At the start of 2007, Angela Langford was working full time in a busy, high pressure corporate job in Gibraltar, working long hours and wanting more.

Worlds away from her current position, she was a Customer Relations professional in the world of online gambling.

Fast forward to 2022, with a Masterchef finalist title and beauty brand under her belt, she is the archetypal entrepreneur: the brave risk taker prepared to step in to a world of which she knew little in order to achieve her goals.

In 2014, she took part in BBC’s Masterchef, on which she was just pipped to the post for a spot in the final: “Being on the show was a surreal experience for me, as an avid fan of Masterchef, the studio, cameras, and John and Gregg were overwhelming.”

During her time on the show, she cooked for Charles Campion (who loved her crab dish) and Marcus Wareing (who called her dish a dogs dinner) and cooked with some of her food heroes - Bruno Loubet, John Campbell and Tom Kerridge.

It was after the show that she took the plunge and concocted a different type of recipe. Que Angela Langford Skincare, online boutique beauty brand, producers of award-winning all natural, organic serums, moisturisers, cleansers and masks.

Here she tells us her story of how she came to be the founder of her eponymous brand and shares the basic recipe to great skin.

From Customer Relations to Beauty Brand Founder; A Transition

Fifteen years ago, I was in Gibraltar working in a corporate, stressful and pressured job. When I was made redundant, I knew I didn’t want to stay in that industry anymore. I wanted to start my own business and I really thought it would be something to do with food which was and still is another of my passions.

I was travelling less which meant I couldn’t easily buy my favourite skincare from the UK anymore and so I started making my own products – for my personal use with no intention of making it a business.  

But I really loved the whole process of making the products. I did a lot of research – at the time natural skincare wasn’t very popular and there weren’t many companies in this space – so I decided to turn my new found passion into a business.

I went on to study cosmetic formulation in depth and this opened up a completely new world to me.

On starting a beauty brand

One thing I’ve learnt about myself is how much perseverance and resilience I have.

As an unknown brand and with tiny budgets, it’s been hard to get noticed in such a competitive market. I knocked on a lot of doors and had a lot of rejections. But rather than give up I adapted my business model and we are now a boutique online brand offering a personalised service. 

Secondly, and more importantly, I’ve learnt that my motivation comes from helping other people. Success is knowing that I have helped someone learn to love their skin again and to feel confident about how their skin looks and feels.   

On making her skincare and why cruelty-free is vital

The process of formulating my products starts by identifying a need.

That need often comes from customer research and feedback. From there it’s about researching ingredients - I research every single ingredient and only the best make it into the final product.

I then progress to devising a formula that contains the best combination of ingredients in the optimum quantities. The development continues and tweaks are made until I am totally happy and confident with the product.

Making sure that the ingredients are cruelty-free is just one part of the ingredient selection process but it is a very important one for me.

With the exception of organic beeswax which I use in my balms, my range is also vegan. There are so many wonderful and exciting ingredients found in the plant world that addresses so many skin concerns and skin conditions – and deliver amazing results too.

I also use the highest quality natural and organic essential oils in my products, which make them smell amazing.

On skincare faux pas & their remedies

The most common overlooked step in skincare is probably cleansing.

A lot of people are happy to spend money on expensive creams, serums, oils and balms to treat skin concerns, but spend minimal effort, time and money on cleansing their skin.

For me this is the most important step.

There is little point of using a wonderful serum when you apply to skin that hasn’t been prepped. It’s a bit like cooking a lovely meal and serving it on yesterdays dirty plates. It’s never going to be as good. 

A little Advice for budding beauty entrepreneurs

It’s a very busy sector which is becoming increasingly more competitive. If you’re going to do it, do it with integrity and do it because you love it and because you care.

On her eponymous label’s future prospects

It’s really simple – I want to help more people feel great about the way their skin looks and feels.

For more about Angela and her label, visit angelalangford.com