Back From the Brink of Bankruptcy: How This Founder Pivoted and Built a Multimillion-Dollar Self-Care Brand

Why it matters:

• After working in the investment banking industry, beauty entrepreneur Louisa Booth built hair-tie company Popband for women by women, gaining distribution in retailers such as Ulta Beauty.
• Then other companies knocked off Popband just as the startup’s third-party vendor hit the skids, forcing Booth to shutter the business.
• Second time’s the charm: Leaning into the pandemic-fueled wellness trend, Booth pivoted to launch Popmask in 2022, bringing product innovation to the established women’s self-care category. Today, the brand’s self-warming eye masks, cooling sprays, and more are sold in stores ranging from discounters like Target to prestige retailers such as Nordstrom.

Louisa Booth didn’t set out to become a beauty entrepreneur. But in 2012, after struggling to find hair ties for her two daughters' thick tresses, the British investment banker created a brand called Popband. The soft hair ties became so popular that even Harry Styles donned them in his hair and on his wrists.

“I was gutted when he cut his hair,” Booth told CO—. Celebrity exposure and editorial mentions caught the attention of British and European retailers Topshop (now part of ASOS), which ordered the hair ties, followed by Le Bon Marché and Harvey Nichols.

While on holiday in America, she was invited to Cosmoprof North America, a massive beauty trade show. “My husband hopped on a plane with our products, and we flew to Las Vegas,” she recalled. They built their stand with furniture from IKEA.

Ulta Beauty approached Booth about the hair ties. Being British, she had never heard of the U.S. powerhouse. “The Ulta team found that quite funny,” Booth said. Ulta Beauty launched Popband in America, opening the door to distribution in CVS and QVC.

Ulta Beauty was an education for Booth. Self-financed, she didn't have the deep pockets to help build traction for the brand. "I never regret anything; I learn from it. Ulta helped introduce us to QVC and others and helped us understand the American retail landscape."

First startup business dealt one-two punch: Third-party supplier buckles, just as product gets knocked off by big brands with big budgets

While Popband’s sales continued to grow in other retailers, another issue was brewing. The third-party vendor Booth worked with hit financial difficulties exacerbated by the pandemic.

Compounding that, brands with bigger budgets copied her hair ties, making it hard for her to stand out on shelves. The brand she worked hard to build was in jeopardy.

Nearing bankruptcy, it was time for Booth’s second act. She shifted from outside vendors to in-house operations. Her husband left his job to join the company, and eventually, one of her daughters came on board, too.

She looked hard at issues she saw in the market and how she could develop creative solutions—much like she did with Popband.

[Read: How To Turn Deinfluencing Into a Marketing Opportunity]

Second startup business taps into pandemic accelerated self-care boom

Even before the pandemic accelerated the self-care boom, Booth noticed gaps in women’s health products — items to help people sleep, stress fighters, and headache relief, among other things. Her intuition about self-care was on the mark, giving her a competitive edge when securing shelf space in leading retailers. Google searches for self-care products increased 317% from 2017 to the first half of 2024.

“The key in retail is to find something unique, not just replace another product,” Booth explained. “If you make another face cream, you must convince the buyer to take another product off the shelf.”

To serve market needs, Booth launched Popmask.

“All of my products are designed to provide a solution,” said Booth. The first was an eye mask with all-natural minerals that react with the air to create steam that’s designed to improve circulation and de-puff the face. Consumers quickly found other uses, including combating headaches, stress relief, and as a sleep aid.

That turned on a spigot of creativity for Popmask, which rolled out items geared toward women’s life stages such as Popspot gentle acne treatments, Calm self-warming eye masks, Flash Me Hot Flash Cooling Sprays, and more. Prices for all items in the assortment are under $20, and more products are in the pipeline.

[Read: Emotional Rescue: (Unexpected) Brands Are Building Wellness Into Marketing Plans]

Popmask gains rare retail status, landing distribution in stores ranging from CVS to prestige merchants like Nordstrom

Popmask is a unicorn in retailing, with distribution in prestige stores like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie and mass marketers like Costco, CVS, Walgreens, and Target. The brand is also sold internationally.

“Even with consumers not differentiating about retail channels, brands usually are in one or the other. To exist in both is a feat,” said beauty industry expert Allan Mottus.

Booth approaches product design with a consumer's eye. “I’ve designed the packaging so it fits in Bloomingdale's and stands out in Target. I'm a shopper at heart. I always ask, ‘Would I get excited by this product?’”

Booth's pivot has paid off, with sales growing 400% over the past two years, and there is plenty of runway for more growth.

Beyond money, Booth is proud to bring “kind” products to market. “We like to think our products are the best, but also kind. Whenever we make a product, it has to be the kindest … like a hairbrush that won't rip your head. We want people to put themselves first.”

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