Votary

Votary is a British skincare brand founded in London in 2015 by makeup artist Arabella Preston and entrepreneur Charlotte Semler [1]. It builds its range around plant seed oils and botanical actives, positioning itself around care for sensitive and reactive skin. The company remains active and independently owned, selling directly through its own site and through premium retailers including Liberty and Space NK [2].

The brand began at Preston's kitchen table. Working as a makeup artist, she used pure plant oils to cleanse and prepare skin — her own and her clients' — rather than conventional cleansers and moisturisers. Semler, a former employer and friend, saw a business in the idea; the two trademarked the name and launched into Liberty in September 2015 with four products [1].

Preston developed the first formulations herself, mixing facial oils at home because commercial products left her skin, in her words, "dry and tight." She used the oils on high-profile makeup clients, whose skin, she found, responded well. When Semler asked her for skincare advice, the pair had what Preston has described as a breakthrough moment, trademarking Votary a week later [3].

The two founders divided the work along their strengths: Preston led product development and communications, blending and testing the formulas, while Semler — a serial entrepreneur who had earlier founded the lingerie company Myla and had once been Preston's boss — ran business operations and finances. The company describes itself as small and independent, and both founders still own it.

One source records a discrepancy in Preston's background. The brand site and Beauty Independent both describe her as a makeup artist, a description supported by her documented clientele, which reportedly included Kate Middleton and Stella McCartney [1]. A single editorial review instead refers to her as a "beauty editor" [4]; the brand's own account and the more detailed feature take precedence.

Votary launched at Liberty in September 2015 with a cleansing oil and three face oils [1]. According to Beauty Independent, the founders spent under £100,000 to start the company, and the Liberty partnership came about after Preston received a message from the store's buyer.

The brand held Liberty exclusivity for two years before entering Space NK in 2017. Beauty Independent reported early momentum — turnover of around £500,000 at retail by the second year, roughly 100% annual growth, and direct-to-consumer sales making up about half of revenue by year two, with the United States accounting for close to 40% of the total. The brand reached its tenth anniversary in 2025.

Votary's stated approach is to strengthen the skin's barrier rather than strip or overwhelm it. "Our philosophy is about healthy, strong skin," Preston has said; "it's about respecting your skin" [3]. The company frames rising skin sensitivity as a product of modern diets, stress, hormonal change and aggressive treatments, and says it formulates for results even on reactive skin without compromising the barrier.

Semler has summarised the wider aim as converting customers to plant oils "because we think they're better for the skin and the world" [1]. The brand pairs that natural-oils message with claims of advanced, clinically supported performance, and organises its products around a personalised routine framework that sorts customers by skin type, focus area and lifestyle. Editorial coverage has placed it in the clean-beauty space and characterised it as a premium, sensitive-skin brand, with one reviewer noting the prices are "very steep" [4].

The range centres on cleansing oils, facial oils, serums, creams and masks. The Rose Geranium and Apricot Cleansing Oil is repeatedly cited as the bestseller and signature product; Preston has noted it ships with a large flannel cloth [3]. The Super Seed Facial Oil, a fragrance-free blend built around a large number of seed oils, is another recurring hero product, alongside the Intense Night Oil and the Super Seed Nutrient Cream.

Formulations draw on plant seed oils such as avocado, jojoba, borage and rosehip, together with actives including squalane, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and bakuchiol. The company states that Arabella Preston personally blends and tests the formulas, made in the United Kingdom in small batches — with the exception of the Vitamin C Glow Serum, which it says is produced in Switzerland. The brand does not promote proprietary complexes or patented systems, emphasising ingredient transparency instead; it does note that specific products contain a retinoid, hydroxypinacolone retinoate, at 0.2%.

Votary describes its products as vegan and cruelty-free, and many as fragrance-free [5]. It states that these are self-declared rather than certified by an outside body. On sustainability, the company points to recyclable outer packaging, glass bottles chosen to protect the actives, FSC- and PEFC-certified boxes, and RSPO-certified palm derivatives; it also says its plastic pumps are not yet recyclable and that it is seeking alternatives [5].

Votary has been covered by titles including Byrdie and Porter Magazine, both in 2019, and the skincare writer Caroline Hirons, who in April 2021 described its Intense Overnight Mask as "perfect for when your skin needs a cashmere blanket" [6]. Its first retail partner, Liberty, published a founder interview with Preston, and Beauty Independent ran a feature on the founders' plant-oil mission.

Votary remains active. At the time of research its e-commerce site was selling current ranges, including a menopause-focused edit and the Vitamin C Glow Serum, and its social channels were in use [2]. The company is UK-headquartered, independently owned by its two founders, and distributes across the United Kingdom and United States through its own site and premium retailers.