Tropic Skincare

Tropic Skincare is a British skincare, cosmetics and body-care brand based in Croydon, South London. The business began in 2007 under the name Tropic Pure Plant Skin Care, when founder Susie Ma worked with cosmetic chemists, traditional herbalists and microbiologists to develop products using naturally derived and sustainably sourced ingredients. The company was formally incorporated in 2011. Tropic gained wider public attention after Ma appeared on the seventh series of the BBC business programme The Apprentice. Following the programme, entrepreneur Alan Sugar invested in the company and became a 50% stakeholder. That investment connected Tropic with a highly visible British business personality while the brand continued to develop its product range and distribution model. In 2013, Tropic introduced a direct-selling and multi-level marketing structure. The initial network consisted of approximately 400 founding salespeople, known as ambassadors. The model combines personal online shops, product demonstrations, sampling, party-plan events and sales at commercial or community events. Ambassadors can earn from their own product sales and, within the network structure, from sales generated by people they recruit or sponsor. The company has stated that its network has grown to approximately 20,000 ambassadors in the United Kingdom. Tropic’s offer covers naturally derived skincare, makeup and body-care products. Its brand positioning combines botanical or plant-based formulation, ethical sourcing, environmental responsibility and social impact. The company’s certifications and accreditations include certification from the Vegan Society, Soil Association COSMOS Organic and Cruelty Free International, as well as CarbonNeutral and ethical accreditation. These claims place Tropic within the values-led segment of the British beauty market, where ingredient sourcing, animal welfare and environmental standards are central to brand communication. Social impact is a significant part of Tropic’s identity. The company states that it gives 10% of profits to charities and good causes globally. Reported partners include United World Schools, Reef Restoration Foundation and the Trussell Trust. Tropic has also said that its programmes have funded seven million days of education for children in remote communities. Its annual Give Back Friday initiative links a promotional offer to charitable giving: customers spending at least £100 receive additional products, while profits from the relevant sales support education projects. The company reported that the additional sales generated by the campaign funded 74,000 days of education in 2023 and 80,000 days in 2024. Tropic is also a patron of The King's Trust Women Supporting Women initiative. In April 2023, Ma became the sole owner of Tropic after the end of Alan Sugar’s shareholding. The company remains a privately owned, active business. It has appeared in The Sunday Times list of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies, formerly associated with the Fast Track 100, and has been included in J.P. Morgan’s Top 200 Women-Powered Businesses Report. Tropic has also received recognition from beauty and consumer publications and industry organisations, including GLAMOUR, woman&home, CEW and Marie Claire. Its commercial identity therefore rests on a combination of direct-to-consumer beauty products, a sizeable ambassador network, founder-led ownership and an explicit charitable and sustainability agenda.

Tropic Skincare originated in 2007 as Tropic Pure Plant Skin Care, founded by Susie Ma. Ma developed the business with input from cosmetic chemists, traditional herbalists and microbiologists, establishing an early emphasis on plant-derived formulations and product development rooted in cosmetic science. The brand later became formally incorporated in 2011. The company’s public profile increased after Ma competed in the seventh series of The Apprentice. Alan Sugar subsequently invested in Tropic and held a 50% stake. His involvement brought the young beauty company additional exposure, while Ma remained closely associated with its product direction and entrepreneurial identity. A major structural change came in 2013, when Tropic introduced a direct-selling model. The company recruited an initial group of approximately 400 founding ambassadors. Rather than relying exclusively on conventional retail distribution, Tropic’s system combined personal websites, product demonstrations, sampling, hosted party-plan events and sales at other commercial events. The model also incorporated multi-level marketing mechanics, under which salespeople could receive compensation for personal sales and for sales made by recruited or sponsored members of their network. The company later reported a network of around 20,000 ambassadors across the United Kingdom. Tropic expanded its offer beyond facial skincare into makeup and body care. Across these categories, the brand has promoted naturally derived ingredients, sustainable sourcing and ethical standards. It has obtained or reported certification and accreditation from the Vegan Society, Soil Association COSMOS Organic and Cruelty Free International, together with CarbonNeutral and ethical accreditation. These credentials support a market position centred on vegan and cruelty-free beauty, environmental responsibility and transparent social values. Charitable giving became another defining element of the business. Tropic states that it donates 10% of profits to charities and good causes worldwide. Reported partners include United World Schools, the Reef Restoration Foundation and the Trussell Trust. The company has said that its wider charitable work has funded seven million days of education for children in remote parts of the world. Its Give Back Friday programme uses a sales promotion to generate additional charitable support: qualifying customers receive extra products, while the profits from the relevant purchases contribute to education projects. Tropic reported that Give Back Friday generated support equivalent to 74,000 days of education in 2023 and 80,000 days in 2024. In April 2023, Susie Ma became the sole owner of Tropic, holding 100% of the business after Sugar’s investment period ended. The company continued operating as a privately owned British beauty business with online sales and a large ambassador network. It also developed a public association with women’s economic participation through its patronage of The King’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative. The brand has received commercial and industry recognition. It appeared in The Sunday Times list of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies for six consecutive years, under the publication’s current or former Fast Track 100 naming. It was also included in J.P. Morgan’s Top 200 Women-Powered Businesses Report in 2023 and 2024. Product and impact initiatives have received awards or recognition from GLAMOUR, woman&home, CEW and Marie Claire, including a 2022 Marie Claire Prix d’Excellence award for Beauty Gives Back. Tropic’s history is consequently defined by founder-led product development, a transition to direct selling, a high-profile external investment followed by sole ownership, and the integration of charitable and sustainability commitments into its commercial model.

1. 2024Listed in J.P. Morgan women-powered businesses report

   Tropic appears in the 2024 edition of J.P. Morgan’s Top 200 Women-Powered Businesses Report.

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2. 2023Susie Ma becomes sole owner

   Ma takes full ownership of Tropic after Alan Sugar’s 50% investment stake ends.

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3. 2022Beauty Gives Back receives Marie Claire recognition

   The company’s education-focused charitable initiative receives a Marie Claire Prix d’Excellence award.

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4. 2013Direct-selling model introduced

   Tropic launches its ambassador-based direct-selling and multi-level marketing structure with approximately 400 founding salespeople.

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5. 2011Company incorporated

   The business is formally incorporated.

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6. 2007Tropic Pure Plant Skin Care launches

   Susie Ma launches the business that would become Tropic Skincare, working with cosmetic chemists, traditional herbalists and microbiologists.

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A values-led British beauty brand focused on naturally derived and sustainably sourced ingredients, ethical production, cruelty-free and vegan credentials, direct selling, and charitable impact.

• Facial skincareSkincare2007

  Tropic’s facial skincare portfolio forms the core of the brand’s offer. The range is presented around naturally derived and sustainably sourced ingredients, with the wider company identity emphasising vegan, cruelty-free and environmentally responsible beauty. Individual products and formulations are not specified in the supplied reference material.

• MakeupCosmetics

  Tropic sells makeup alongside its skincare lines. The category extends the brand’s plant-focused and ethical positioning into colour cosmetics, with the company’s broader certifications and sustainability claims forming part of its market presentation. Specific product names are not identified in the supplied sources.

• Body careBody care

  The body-care range complements Tropic’s facial skincare and makeup categories. Products are marketed within the company’s naturally derived, sustainably sourced and cruelty-free beauty framework. The available reference material does not provide a complete list of individual body-care products.

• Give Back Friday

  United Kingdom

  Tropic’s annual Give Back Friday initiative offers qualifying customers additional products when they spend at least £100. The company directs profits from the associated sales toward education for children in some of the world’s most marginalised communities.

  Outcome. Tropic reported that the campaign supported 74,000 days of education in 2023 and 80,000 days in 2024.

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• 2023Transition to founder-only ownershipM&A

  Alan Sugar had previously held a 50% stake after investing in Tropic following Susie Ma’s appearance on The Apprentice.

  What changed. Susie Ma became the 100% owner of Tropic Skincare in April 2023.

  Aftermath. Tropic continued as a privately owned, founder-led beauty business.

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• 2013Adoption of an ambassador-based direct-selling modelStrategy

  Tropic sought to expand distribution beyond conventional online sales and introduced a party-plan, personal-webshop and network-based sales structure.

  What changed. The company launched its direct-selling and multi-level marketing model with approximately 400 founding ambassadors.

  Aftermath. The ambassador network subsequently grew to approximately 20,000 people in the United Kingdom, according to the company’s reported figures.

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• 2024Tropic reports increased education support from Give Back Friday

  The company reported that its 2024 Give Back Friday activity funded 80,000 days of education for children in marginalised communities.

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• 2024Tropic appears in J.P. Morgan women-powered businesses report

  Tropic Skincare was listed in J.P. Morgan’s Top 200 Women-Powered Businesses Report, following an earlier appearance in the 2023 edition.

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• 2023Tropic Skincare changes to sole ownership under Susie Ma

  Susie Ma became the 100% owner of Tropic Skincare in April 2023, ending Alan Sugar’s period as a 50% stakeholder.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2022Tropic Skincare receives recognition for charitable beauty programme

  Tropic won a Marie Claire Prix d’Excellence award for Beauty Gives Back, recognising its education-focused charitable partnership with United World Schools.

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1. Tropic Skincare