Hickap

Hickap is a Swedish cosmetics brand founded in 2016 by siblings Wilma and Emil Holmqvist, selling makeup, skincare and makeup brushes [1]. The company began as an influencer-led venture and grew into a multi-channel Nordic beauty label. Since November 2024 it has been majority-owned by the Finnish company Dermoshop Oy, with the founders staying on as minority owners and operational leaders [8].

The brand built its early identity around affordable, fully vegan products and a body-positive message it calls "Unfake Beauty" [9]. It is based in Stockholm, with production tied to Sweden.

The story traces back to 2010, when Wilma Holmqvist began posting makeup videos on YouTube. As her following grew, she and her brother realised those viewers could become customers [6]. Wilma started her first company at age 15 alongside Emil, who had just turned 18; the two went on to formally found Hickap in 2016.

The brand launched with affordable vegan makeup brushes, which Swedish editorial coverage reported sold out almost as soon as they appeared. In the early years Emil handled factory sourcing and filming while Wilma trained in makeup and developed products. Sources differ slightly on attribution: Elle Sweden names Wilma Holmqvist alone as founder [7], while the brand's own site, the later acquisition announcement and the entrepreneurship outlet Entreprenörden consistently credit both siblings [6]. Both Wilma and Emil are recorded as founders.

Hickap expanded steadily beyond its original brush range. In 2020, the Swedish company Svenska Krämfabriken acquired half of the business [8]. The following year, in August 2021, the brand launched a skincare line, broadening its catalogue past makeup and brushes [10]. By its own account, the company had served more than 236,000 customers since 2016.

In 2024 ownership shifted again. The Finnish firm Dermoshop took over Svenska Krämfabriken's holding and acquired the majority stake in Hickap AB, with the deal completed on 29 November 2024. Founders Wilma and Emil Holmqvist remained as minority owners and stayed engaged in day-to-day operations [8].

Dermoshop Oy, based in Korsnäs, Finland, is Hickap's majority owner as of late 2024. Founded in 1983 and run by siblings Henrietta and Rasmus Backlund, Dermoshop framed the purchase as a basis for shared growth in product development, branding and e-commerce. According to the acquisition announcement, Hickap's revenue for 2025 was budgeted at 10 million euros [8]. The brand continues to operate under its own name.

Hickap centres its messaging on self-acceptance and a low-stress approach to beauty. The company sums up this idea as "Unfake Beauty" — the notion that customers are fine as they are and that skincare and makeup should bring joy and energy rather than pressure [9]. Its stated tagline is "You are amazing just the way you are," and the brand says it believes in "inner beauty, self-esteem and well-being."

Positioned at an accessible price point, Hickap describes its products as sustainable, affordable and fully vegan. It reaches customers through its own e-commerce site as well as retailers including Lyko, Kicks and H&M.

The brand's main categories are makeup, skincare and makeup brushes, alongside smaller lines such as hair care, accessories and a "Hickap Home" range of hand soap and hand cream. Its first product was the vegan makeup brush, with handles of birch and aluminium and synthetic taklon bristles. On the makeup side, the company highlights "Makeup Sticks" as a signature format.

Hickap describes its ingredient approach as built on "tried and tested" actives the skin tolerates well — hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and mildly exfoliating acids — combined with what it calls a nautical theme of ingredients derived from the sea [9]. The company states that all products are vegan and cruelty-free, that its makeup brushes use no animal hair, and that its products are fragrance-free or only very mildly scented. It says skincare items are dermatologically tested on sensitive skin and classified as skin-friendly under the EU-recognised Cosmetics Europe standard, with testing supervised by a dermatologist.

In 2023, Elle Sweden featured the brand in a list of nine Swedish women beauty entrepreneurs, describing Wilma Holmqvist's journey with Hickap as quickly becoming a "megasuccé" [7]. The 2024 sale to Dermoshop drew coverage in Swedish and Finnish business media, including Breakit and Vasabladet [11][12].

Hickap is an active brand. Since 29 November 2024 it has been majority-owned by Dermoshop Oy of Finland, while founders Wilma and Emil Holmqvist retain minority ownership and operational leadership. It continues to trade across the Nordics through its own online store and major retailers, and the founders have described ambitions to expand further into Europe.