been incredibly encouraging. What has been particularly rewarding is seeing how quickly customers have embraced our vision of offering a complete hair care solution, combining innovative electrical styling tools with high-performance hair care products under one trusted brand.

The feedback that means the most to us is hearing that our products genuinely make a difference to people’s daily routines. Consumers consistently tell us they appreciate the quality, ease of use and professional-level performance, while also recognising the exceptional value for money that Clara offers.

We’ve also received positive feedback on the simplicity of the range and how the products work together to support healthier hair from root to tip. That validates the philosophy we started with - that consumers don’t just want individual products, they want a complete solution they can trust.

For us, the most meaningful measure of success isn’t just strong sales or industry recognition; it’s seeing customers return to the brand, recommend Clara to friends and family, and become genuine advocates. That loyalty tells us we’re delivering on our promise and building a brand with lasting relevance.

What can consumers look forward to next as Clara enters its next stage of growth?

Opening our first retail space at Westfield White City is a significant milestone for Clara and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the brand.

Consumers can look forward to seeing Clara become much more accessible through an expanded retail and digital presence. We plan to grow our network of kiosks across key UK shopping destinations, giving customers more opportunities to experience our products first-hand and receive expert advice.

Alongside this, we’ll continue to expand our partnerships with leading online platforms and retailers across the UK, making it even easier for consumers to shop the full Clara range wherever they choose.

Internationally, we’re accelerating our growth across Europe and the United States, working with strategic retail partners, distributors and marketplaces to introduce Clara to new audiences. As we expand, we’ll continue to invest in innovation, launching new electrical styling tools and hair care products that strengthen our unique root-to-tip proposition.

Our vision is to build Clara into a globally recognised beauty brand - one that is known for combining innovation, quality and exceptional value. While our footprint will continue to grow, our commitment remains the same: delivering complete hair care solutions that help consumers achieve healthier, more beautiful hair every day.

As the Best New Brand award was presented by Orean, we asked CEO Dan Williams about the private-label cosmetics manufacturer’s role in supporting the beauty industry.

What sets Orean apart as a strategic partner for beauty brands in today's market?

I think there's a fundamental difference between being a supplier and being a partner.

Anyone can manufacture a product to a specification. What brands increasingly need is someone who can help them navigate an incredibly complex landscape, from formulation and packaging to regulation, sustainability, supply chain resilience, and commercial scalability.

That's where Orean has built its reputation.

We work with brands of all sizes, but our approach is always the same: we become an extension of their business. Our teams genuinely care about our customers' success because, ultimately, their success drives ours. That means challenging ideas when we think there's a better way, solving problems before they become issues, and constantly looking for opportunities to improve quality, efficiency and speed to market.

We're also fortunate, although it’s very hard work, to have manufacturing operations in both the UK and the US, giving our customers greater flexibility and resilience in an increasingly uncertain global environment. Over the last few years, we've all seen how quickly supply chains can change, from conflicts through to tariffs, and having trusted manufacturing capability across multiple regions has become a real competitive advantage.

For me, the biggest differentiator isn't machinery or facilities; it's people. The experience, passion and expertise within Orean are what allow us to build long-term partnerships rather than simply manufacture products.

How do you define innovation in the beauty industry and how is it reflected in the services you offer?

Innovation is one of the most overused words in our industry.

People often associate innovation with a new ingredient or a trending active, but I think that's only part of the story.

Real innovation is about creating meaningful value. Sometimes that's a breakthrough formulation. Sometimes it's designing packaging that has a lower environmental impact. Sometimes it's reducing lead times, improving manufacturing efficiency or helping a brand launch six months earlier than they thought possible.

At Orean, we try to look at innovation as an overarching concept. Our talented chemists are constantly exploring new technologies and ingredients, but we're equally focused on innovating within our manufacturing processes, quality systems, packaging solutions and customer experience. It can be forged and created from exciting supply chain collaborations too.

Innovation should never exist simply because it's new. It must solve a genuine problem for brands or create a better experience for consumers.

Ultimately, the best innovation is the kind that consumers don't even notice; they simply experience a product that performs better, is more sustainable and delivers exactly what they expected.

What key trends do you believe will shape the future of the beauty industry and how is Orean positioned to help navigate these changes and meet evolving consumer expectations?

The beauty industry has never stood still, but I think the pace of change over the next five years will be greater than we've seen in the previous twenty.

Consumers are becoming significantly more informed. They're asking tougher questions about ingredients, efficacy, sustainability and where products are made. At the same time, regulation is becoming more demanding, placing greater responsibility on brands and manufacturers to demonstrate transparency and compliance throughout the supply chain.

I also believe we're moving beyond the era where brands simply wanted a manufacturer. Increasingly, they're looking for strategic partners who can bring technical expertise, commercial insight and genuine problem-solving capability.

Sustainability will continue to evolve too. The conversation is shifting away from marketing claims towards measurable outcomes, regulatory compliance and circularity. Legislation such as PPWR will fundamentally change how packaging is designed and sourced, and manufacturers have an important role to play in helping brands prepare for that future.

The final trend is speed. Social media has dramatically shortened product lifecycles, and brands need partners who can respond quickly without compromising quality or compliance.

Orean is well positioned because we've invested in the capabilities that matter for the long term: scientific expertise, regulatory excellence, quality systems, sustainable packaging knowledge, and flexible manufacturing across both Europe and North America.

For me, the future belongs to manufacturers who are prepared to challenge convention, embrace change and collaborate openly with their customers. The most successful partnerships won't be built on price alone; they'll be built on trust, expertise and a shared ambition to create exceptional products that consumers genuinely love. This is what we strive to achieve at Orean.

I've always believed that if you look after your people, your customers, and the quality of what you produce, growth follows naturally. That's the culture we've worked hard to build at Orean, and it's the reason so many of our customer relationships have lasted for years.

TheIndustry.beauty Innovators Awards will be back for 2027.

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