Four Irish founders shaping the future of beauty and wellness

With St Patrick's Day on the horizon, it feels like the right moment to celebrate the Irish founders who are genuinely doing the thing. Not just launching brands for the sake of it but building businesses that actually matter in the beauty and wellness space.

From skincare that's become a cult favourite to recovery products designed by someone who's lived elite sport… these four names are setting a serious standard. And they're all homegrown.

Jennifer Rock – The Skin Nerd herself

If you've spent any amount of time on Irish beauty TikTok or scrolled through skincare recommendations in group chats, you'll have come across Jennifer Rock. The woman behind Skingredients® isn't just a brand founder. She's a dermal facialist, bestselling author and skin educator who's built an entire empire around making skincare knowledge accessible.

Her online consultation service, the Skin Nerd Network®, has welcomed over 60,000 clients to date. Sixty thousand. That's a lot of people finally understanding why their skin does what it does.

You might also recognise her from 2FM or Dancing with the Stars, because apparently being a skin expert and CEO wasn't keeping her busy enough. Jennifer's whole ethos is about education first, products second. Which honestly? Refreshing.

Jennifer Rock has built an empire around skin education and accessible expertise.

Jarrad Butler – From the rugby pitch to recovery skincare

Here's something you probably haven't thought about: what elite sport does to your skin. Jarrad Butler has though. The former Connacht Rugby captain (New Zealand-born, Irish by adoption since 2017) spent seven seasons at the top level of professional rugby before founding SportSkn.

The brand fills a gap nobody was really talking about. Recovery skincare for athletes and anyone with an active lifestyle. Because recovery isn't just about muscles and ice baths. Your skin takes a battering too.

Jarrad Butler brought his professional rugby experience into building a recovery-focused skincare brand.

SportSkn sits at that intersection of performance, self-care and modern wellness culture. It's the kind of brand that makes complete sense once you hear the story behind it. Jarrad lived the problem, so he built the solution.

Emma King – Bridal hair royalty turned brand founder

Emma King started doing hair at 15. She trained under Felix O'Donoghue at The Hairdresser in Carrickmacross, went on to establish her own salon (now the Emma K brand) and has won Bridal Stylist of the Year multiple times over. The woman knows occasion hair like nobody else.

But she didn't stop there. Emma founded Cascata, a luxury hair extension and accessories brand that brings her signature soft, effortless aesthetic to life in product form. Think elegant, handcrafted pieces designed to complement rather than overpower.

She's also got a Masters qualification in teaching and certification in hair and scalp health. So when Emma King tells you something about your hair, you listen.

Emma King – the brains behind the Emma K and Cascata brands

Brendan Molloy – The clinic that changed Irish aesthetics

South William Clinic didn't become Ireland's leading destination for laser, skin and aesthetic medicine by accident. Brendan Molloy founded it back in 2015 and over the past decade has transformed a start-up into a multi-location national brand.

Brendan Molloy turned South William Clinic from a start-up into Ireland's leading aesthetic medicine destination.

The clinic's whole approach centres on clinical excellence and patient safety. They combine advanced aesthetic technologies with tailored treatments, all delivered by medical practitioners, dermatologists and aesthetic specialists who actually know what they're doing.

In a world where anyone with a weekend course can call themselves an aesthetician, that level of expertise matters.

Why this matters

These four founders represent something bigger than their individual brands. They're proof that Irish beauty and wellness can compete on a global stage while staying rooted in genuine expertise and innovation.

Jennifer's education-first approach. Jarrad's athlete-informed recovery focus. Emma's decades of refined craft. Brendan's commitment to clinical standards. Different paths, same benchmark of excellence.

As we gear up for St Patrick's Day celebrations, it's worth remembering that supporting Irish doesn't just mean buying the product with a shamrock on it. It means recognising the founders who are genuinely pushing their industries forward.

These four are definitely doing that.