Glow Journal

Sometimes a guest will say something on the show that resonates with me in a way I just couldn’t have predicted. Something Gine said in this conversation is one of the best examples I can give you of that across the last 8 years and I want to share it with you.

There is, of course, so much good, juicy business stuff in here. Gine launched Bob Beauté from Norway in February 2025, the brand has reached 82 countries, and it already has a physical retail presence in London’s Harvey Nichols and, as of just yesterday, Liberty London- two of the world’s biggest retailers.

Gine already had over a million followers on her person platforms ahead of Bob’s launch which, on paper, sounds incredible- a build it audience. An audience on launch, however, can only really help to secure you your first round of sales at the absolute most. When we really get into the weeds of it, Gine explains that a million eyes on her meant additional pressure. What if all went south? There’s no way to quietly launch and figure it out as you go with a million people watching.

It’s a story Gine told around that initial launch that knocked me for six. She obviously tells it in greater detail in the episode, but on the day of Bob Beauté’s launch photoshoot, Gine didn’t feel like things were perfect. While she was stressing, her husband turned to her and said “You’re living.” Two words, but in the 5 or so weeks since we recorded this conversation, I have come back to them more times than I can count. Things don’t need to be perfect. Humans aren’t infallible- imperfections are nothing more than a sign that you are, in fact, living.

In this conversation, Gine tells me why finding the right retailer is like finding a babysitter, what happens when the brand you launch eventually becomes bigger than you, and how she balances launching new products with her “not more, better” philosophy.

Read more at glowjournal.com
Follow Bob Beauté on Instagram @bobbeaute

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com
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In episode 164 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to founder and CEO of Saie, Laney Crowell.

I first had Laney on the show back in early 2021 so to hear the full story behind what I really sincerely believe is one of beauty industry’s coolest brands you’ll find that conversation in Season 3, so what I wanted to cover in this conversation was just how much has changed within the Saie universe over the last 5 years- specifically, what Laney thought scaling the business might have looked like compared to how it’s actually played out.

When we last spoke, Saie had just launched into Sephora USA. Today, something like 8 or 9 Saie products are ranked within Sephora’s top 10 best sellers in their respective categories, and just last week launched into Sephora UK. By 2024, a mere 5 years post-launch, the brand had reached over $100 million USD in sales, but what fascinates me about Saie is that despite such immense growth, Laney and her team are still working with the creativity of a startup. It’s easy to start following a familiar playbook when your brand ticks over to a business of this size, and it’s something Saie are refusing to do.

Perhaps the best example of this creativity is the brand’s historic partnership with the New York Knicks. I’ll let Laney give you the details but the essence of it- upon realising that 40% of NBA attendees were women, Laney questioned why none of the game day advertising was speaking directly to that audience. Today, and throughout the Knicks’ record-breaking 2026 season, Saie is the first and only beauty brand to ever be an official Knicks sponsor.

In this conversation, recorded in studio in Soho last month, Laney shares how much harder it is to take creative risks now that there’s more people involved, which area of a new business she believes startup founders should invest the most in, and why 5 years on from our last episode she’s feeling like the truest version of herself.

Read more at glowjournal.com
Follow Saie Beauty on Instagram @saiebeauty

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com
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My first solo episode for the year!

Recorded this in Melbourne, publishing it from London, then taking a few weeks of leave- I will be back in your ears on October 14.

In this solo episode I'm talking about what makes me say "no" to a job, what actually impresses me in the beauty industry in 2026, my top 3 best ever career decisions, and the advice I'd give to anyone wanting to become a beauty creator in 2026.

Stay up to date on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com
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In episode 163 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of FUCA Skincare, Jess Armstrong.

In April 2023 at 35 years old, Jess Armstrong was diagnosed stage 2 breast cancer. Within 10 days of that diagnosis, Jess had started what would become 18 months of active cancer treatment including 6 months of weekly chemo.

Jess describes being in the thick of cancer treatment as “the lowest part of your life confidence wise,” so discovering that the extreme skin sensitivities that came with her treatment meant she could no longer use the beauty products that had become so ingrained in her self-care routine meant yet another hit.

Jess very quickly discovered that the skincare offering for those in her position was, more or less, Sorbolene. Having worked in beauty her entire adult life, she suddenly felt totally disconnected from, and uninspired by, an industry she’d loved so much- so she decided to work on filling the gap herself, whilst in active cancer treatment.

Jess launched FUCA, short for F U Cancer, in late 2024- a beauty brand challenging the both notions that skincare suitable for those undergoing cancer treatment and skincare that feels fun and beautiful are mutually exclusive, AND the idea of airbrushed “perfection” that perpetuates so much of beauty marketing today.

In this conversation, Jess shares what she ACTUALLY finds aspirational in 2026, how hand delivering her resume and waiting in the L’Oréal Groupe reception for 3 hours served as her ticket into the beauty industry, and how she managed to land FUCA a spot on the shelves at Mecca before launching a single product.

Read more at glowjournal.com
Follow FUCA on Instagram @fuca.organic

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com
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In episode 162 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to founder and CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances, Nicole Eckels.

One of my favourite types of brand founders to speak with are those who quite literally pioneered an entire category. Despite having known Nicole Eckels for several years now and having had her on the show back in 2020, it still fascinates me that prior to Glasshouse Fragrances’ launch in 2005, the home fragrance category didn’t really exist here in Australia.

I encourage you to go back to Season 2 to listen to the Glasshouse origin story, but in the 6 years since that recording, an almost incomprehensible amount has taken place within the Glasshouse Fragrances universe- perhaps the most interesting being the fact that Nicole launched the brand into her native United States, with it becoming the number two fragrance brand at Bloomingdale’s within 3 years.

What I wanted to chat to Nicole about is how different this launch felt. In Australia, in 2005, Glasshouse was a category pioneer. Launching into the US some 15 years later meant the category not only existed, but was heavily saturated, so the key wasn’t just creating beautiful products- it was creating a brand universe. If you’re launching into a busy market, you need to be connecting with your consumers on an emotional level or risk becoming an object that falls by the wayside.

In this conversation, recorded on Nicole’s most recent trip back to Australia, Nicole shares the keys to building a brand universe beyond a product offering, the unexpected ways a global pandemic permanently transformed her company, and how she won the US market nearly 20 years into business.

Read more at glowjournal.com
Follow Glasshouse Fragrances on Instagram @glasshousefragrances

Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.