Nubyén Enters Sephora UK After Ramping Up Its US Retail Presence

In early 2021, 5-year-old British beauty and activewear brand Nubyén went through a 100,000 pound—nearly $140,000 at the time—rebrand ahead of its launch in the United States. The investment paid off. Nubyén scored retail partnerships with Revolve, Net-a-Porter, Walmart Prestige and Anthropologie. 

Back in the United Kingdom, Nubyén began conversations with Feelunique to launch in its home country, not knowing that the e-tailer was about to be acquired by founder Lola Rachel’s dream retailer, Sephora. “They kept it quiet, they merged, and we launched,” she says. “Everything happened really fast, it was like a two- to three-week window.”

Now, Sephora UK carries 17 Nubyén offerings across skincare, body care, color and beauty tools priced from 21 to 185 pounds or about $26 to $226 at the current exchange rate. The wide mix of entry-level to premium prices allows for discovery by a large swath of Sephora customers. “What we’re finding at Sephora is that our consumer loves any kind of treatment,” says Rachel. “Our Prosperity lash and brow enhancement is doing really well.”

Nubyén’s bestseller is its Lip Filá range of lip plumping glosses, balms and lipsticks. At Net-a-Porter, the brand’s $200-plus electric tools and its skincare, priced at around $67 and above, are strong performers. For example, its Muse Skin Beautifying Renewal Light Emitting Diode Device priced at about $227 is a hit at the upscale e-tailer. 

Nubyén has built out its bestselling Lip Filá range based on sales and customer feedback. “We found that consumers didn’t find the original Lip Filá Balm strong enough, they wanted even more pluming,” says Rachel. “Lip Filá Plus is a more intense version of the balm. We’ve got a lip plumping scrub. We’ve also got our tinted lip plumping balms that came out of R&D with Net-a-Porter. We work really closely with them.” 

Sephora UK physical stores aren’t slated to open until next year, with the first bowing in London. Nubyén co-founder Hannah Sayedi attended the Sephora UK launch event in the trendy London neighborhood of Marylebone, perhaps a clue that the initial store will debut there. The neighborhood already boasts a Space NK and storied pharmacy John Bell & Croyden. It was home to beloved clean beauty retailer Content Beauty & Wellness, which closed after the pandemic got underway.  

Rachel reports Nubyén has experienced 300% year-over-year growth from 2021 to 2022—and she’s intent on continuing its hot streak. With Sephora UK checked off, she has her sights set on Sephora in the U.S. “Our main consumer is there,” says Rachel, adding, “We work really hard. For me, there’s no going back.”