When theatres closed during lockdown, drama student Daisy Kelly found herself at a crossroads. With her performing arts training on pause and her usual confidence-boosting lash extensions no longer available, she spotted a gap in the market that she felt compelled to fill.
“I’d had eyelash extensions for years and they really boosted my confidence,” Daisy explains. “Without them, I felt so bare. I started looking for an affordable serum that was prostaglandin analogue-free, vegan and cruelty-free. When I couldn’t find one, I thought, why not try making it myself?”
That decision marked the beginning of Glow For It, which Daisy has since grown into a brand with more than 160,000 TikTok followers, over 280,000 units sold through TikTok Shop and the number one best-selling lash serum on the platform in the UK.”
Daisy Kelly, founder & CEO of Glow For It
Humble beginnings
Like many entrepreneurs, Daisy started with little more than determination, resourcefulness and a willingness to take risks. “I invested the remainder of my student loan… for the first purchase order I actually had to borrow the money from my mum. Luckily, I paid her back pretty quickly.”
The brand launched with a single hero product: a lash growth serum designed to deliver premium, clinically backed results while remaining accessible. Unlike many serums on the market, it was formulated to be prostaglandin analogue-free, vegan and cruelty-free, and priced at £30 to stay within reach of a wider audience.
From the outset, Daisy wanted to prove that effective, ethical beauty didn’t have to come with an exclusive price tag. That commitment has shaped every product the brand has released since.
Learning by doing
In the early days, Daisy ran the business single-handedly.
“I’d teach during the day, come home, pack orders and then work on marketing, customer service and finances from 11pm to 3am,” she recalls. “At the time I wished it away, but actually, it gave me such a strong understanding of how all the different aspects within the business work.”
That knowledge has proven invaluable as the business has grown and Daisy has built her team. “It’s really important as a founder that you've got a strong grasp. Even if you sit more naturally in a creative headspace, you need to understand operations and logistics. It gives you respect for every part of the business.”
Not every decision went smoothly. One early challenge was branding.
“Our original name didn’t reflect what I wanted the business to stand for long-term. If I had sat down and asked myself, ‘In three years’ time, is this what I want the brand to represent?’, I would have made that change earlier. Don’t run before you can walk. Get those foundations firmed.”
Another was managing customer requests. “We’re very much led by customer requests, but if you haven’t done the full dive into how many people are really asking for it, you can end up spending a lot of time and resource developing something the market isn’t truly there for.”
Growth through authenticity
Without a marketing budget, Daisy turned to TikTok. Rather than polished campaigns, she kept her content simple and personal.
“I just showed up as myself,” she says. “Literally saying, ‘Hi, I’m Daisy, founder of Glow For It,’ and talking about why I started it. People resonated with that honesty.”
The response exceeded her expectations. Glow For It has now sold more than 280,000 units on TikTok Shop, built a community of over 160,000 followers, and become the platform’s best-selling lash serum.
For Daisy, that success comes back to consistency and detail.
“How you do anything is how you do everything. I like to sweat the one per cent. As long as that detail is there, the rest follows.”
Building an ethical, inclusive brand
Glow For It has since expanded its product range to include brow and hair serums, lip oils and more. All products are vegan, cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny approved. Daisy also made the decision to move manufacturing from Asia to the UK. “Our mission has always been to empower everyone, all ages, genders and ethnicities, to feel confident in their own skin,” she says. “Keeping production ethical and sustainable, while still accessible, is a big part of that.”
Scaling up with GS1 UK
As demand grew, Daisy recognised she needed the right systems in place to supply retailers and marketplaces. That was when she joined GS1 UK.
“Joining GS1 UK was one of those big steps that made the business feel real,” she reflects. “Barcodes gave us the foundation we needed to get products into retail and onto marketplaces. It is something customers do not always see, but it makes all the difference behind the scenes.”
That infrastructure proved essential when Glow For It launched into Boots, first online and then in selected stores, with a further rollout soon after.
“Working with Boots meant meeting strict retail requirements and GS1 barcodes were a non-negotiable,” Daisy says. “Having those in place early meant we were ready when the opportunity came.”
For Daisy, GS1 standards were also about credibility. “When you are small, you are trying to prove you belong. Having GS1 barcodes shows retailers you are serious and it gives them confidence in your business. It sounds simple, but it is a huge step in being retail ready.”
Recognition and what’s next
Glow For It has been recognised as Consumer Products StartUp of the Year and overall London StartUp Winner at the London StartUp Awards. The brand is also focused on building its community offline, holding community events such as a sold-out walk in Battersea Park.
Looking ahead, Daisy is focused on sustainable growth and consistency. “It’s really important to enjoy that time to just become obsessed with all the different parts within the business.
Advice for fellow founders
Reflecting on her journey so far, Daisy says the most important lesson is to start with strong foundations. “Make sure your brand and product are built to last. If you get those basics right early, everything else becomes easier.”
She also believes every founder should experience doing it all at least once. “The early days give you a real grasp of every part of the business and that knowledge gives you confidence later when you start to build a team.” Finally, she stresses the value of detail. “Consistency matters. If you sweat the small stuff, you set a standard that carries through everything else you do.”