Back in 2015, we had a thought: if we’re throwing away a cafetière full of coffee grounds every morning, how much is going to waste from coffee shops all over London?
A lot, as it turns out. So we decided to do something about it. We needed a way to give those coffee grounds a new lease of life. And UpCircle was born.
We began our journey collecting coffee grounds from one coffee shop, we now collect from hundreds of coffee houses across London – our list is always growing!
Creating a positive environmental impact is at the heart of what we do here at UpCircle. We want to leave the world better than we found it. When it comes to the environment we are constantly bombarded with intimidating doom and gloom headlines. The scale of the problem can feel so daunting that it’s all too easy to give up before you’ve even begun. So, at UpCircle, we try to focus on positive change and keep an “every little helps” mentality.
And as well as being 100% natural, our skincare range is also 100% brilliant. Because you shouldn't have to choose between doing the right thing and getting the best results. With UpCircle, you get to enjoy the uplifting benefits of nature's own skin rejuvenators - and do the planet some good, too.
That's all round better skincare.
But, it didn’t happen overnight. Scroll below to re-live our milestones!
Our History
LAUNCHING HEAD FIRST IN COFFEE
What better place to test our coffee-based skincare concept than the London Coffee Festival?
The scrubs flew out the door – whoosh! We came, we scrubbed, we conquered.
Maybe, just maybe, we were on to something.
APRIL, 2016
LET'S DO THIS!
It was time to take the leap... the UpCircle sibling co-founders Will and Anna quit their jobs and risked it all to nurture and grow their by-product beauty baby!
SEPTEMBER, 2016
URBAN OUTFITTERS - OUR FIRST PARTNER
We sent hand-sealed, sellotaped-up prototypes to UO HQ, perhaps we were too optimistic? Perhaps not. They loved the scrubs and became our first retail partner.
DECEMBER, 2016
GOING GLOBAL
Geographical boundaries. Who needs them? Not us. We hopped our scrubs over the channel and secured distribution in not 1, not 4, not 6 but 8 European countries over the next 6 months.
JAN - APRIL, 2017
THE PORTFOLIO GROWS
To meet our ever-growing list of retailers (now including Whole Foods and Revital) the coffee shop portfolio had to expand. By the end of 2017 we are regularly collecting coffee grounds from 80 artisan coffee shops.
NOVEMBER 2017
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Storytellers cotton on to our circular skincare mission. During 2018 the brand is featured by the likes of The Daily Mail, The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Vogue, The Telegraph, Stylist, Grazia, The Evening Standard, Veggie Magazine, Vegan Food & Living and Women's Fitness. What a page turner.
2018
SMASHING TARGETS
We achieved our crowdfunding target of £200,000 in just three days and closed the round overfunded by £17,000. Mic drop.
FEBRUARY, 2018
CHAI FIVE!
The return of the soap bar. We're saving coffee, we're saving hemp, what's next on our hit list? Chai. We begin salvaging the aromatic spices brewed to make chai syrup, transforming them into our new soaps.
MARCH, 2018
INTO THE DEN
The co-founding siblings take their chances against the Dragons…and walk away victorious. The duo received investment offers from 3 dragons and agreed a deal with Touker Suleyman and Tej Lalvani.
AUGUST, 2018
NAME CHANGER GAME CHANGER
As our product ranges expand we take the opportunity to unify the brand, unveiling a fresh new look and name. Our circular economy mission is now front and centre: we’re ready for world domination.
NOVEMBER, 2018
NEW YEAR, NEW HOME
The brand has far outgrown the siblings parents' home. It's time to move out. We leave a trail of coffee footsteps and set up in our shiny new premises.
JANUARY, 2019
THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING
UpCircle body scrubs stroll into 740 Boots stores across the country.
MARCH, 2019
PITCH-TASTIC
A panel of Sainsbury’s buyers listen to fast-paced pitches from six beauty brands shortlisted from over 60 companies. UpCircle is chosen as a winner - result!
APRIL, 2019
SCOOPING UP AWARDS
UpCircle win the FSB London Ethical Green Business of the year AND are re-awarded Natural Products 30 Under 30. Buzzinggggg!
APRIL, 2019
SCOOPING UP AWARDS
UpCircle win the FSB London Ethical Green Business of the year AND are re-awarded Natural Products 30 Under 30. Buzzinggggg!
MAY, 2019
H+B SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!
Just seven months after rebranding we launch our full UpCircle range into the UK's leading health retailer - Holland and Barrett.
JULY, 2019
UPCIRCLE DOWN UNDER
Mid-week, as we slept, UpCircle hit the shores Down Under with an event as swish as a wedding!
AUGUST, 2019
FEELING REVITAL-ISED!
We add Revital’s 18 branches to our list of UpCircle high street retailers. Victory dance
AUGUST, 2019
ONLINE SHOPPING MADE EVEN EASIER
UpCircle launches with online grocers Ocado and Farmdrop, as well as online beauty platform Feel Unique. We all love a virtual trolley!
SEPTEMBER, 2019
FEELING FRUITY
The brand new fruit stone range hit the shelves just before Christmas, phew!
NOVEMBER, 2019
TONNES OF LOVE
As we begin a new decade we hit a new milestone – 200 tonnes of coffee saved. Not bad for a team of 4 all under the age of 30!
DECEMBER, 2019
HOW DO YOU ACCESSORISE?
No one likes to see a photo of a seahorse cradling a plastic cotton bud. Time for the “UpCircle Accessories” range, ready to help you to create fully zero-waste bathroom cabinets!
JANUARY, 2020
HITTING THE BIG TIME
We’re going stateside. And why waste time? US retail giant Ulta Beauty slides the UpCircle range into 750 stores. Howdy partner.
MARCH, 2020
NEW HURDLES, NEW HURDLERS
As we navigate the many challenges that 2020 throws at us, we decide to bring in some new team members to assist! All via Zoom interviews we grow from a team of three to a team of eight.
APRIL-JUNE, 2020
ANOTHER NEW HOME
In 2019 we moved from our parents’ house to a railway arch, in 2020 we’ve outgrown our location once again! We move into a swanky new office by the river.
JULY, 2020
THE DROP
We release THREE brand new products featuring FIVE repurposed ingredients! We’re back on Zoom for a virtual press launch!
SEPTEMBER, 2020
NEW YEAR PLEASE
We’ve survived a year like no other, but it wasn’t easy! With barely a breath taken from our last product launches we’re already putting plans in place for exciting things to come in 2021.
DECEMBER, 2020
BREXIT PREP
In preparation for our departure from the EU we need to start prepping our packaging in multiple languages. An “it’ll be worth it in the long run” kind of task!
JAN, 2021
Swipe right to follow our journey
The Idea
In our first batch of soaps alone we saved 5 tonnes of aromatic chai spices from being thrown away. Not a bad start! Then, when we found out that the UK produced 23,000 tonnes of fruit stone waste in 2012 alone, we knew something had to be done there too. So… out came the “fruit stone range”, within which each product is made with the powder of a different discarded fruit stone.
The Mission
We’re all about quality skincare that gives salvaged natural ingredients a new lease of life. At UpCircle we’re not trying to save the world, or scold others for not doing more. We're never preachy about what we do. We're conversational and down to earth. That's why people listen to us, and it’s how we make an impact.
We use the highest quality ingredients, for the best possible results. You'll feel the difference.
Meet The Founders
William Brightman
Making it all happen behind the scenes. (The serious one).
A touch-typing whiz with the focus of a monk. He's dealing with calls, emails and meetings like there's no tomorrow. So long as he's got a Boiler Room set to listen to, William can plug formulas into Excel without stopping to think.
Favourite part of your role?
What doesn't a typical day involve!? I enjoy the buzz of knowing that with every sale we are all helping to promote a circular economy by elevating skincare to the next level.
Anna Brightman
Spreading the word front of house. (The sociable one).
If you’ve ordered it, she’s getting it to you, whether that’s 1 scrub or 1000 scrubs. Got an event? She’ll be on the panel. Visiting a show? She’ll say Hi first!
So, Anna takes on the most and least glam parts of the job.
Favourite part of your role?
Developing new products. I love that we have businesses and individuals coming to us with their leftover natural ingredients. Can we cook up a circular skincare solution? If there's a will, there's a way.
