TheIndustry.beauty LIVE! Founder Joanna Jensen on Childs Farm's journey to success

During TheIndustry.beauty LIVE! 'The trends to know that will future proof your beauty business for 2024 and beyond', a crowd of beauty industry professionals learnt about the trends brands and retailers should focus on to meet the demands of today's consumer and drive their business in the future. 

For the second session of the day, Joanna Jensen, Founder of Childs Farm discusses the inspiration behind the brand, its natural and sustainable approach, and key drivers behind its growth.

Founded as a solution to her own daughters’ sensitive and eczema prone skin, Jensen launched Childs Farm in 2012 with natural skincare products for babies and children.

From the very beginning, Jensen placed high importance on using gentle, natural ingredients and sustainable methods for her products - something the brand still champions today.

"Our products are suitable for babies and children with sensitive and eczema prone skin. Rather than going down a medical route like some other treatments, we decided to use a natural approach and this has really helped people. We set out to offer the best formulations for children's skin, whilst also pushing the boundaries as far as we could in terms of sustainability," she says.

"I also wanted to create products that were fun, inviting and not just centred around the messaging of 'you've got poorly skin - here's a boring beige product to help'."

Sourcing ingredients from around the world, Jensen says she was also selective of its suppliers. "Choosing the right ingredients is imperative but we also set out to find meaningful suppliers that we could make a difference to as well - this has always been so important to the business," she adds.

Feeding into the idea of sustainable and ethical practices, Childs Farm achieved B Corp certification in June 2022. Administered by nonprofit B Lab, B Corp is a certification that covers over 300 questions on governance, workers, communities and impact on the environment.

In its assessment, Childs Farm achieved an overall score of 80.7. To qualify as a B Corp, businesses must score 80 or over. "B Corp is hugely important to us - it represents the values of the business. For me, it's all about being a good citizen of the planet. Plus, we're a brand that cares about people because we care about their skin," Jensen says.

Today, the brand’s growing range is available online and in-store at a number of major retailers including Boots, Waitrose, and Amazon - all of which helped the success of Childs Farm in its early days.

Organic content, which consists of any unpaid marketing that potential and existing customers can find naturally, was another element that Jensen says was pivotal to the brand's initial growth. "Viral success stories have worked wonders for Childs Farm because authentic, real life experiences often resonate more with consumers as they can see the genuine impact of our products."

Still finding success from both its retail presence - both in the UK and internationally - and organic content, amongst a number of other strategies, the business has continued to grow since it first launched around 11 years ago.

In March 2022, Childs Farm was acquired by PZ Cussons to help take the brand to the "next level". The company, which also owns St Tropez and Sanctuary Spa, holds a 91.5% stakes in Childs Farm. Jensen retains the remaining 8.5%, maintaining her connection with the brand. "This has worked out so well. I now see the business from a much more birds-eye view."

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