TanOrganic entrepreneur to top Dragon’s Den International Success League
The most successful ever Irish Dragons’ Den investment is now set to be the biggest worldwide Dragons’ success story, with the launch this week of the latest unique new Irish beauty brand, OilArganic.
In March 2010, Kildare beauty therapist Noelle O’Connor launched TanOrganic, her own 100% natural tanning lotion, on RTE’s Dragon’s Den programme, securing the backing of media mogul Gavin Duffy. Three months later, TanOrganic had notched up €1m in sales, and, in its first year, the innovative natural tanning product secured distribution in Kuwait, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and across Europe, including the prestigious Urban Retreat Spa at Harrods in London.
With the launch this week of OilArganic, O’Connor’s unique multi-purpose dry oil spray, the Kildare beauty entrepreneur is poised to break the company’s €5m turnover target within the next 12 months. O’Connor’s lucrative beauty business, Beauty Results Limited, now has production and distribution premises in both Kildare and in Cork and employs ten people.
This latest Irish business development, and the worldwide market, will see Beauty Results Limited become the world's most successful investment in a Dragons’ Den enterprise, toppling Levi Roots’ spicy Reggae Reggae Sauce, which was backed by U.K dragons Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, and went on to be stocked by Sainsbury’s and also by a number of Irish supermarkets.
€200,000 Research Investment
OilArganic is a cleverly formulated dry oil spray with an all-over hydrating and moisturising effect, drying instantly, and leaving skin silky smooth.
A unique cocktail of eight plant oils, with a rose fragrance, OilArganic is a multi-purpose formula, acting on skin, hair and nails, as well as improving stretch marks and scars.
Noelle O’Connor invested €100,000 researching and developing her exclusive TanOrganic formula in the U.S in 2009, with a similar investment this year in the development of the latest OilArganic product, a nourishing blend of plant oils, principally Argan oil. Boasting unique skin protection, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, sun-protection and moisturising properties, the multi-purpose beauty product will retail at €24.99 for a 100ml spray bottle.
All natural beauty products, TanOrganic’s main ingredient is pure organic aloe vera juice, and it also contains vitamins A, C and E, and hyaluronic acid, the skin’s own natural moisturising agent. The innovative organic tanning lotion has sold more than 100,000 units in Ireland alone, in salons and pharmacists countrywide, and TanOrganic also sells online at €34.99 for a 240ml bottle, www.tanorganic.com. Building on the product’s popularity, a new 100ml TanOrganic lotion, suitable for carrying in handbags, was launched this year also and is available at €19.99.
TanOrganic achieved the highest unit sales of any beauty product across the entire Aer Lingus inflight shopping service so far this year, which has resulted in talks this month for both TanOrganic and OilArganic to be listed with 160 airlines and 54 duty free shops worldwide.
Winner of ‘Best Self-Tan’ in the 2011 Help My Style Awards, TanOrganic was also voted Best Tan and Best Value Tan in a summer 2011 poll in The Irish Times. Rated against Dove, Saint Tropez, Garnier, and Ambre Solaire, TanOrganic was the only tan in the poll awarded 5 stars, with a panel verdict of ‘home-grown and excellent'. Readers of mummypages.ie also voted TanOrganic ‘best tan’ in a recent poll.
Ethical Accreditation
TanOrganic is accredited by the Vegan Society, The Ethical Company Organisation, on account of its 100% natural ingredients and the fact that it is free from parabens, artificial colours and preservatives, harsh chemicals and no animal based products. The product is also in the process of being certified by Ecocert, Organic Trust, The Soil Association and others, all of which are some of the largest certifying organisations in the world. TanOrganic is manufactured in a facility certified by USDA Organic and is part of the National Organic Programme.
Both OilArganic and TanOrganic use natural packaging, as well as natural ingredients. The glass packaging is 100% recyclable and biodegradable, and is deliberately chosen over plastic packaging, which can cause a chemical reaction with a product. Information on the bottles is screen printed, instead of using unnecessary paper labels.
Noelle O’Connor is a trained beauty therapist, who established her company Beauty Results Limited in 2010. As well as creating TanOrganic and OilArganic, Noelle also runs a distribution business for beauty brands, and has an online beauty consultancy for industry professionals. A valued member of North Kildare Chamber, business ambitions include developing a complete range of high quality, highly effective natural beauty products, and extending her market worldwide. A mum of two young boys, Noelle lives in The Curragh in County Kildare.