In episode twenty nine of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Watts sits down with Nicola Kilner, CEO and co-founder of Deciem. 

Nicola Kilner is a woman who has been through absolute hell, yet has somehow remained true to her personal values of kindness and empathy. Nicola began her career as a beauty buyer at Boots in the UK before meeting Brandon Truaxe, a man she describes as her family, a genius, and the best human being she has ever met. The year 2013 saw Brandon and Nicola launch Deciem, aptly dubbed The Abnormal Beauty Company and, in my opinion, the most influential beauty brand of the 21st century. 

2016 saw Nicola and Brandon launch The Ordinary under the Deciem umbrella, a brand with what can only be described as a cult following. The aforementioned launch saw the company double its wholesale revenue in 2017, however those highs were followed by the lows of 2018- a year Nicola describes as “not a very kind year.” 

Brandon’s mental health and wellness began to rapidly decline. Nicola, then co-CEO was removed from the company, then brought back months later. October 2018 saw Brandon removed from the company, and in January of this year, he tragically passed away. 

I am in complete awe of Nicola. I was fortunate enough to host a Deciem event with her during her most recent trip to Australia, and in the time I spent with her I found myself so affected by her intelligence across both the beauty and business spaces, but also by her resilience, her kindness and her honesty. As she says in this interview, “The world now accepts that kindness can be the way to lead a business into the future.”

In this conversation, Nicola shares just how Deciem has managed to move the beauty industry forward through transparency and innovation, the legacy Brandon has left behind and how Nicola is ensuring she lives and works by her own values every day. 

You can read this interview now at: glowjournal.com/interview-deciem-nicola-kilner

Follow Deciem on Instagram @deciem

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