By Holly Williams
Copyright independent
The founder of The Beauty Tech Group said he hopes the firm’s stock market flotation will spur others to list on the London market as the group saw shares jump after making its debut.
Chief executive Laurence Newman, who co-founded the firm in 2009, told the PA news agency he was “proud” to choose London for the firm’s initial public offering (IPO).
“I started the business in the North West of England – I built a British business and made it into an international business… it was my decision to support the London market,” he said.
“It’s proven to be the right decision.”
“I’m also hoping this will be the start of other people coming to the market,” he added.
The firm – which owns beauty gadget brands CurrentBody, ZIIP Beauty and Tria Laser – kicked off its IPO with a £300 million valuation, with shares priced at 271p, but the stock jumped 6% higher in afternoon trading on Friday.
The opening price marked the mid-point of the range previously given for between 251p to 291p a share.
Mr Newman said: “From establishing ourselves as a global leader in the fast-growing at-home beauty technology market to successfully completing this milestone listing on the London Stock Exchange, the group continues to go from strength to strength.
“As we enter the next stage of our growth journey, this IPO provides the perfect platform to increase awareness of our three distinct, premium brands and take the group to the next level, while delivering sustained and profitable growth.”
The company – whose brands are used by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams – has raised around £29 million from offering 10.7 million new shares in the firm, with 28.6 million shares also being sold by existing shareholders, giving it a total offer size of £106.5 million by selling around 35.5% stock in the float.
The flotation gives a welcome shot in the arm to the London market which has recently suffered a raft of high-profile firms defecting for overseas rivals, while a number have also been snapped up and taken private.
Cheshire-headquartered Beauty Tech Group was founded 16 years ago as CurrentBody.com by Mr Newman and chief technology officer Andrew Showman.
Initially selling third-party at-home beauty devices, the group shifted in 2019 to exclusively selling its own products under the three brands.
Its products – including face masks, hair-growth stimulator helmets and hair-removal gadgets – focus on products that use LED, radio frequency, microcurrent and laser treatments.
Mr Newman told PA the group is looking to bring out more products in its three brand ranges, with plans also to bring out a refreshed Tria hair removal range next year after it bought the brand at the end of 2024.
The firm made underlying earnings of £22.9 million on revenues of £101.1 million in 2024.
Sales rose 27% to £55.2 million in the first half of 2025.
The group estimates the at-home beauty market is worth around £9 billion to £12 billion globally and is a rapidly growing part of the wider £464 billion global beauty and personal care sector.
International growth has been a key driver in recent years, with the firm’s products available in more than 90 countries worldwide.
While remaining headquartered in the UK, Mr Newman said it was a “small part of the business”.
“It’s truly international,” he added.