After Landing Investment On "Dragons' Den," Nini Organics Looks To Retail Partnerships

Nini Organics hopes the television spotlight will open many doors, retail doors to be specific.

In an appearance on “Dragons’ Den” earlier this month, the British version of the business pitch competition show “Shark Tank,” the skincare brand scored 50,000 pounds or about $65,000 at the current exchange rate from entrepreneurs and investors Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett in exchange for 20% equity. Now, it’s out to achieve big distribution goals.

Within three to five years, co-founder, CEO and formulator Alex Nicolaou says Nini Organics aspires to secure listings at retailers the likes of Harrods, Liberty and Selfridges with “bespoke concession counters” and also enter luxury beauty chain Space NK. His sister and fellow co-founder Nicole Stanton adds that “trying to crack America” is another goal.

Nicolaou says, “We haven’t scratched the surface on retailers yet, which is why we went on ‘Dragons’ Den.’” To help with Nini Organics’ retail agenda, he’s happy with the outcome of the show. Nicolaou says, “We always went in saying we’re happy to give up 20% of the company because we don’t feel like we’re giving it up, and they will take it to the next level. That 20% was a no-brainer for us.”

Launched in 2017, skincare brand Nini Organics reached 1.3 million pounds or nearly $1.7 million accumulated turnover from 2017 to 2022 and 480,000 pounds or around $610,000 turnover last year.

Launched in 2017, Nini Organics reached 1.3 million pounds or nearly $1.7 million accumulated turnover from 2017 to 2022 and 480,000 pounds or around $610,000 turnover last year. It’s drawn 11,000 customers.

Nini Organics offers concentrated skincare formulas made with natural and organic ingredients, including facial serums, oils, masks, cleansers and balms. Integrating a variety of active extracts, from burdock root and sea buckthorn to plum kernel and butterfly pea flower, the brand has products designed to protect, restore and brighten skin as well as target acne and blemishes. Prices range from 29 to 69 pounds or about $40 to almost $90.

“We’re not running before we can walk. We want to see what the journey holds with the new investors.”

Nini Organics is presently stocked at a host of boutique retailers and spas in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Czech Republic and the U.S., but it’s primarily operated as a direct-to-consumer business via its own website. Along with retail, the brand aims to deepen its role in the spa channel beyond its current listing at boutique London spa re:lax and use by number of U.K.-based independent therapists.

“I’m a therapist myself, and when I use Nini in my facials, people love it. We realize we have an opportunity with that,” says Nicolaou. On top of being a skin therapist, he has extensive retail and brand experience having held positions at Harrods, Space NK, The Organic Pharmacy, Tata Harper and Content Beauty & Wellbeing.

Last month, Nini Organics co-founders and siblings Alex Nicolaou and Nicole Stanton appeared on “Dragons’ Den,” the British version of the television program “Shark Tank.” On the show, they garnered roughly $65,000 in funding for giving up 20% equity.

Nini Organics has already spent the funding it received from the “Dragons’ Den” investors on merchandise stock and new product development. Next up the brand would like to bring on board two market experts. It’s looking to Jones, who has a long history helming and investing in telecommunications, media, leisure and retail companies, to assist it with the global retail market, and Bartlett, who has a background in social media, to drive social media exposure and widen brand impact.

While Nini Organics won’t ever be closed to possible investment, it’s moving forward one step at a time and focusing on this current injection for the time being. “We’re not running before we can walk,” says Nicolaou. “We want to see what the journey holds with the new investors.”

“We’re a brand that will hopefully have longevity and legacy, and I feel we’re on our way to creating that.”

A flagship Nini Organics store is a long-term objective as is a spa location. Previously, Stanton and Nicolaou had a store called House of Green Beauty in North London. Envisioning a future spa, Nicolaou says, “It won’t be a run-of-the-mill spa where the therapists come in and do the same thing. It would be very bespoke and tailored. It would be somewhere absolutely magical, in the countryside in the U.K. where forest bathing can take place or by the sea.”

Further growth as a natural and organic beauty brand, however, isn’t without challenges, acknowledges Nicolaou. “The biggest challenge we face is price. People are so used to affordable skin care,” he says. He elaborates that, although Nini Organics is priced “competitively” given how concentrated its formulas are, communicating the benefits versus cost to consumers is a hurdle.

Nini Organics offers concentrated skincare formulas made with natural and organic ingredients, including facial serums, oils, masks, cleansers and balms. Its prices range roughly from $40 to $90.

“There’s also the challenge of making people actually believe in green beauty that it’s going to work,” continues Nicolaou, noting that advances in biotechnology, formulation innovation and ingredient clinical trials are changing attitudes about efficacy.

During Nini Organics’ appearance on “Dragons’ Den,” the dragons or investors delved into the challenges that lie ahead for Nini Organics, emphasizing how competitive today’s beauty market is and how key it is for the co-founders to refine their brand story and packaging to truly stand out. Nicolaou is confident Nini Organics can deal with those challenges. He says, “We’re a brand that will hopefully have longevity and legacy, and I feel we’re on our way to creating that.”