Trigwell Cosmetics: How a Welsh Beauty Brand Turned a £1,500 Start Into Viral Success

Trigwell Cosmetics is a Welsh beauty brand founded by professional make-up artist Zoe Trigwell in 2020. What began as a small home-based venture developed into a recognised name in the UK cosmetics market, helped greatly by the success of its Velvet Powder Puff. The product gained strong attention on TikTok and became closely associated with the company’s identity. Behind that success is a longer story involving professional make-up work, a training academy, an earlier lash business, retail expansion, major sales growth and a difficult rebrand.

The company was built during one of the hardest periods for the beauty industry. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted Zoe’s make-up work and training activities, forcing her to reconsider the direction of her career. Instead of leaving the industry, she invested her remaining savings into a new cosmetics venture. Six years later, Trigwell Cosmetics continues to operate with a focused range of make-up tools and complexion products, supported by a strong online community and recognition within British entrepreneurship.

How Trigwell Cosmetics Began

Trigwell Cosmetics was founded in May 2020, but Zoe Trigwell already had extensive experience in beauty before creating the brand. Her journey started in 2014 when she launched a beauty blog while working in customer service. She also began doing make-up for friends, which gradually developed into paid work as more people discovered her skills through social media.

Zoe later completed professional qualifications in make-up and cosmetics and developed her career as a make-up artist. She also became a qualified teacher and established a make-up training academy in Newport. Running an academy gave her experience not only in applying make-up but also in teaching techniques to others. It allowed her to understand common problems faced by both professional artists and everyday beauty customers.

When the pandemic affected face-to-face beauty work, the academy and make-up services could no longer operate in the same way. That period became the moment when Zoe decided to focus more strongly on products and online retail.

From Luna Lashes to Trigwell Cosmetics

Trigwell Cosmetics was not Zoe’s first attempt at creating a beauty product business. She had previously founded Luna Lashes in 2015, selling false eyelashes alongside her work as a make-up artist. As her training academy became more demanding, the lash business received less attention. During lockdown, however, Zoe recognised that product sales could provide a new direction while traditional beauty services remained restricted.

She decided to rebuild the business with a broader identity and invested her final £1,500 in savings into the launch. Part of the money was used for a new website and an order of 1,000 pairs of Harmony lashes, which had already proved popular with customers. The early operation was extremely small. Orders were packed at Zoe’s kitchen table before part of the family garage was turned into a workspace. This modest beginning eventually developed into a much larger cosmetics operation.

Zoe Trigwell: Founder and CEO

Zoe Trigwell is a British entrepreneur based in Wales. Companies House records give her birth month as January 1994, making her 32 years old in 2026. She is the founder and chief executive of Trigwell Cosmetics and has built the business using the professional knowledge gained through years of working directly with make-up clients.

Her background has influenced the type of products the company develops. Rather than creating a very large range immediately, the brand concentrated on practical products intended to solve everyday make-up problems. Zoe’s experience with different skin types, application methods and customer needs became an important part of the company’s product direction.

Her personal life also developed alongside the business. Zoe became a mother in her early twenties and later built the company while raising two sons. Her partner Gareth eventually became involved in the growing operation after initially working outside the beauty industry. As sales increased, the business moved away from its home setting and required warehouse facilities and a larger team.

Trigwell Cosmetics Quick Info

Trigwell Cosmetics and the Velvet Powder Puff

The major turning point for Trigwell Cosmetics came with the creation of the Velvet Powder Puff. Zoe had noticed velour-style puffs being used by beauty professionals in the United States and believed the idea could be improved. After trying similar products herself, she began developing a version designed to feel softer, hold product effectively and provide more control during make-up application.

Several samples were produced before the final design was chosen. The finished puff used a soft microfibre material and a teardrop shape. The pointed end could be used for smaller areas such as beneath the eyes, while the broader section worked across larger areas of the face. The design made the product easy to demonstrate in short social-media videos, which later became important to its success.

The Velvet Powder Puff launched on 31 March 2022. Before its arrival, the business was handling roughly 200 orders each month. Zoe later stated that the launch changed this to roughly 200 orders per day. By May 2022, the product had started gaining strong attention on TikTok, where beauty creators demonstrated how it could be used with loose and pressed powder.

Why the Velvet Powder Puff Became Viral

The product arrived at a time when make-up tutorials were performing extremely well on TikTok. Techniques involving concealer, setting powder and smooth complexion finishes were highly popular, and the puff could be shown working within seconds. Its visual shape, soft texture and affordable price also helped it attract attention from creators and customers.

Limited-edition colours became another part of the company’s sales strategy. During Black Friday 2022, Trigwell released a red version of the puff. Zoe stated that this launch generated just under £42,000 in approximately five and a half hours. The success demonstrated that the company had developed an audience willing to respond quickly to new product releases.

Rapid Growth of Trigwell Cosmetics

The powder puff changed the financial scale of the business. Zoe stated that the company achieved consecutive six-figure sales months from late 2022 and generated more than £400,000 in sales during January 2023. These figures came directly from the founder rather than audited annual turnover records, but they show how quickly the company’s order volume increased after the product went viral.

The physical operation also expanded. By 2023, Trigwell Cosmetics had moved from Zoe’s home into three warehouse premises in South Wales. At that stage, the team had grown to roughly eight members, with further recruitment planned. The development from a kitchen-table operation to multiple warehouse units happened within only a few years.

The company’s growth also brought recognition for Zoe as an entrepreneur. She was included among the Rising Stars of Welsh business in 2023 and won the Wales Young Entrepreneur of the Year category at the 2023 Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Retail Expansion and Major Beauty Partners

Trigwell Cosmetics did not remain dependent entirely on its own website. Its products expanded into recognised beauty and fashion retailers including BEAUTY BAY, LOOKFANTASTIC, PrettyLittleThing and Debenhams. These partnerships helped the company reach customers who may not have encountered the brand through TikTok or other social platforms.

Physical retail opportunities had started even earlier. In October 2021, Trigwell secured a temporary retail space inside John Lewis Cardiff. For a young Welsh company, gaining space within a major British department store represented an important step. LOOKFANTASTIC later included exclusive Trigwell powder puffs in its 2024 beauty advent calendar, further strengthening the brand’s position within mainstream online beauty retail.

Trigwell Cosmetics Products

Although the Velvet Powder Puff remains the product most strongly connected with the brand, Trigwell Cosmetics has developed a focused collection of complexion products and beauty tools. The company has concentrated on products that fit naturally with Zoe’s professional make-up background rather than trying to enter every cosmetics category.

The Velvet Setting Powder is designed to help control shine, reduce visible creasing and create a smoother complexion finish. It is available in several shades and is designed to work well alongside the company’s powder puffs. The formula is also promoted as talc-free, vegan and cruelty-free.

Another important product is Holo Hold Setting Mist, which can be used before, during or after make-up application. The formula contains niacinamide and is designed to support make-up wear while adding another step to the company’s complexion-focused routine. The company has also developed Freckle Floret, a product intended to create irregular faux freckles for a more natural finish.

Vegan and Cruelty-Free Beauty

Ethical beauty is an important part of Trigwell Cosmetics’ identity. The company’s own-brand cosmetic and personal-care products are approved through the Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny programme. This certification involves supplier monitoring, fixed cut-off requirements and independent auditing rather than relying only on a company’s own cruelty-free statement.

Trigwell also promotes vegan beauty and describes its products with this position in mind. This gives the company a clearer place within a cosmetics market where many customers now consider ingredient choices and animal-testing policies before making a purchase.

The 2025 Trigwell Cosmetics Rebrand

One of the company’s most difficult periods arrived in 2025 when Zoe announced that a legal issue meant Trigwell had to change its packaging and visual identity. Replacing existing packaging created a serious financial and operational problem because stock connected with the previous branding could no longer support the company’s long-term direction.

Zoe discussed the challenge openly with the brand’s online community. The response was extremely strong. She stated that Trigwell received just under 17,000 orders within 72 hours, while related TikTok content attracted about 1.8 million views and the company gained thousands of followers across its social channels.

There was online speculation connecting the dispute with Charlotte Tilbury because of perceived similarities between branding elements. However, the opposing party was not publicly confirmed by Trigwell in the available material. For that reason, it would be incorrect to present the Charlotte Tilbury connection as an established fact.

A New Identity for 2026

Following the legal and branding difficulties, Trigwell moved away from much of its previous pink visual identity. Zoe introduced a fresher direction using stronger blue, purple and green tones while maintaining holographic elements associated with the company.

The renewed brand launched on 28 January 2026, beginning with its popular powder puffs and a limited-edition turquoise version. The relaunch allowed the company to move forward with a clearer visual identity after a challenging period.

Trigwell Cosmetics Company Structure

There is an important distinction between the founding year of the brand and the incorporation date of the company now carrying its exact name. Trigwell Cosmetics began as a commercial beauty brand in 2020, while TRIGWELL COSMETICS LIMITED, company number 17068680, was incorporated on 3 March 2026.

Zoe Trigwell is the director of the newer company and controls at least 75 per cent of its shares and voting rights. An older business, ZOE TRIGWELL ACADEMY LTD, was incorporated in August 2019 and later adopted a cosmetics wholesale business classification. It has also been connected with the company’s Cwmbran operations. Therefore, 2020 remains the correct year when discussing the foundation of the consumer beauty brand.

The Future of Trigwell Cosmetics

Trigwell Cosmetics has experienced unusually fast development since its launch. It started with a £1,500 investment during lockdown, grew through social-media attention, expanded into warehouse facilities and national retail partners, and then had to rebuild much of its identity after a serious branding challenge.

The Velvet Powder Puff remains at the heart of the company’s recognition, but its setting powder, setting mist and other make-up products show that Trigwell is working to build a broader beauty business rather than depend entirely on one viral product. Its cruelty-free credentials, Welsh roots, retail presence and founder-led identity also give it a clear position within the British cosmetics market.

Six years after its launch, the company continues to demonstrate how professional make-up experience can be turned into a consumer brand when product development is combined with strong community engagement. From a kitchen table in Wales to major beauty retailers and millions of social-media views, Trigwell Cosmetics has built a distinctive story within modern British beauty.

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