Mum reveals how she turned £1 into six-figure beauty brand thanks to a 'life-changing' homemade product

Ms Tang launched the company almost by accident after creating a shea butter balm to soothe her son Alessio’s skin during chemotherapy treatment in 2013.

Speaking to GB News, the beauty mogul broke down how the homemade product worked far better than anything the family had previously tried, and why it tu

Ms Tang shared: "I realised that I knew how to make a product for him and I just needed to try it. Within a month of using the balm, his skin was clear. It was life-changing for my son." Alessio had developed severe psoriasis on his hands as a side effect of chemotherapy for an autoimmune condition.

The businesswoman had previously taken a bath bomb class and later completed courses in natural skincare, body butters, and hair products, but said desperation to help her son was the real catalyst. After seeing the improvement in Alessio’s skin, friends and neighbours began asking for the balm themselves.

Soon after, she started gifting products locally and selling small batches at school fetes and community fairs, where customers began using the balm for a range of skin issues, including dermatitis, nappy rash, and psoriasis. Demand soon grew.

Friends and beauticians began requesting additional products such as lip balms, hair serums, and face creams, prompting Ms Tang to start selling at larger markets and vegan fairs where she regularly found queues at her stall.

She said, "That’s when I realised I could have a successful business. And the opportunity came when my former employer, a housing trust, offered voluntary redundancy.

"I decided to take a leap of faith and gave up my well paid secured management job in December 2015. Deep in my heart, I knew if I didn’t work full time on my side hustle, it wouldn’t go anywhere."

Before launching the company, Ms Tang had built a career in the housing sector, rising from graduate trainee to a senior management role. She noted the risk-averse culture of the industry influenced the way she now runs her company.

However, she has also taken significant risks to protect her intellectual property. Ms Tang spent around £360,000 over five years fighting a legal battle against a former white-label client that she said had copied her Elixir anti-ageing serum.

The case ultimately went to the Court of Appeal, which ruled the client guilty of "reverse passing off", selling another company’s goods as its own. Despite the rapid growth of the brand, Ms Tang asserts that maintaining quality has remained central to the company’s success.

All products are handmade in a laboratory near her home and use natural, ethically sourced ingredients. While YNNY introduced a manual filling machine in 2018 to keep up with rising demand, much of the process remains hands-on.

The change allowed the company to increase production of its bestselling Elixir serum from around 400 bottles per day to 1,600 bottles daily. Ms Tang’s business has also expanded into white-label product development, creating bespoke skincare formulas for other brands and beauty technology firms.

Developing those products can take months. Ms Tang says she often carries out more than ten trials to perfect a formula’s texture, scent, and chemical balance before sending it for safety testing.

She explained: "To be a formulator, you need good knowledge of science and maths, as well as the ingredients themselves. Sometimes the process can take up to four months, including laboratory testing and safety assessments.”

Today, the company sells more than 50 vegan and cruelty-free products and works with clients across Europe, the United States, and Dubai. Ms Tang’s achievements have also been recognised at several industry awards.

She won Best Hair Product at the National Beauty Awards in 2024 and went on to receive multiple nominations the following year, including CEO of the Year and Best Beauty Entrepreneur. In 2026, she won both Best Beauty Entrepreneur and Best Beauty Wholesaler.

Yet Ms Tang says the journey has not been easy. Her life story includes periods of homelessness as a teenager with only £1 in her pocket and years spent caring for Alessio, who was born with complex medical needs and required around-the-clock nursing during his early childhood.

Ms Tang even stepped back from senior management roles to balance her career with her son’s medical care: "I hardly slept during those years but I soldiered on."

Now she works seven days a week, often late into the night, balancing running the company with caring responsibilities and managing Alessio’s dietary and medical needs.

Her son remains her biggest motivation to this day: "He is my inspiration to work harder to provide him with a very good quality of life and also to provide a legacy for him.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs looking to launch their own beauty brands, Ms Tang says passion and persistence are essential. She advises starting small and building a customer base while working another job.

"You need passion, so make sure this is what you enjoy doing. Dedication is then needed, as well as hard work. Expect to work in the evenings and weekends especially during the golden quarter - the Christmas period.

"Start it as a side hustle to build up a customer base and test the market. You also need money to start a new business, so having a steady job always helps. Think outside the box, because for every problem, there’s always a solution. And don’t give up your dream because dreams do come true."