DIARY directory caught up with Heather Reier, CEO and Founder of Cake Beauty. Cake Beauty is a Canadian beauty brand that has recently launched in the UK through Boots stores. The brand focuses on delivering nourishing results to the cosmetic, bath, body and hair care categories. Originally launched in Canada in 2004 the brand is cruelty-free and vegan. Cake Beauty has launched 13 hair care products in the UK to mark the start of its European launch.

You began making products in your kitchen 15 years ago. How has the band grown since then?

It has come a long way since then. I now work closely with a chemist, long ago are the days when I would stand over my stove mixing formulas. I would send hundreds of packages out to stores and call them constantly. The brand was picked up by small independent boutiques and grew from there. It was an amazing experience to see my products on the shelves of department stores. We have recently launched in the US and the brand is doing well.

Has being vegan and cruelty-free hindered the brand in any way?

No. I think if it can be vegan and cruelty-free, which it can, then why wouldn’t you do this? In the future, making products this way will be the only way. Cake to me and the consumers is about nostalgia and authenticity and mixing this with girly concepts. Cake’s vegan and cruelty-free principles are combined with girly and playful characteristics. I wanted to build something meaningful.

Talk us through the name and branding of your business.

I am very much involved with the brand every step of the way and the name came from the nostalgia of baking cakes in my kitchen. It is versatile and there is so much that we can do with it, especially in terms of marketing. For example, our umbrellas at our launch today in Coven Garden have the motif ‘Let it Sprinkle’ - it all adds to the authenticity and nostalgia that the brand is about.

What has been the biggest challenge that you have overcome in the past 15 years of Cake?

Having no money at the beginning and no budget. I would mix the formulas myself, in my kitchen over my stove, and fill the bottles with icing bags. I’m always looking for the next thing and so I don’t stop and notice successes. But I think my proudest moment was seeing the products being sold in department stores.

What is the plan for the European launch and beyond?

So last year we launched in the US, this year the UK, Turkey, and Russia and then Australia. We are really pleased to be launching in Boots.

Who is your audience?

We have a broad audience at Cake. We don’t cater to one specific generation. Due to the brand ethos, our consumer is a millennial-minded one. Our scope is broad, and our consumer likes the nostalgia our products evoke. It is authentic and unique and so delivers a personalised experience.

What is your preferred social media platform and what is your opinion on Instagram trialing hiding likes?

Instagram, definitely. It doesn’t affect us the hiding likes. I don’t pay influencers to promote the brand. If they want to [promote it] that is their choice. Only influencers that are passionate about the brand get featured. I don’t agree with paid adverts. I am passionate about the brand and what we are creating.

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