Tropic - A Year In Review 2022

It's been a truly wonderful year for everyone at

Looking back, we have so much to be proud of. Whether your bathroom shelf is brimming with our entire range, or you’re yet to try one of our bestselling staples, we’re excited to share the achievements of our Ambassadors and our fantastic team at HQ.

As one of the largest privately owned beauty brands in the UK, we don’t answer to shareholders. We answer to you – our customers. We’re putting people and planet first, with the best resources and initiatives in the industry.

Think of this insider scoop as an all-access backstage pass to HQ. Get ready to discover how Tropic is leading the way in creating quality efficacious beauty, and uncover some exclusive new developments for 2023. We aim to be a stronger force for good than ever before, because…

Beauty means the world to us!

With love and appreciation

SUSIE MA Founder and CEO

CARLTON CONNELL Managing Director

WE’RE COSMOS CERTIFIED!

This year, we unveiled our new rebrand, taking inspiration from our organic-certified products for a look with real purpose and power. With 20 products in our skincare range introduced or upgraded to COSMOS certified organic with the Soil Association, we offer the gold standard and a consumer guarantee for organic cosmetics.

“The new look and formulations are amazing. I’m so proud that every product’s packaging in the skincare collection is now either recyclable, reusable, or refillable. These small changes make significant progress towards minimising our environmental impact through sustainable packaging. Kudos to the entire team!”

QUEENY New Product Development Manager

OUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS

OUR

REDUCTION OF VIRGIN PLASTICS

We also tackled our mammoth pledge: to reduce our use of virgin plastic across our skincare line by half by the end of the year. We didn’t just achieve it – we went above and beyond!

In 2022, we reduced our use of virgin plastic across our skincare range by over two-thirds!

THE INNERBOTTLE TECHNOLOGY

This incredible airless, zero-waste solution improves the preservation of antioxidants by 13% compared to a conventional non-airless dip tube bottle. Plus, it can be recycled – by sending the innerbottle back to us, customers close the loop and create a circular economy.

On average we save

tonnes of virgin plastic every month, compared to our previous skincare range.

THE POWER OF CLINICAL DATA

COSMOS certification isn’t just great for the planet, it’s good for your skincare routine too. Organic ingredients have turbocharged these formulas, securing the best clinical results we’ve ever seen. We now have over 25 products validated with clinical data from independent labs – these are fact-checked for accuracy and verified by Provenance, cementing their status as some of the best formulas in the industry.

We now have over

25 products

validated with clinical data from independent labs.

SKIN DREAM

In a 28-day independent clinical study, skin texture improved by an average of 34% with 91% of testers noticing a visible reduction in wrinkle depth

RAINFOREST

DEW

In an independent clinical study, skin hydration increased by an average of 111% in just two hours.

ELECTRIC BLOOM

In an independent clinical study, skin firmness and elasticity improved by an average of 48% after one use.

“The greatest achievement for me and my team in 2022 was developing skincare products with outstanding clinical data for their performance. I’m so proud to use ingredients from organically grown crops, from healthy, balanced soil, completely respecting the natural ecosystem. ”

KAVITHA

Head of Research & Development and Compliance

FESTIVE COLLECTIONS

This year saw the release of our must-have festive collections. We released seven limited edition sets, packaged in premium tin, each with an ode to a precious marine creature. Every collection brimmed with self-care jewels and helped to contribute towards healthier shores for our planet, with 10% of the profits from every set going to our friends at the Reef Restoration Foundation in Cairns Our hand-designed tins can be treasured forever, with a wide range of luxurious formulations in every set. From cult classics and bestselling products, to never-before-seen lip balms and body scrubs – they’re the perfect gift for beauty lovers and our planet. We’ve sold over 125,000 Beauty Beneath Collections that will be enjoyed in over 30 countries, including Mauritius and Australia, places that are home to some of the most vibrant coral reefs, supporting a vast diversity of marine life. How apt!

be wearable and empowering for all! We also busted the myth that natural and vegan makeup can't have mesmerising performance and pay-off. We put so much effort into our formulations – from shades, to ingredients, to performance.

I'm so proud to say that this launch has been our most successful makeup launch ever. It brings me so much joy and happiness seeing so many people being empowered with our makeup!”

MICA

New Product Development - Makeup

MAKING MOVES IN MAKEUP

We unveiled 15 new makeup products with new Silk Gel Liners, Pressed Shadows and more. We simply have too many to list but our favourites from this year are:

Our Smoking Siren was our most sought-after look, while our Starlight Pressed Shadow was our bestseller.

Our Kiss Me Quick Lipstick is now also available in four new neutral tones. This lipstick is formulated with the Kiss Me Quick flower. This magenta flower stimulates collagen production for plumper lips and Vitamin E to promote cellular repair. It helps create the ultimate long-lasting lipstick with skincare benefits too!

Despite only being on sale since the summer, over

ECO STATS AND FACTS

Data and numbers needn't be boring. We've scouted the best data from our spreadsheets to find the extraordinary, hilarious, and mind-blowing facts from the products you loved most in 2022. We sold over

organic certified masks in aluminum tubes were sold. Self care for you, self care for the world

Cleansing Body Pebbles. The eco-friendliest cleanser you could imagine!

We've saved over

pumps, pipettes and applicators from being thrown away thanks to our refill options.

If you stacked up all the Line Up Lip Pencils sold in 2022, it would be

height of Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in the UK!

10,000 reviews

on Trustpilot, with an average rating of 4.8 out 5.

We’ve achieved over

D’Excellence Award

OUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS

IN THE PRESS

We held three PR events in 2022 to build our relationships with key media and influencers, helping us to achieve over 700 press and influencer mentions across the year – 35% more than last year.

Press helped us to spread our key messages this year, with the likes of Grazia, Refinery29, Independent , GLAMOUR, Good Housekeeping , Marie Claire and more featuring our skincare on their print and digital pages. It’s said that consumers need to see something on average seven times before making a purchasing decision, so these placements can act as a very helpful research tool in our customers' Tropic journeys.

Influencers fell for our festive collection with 90 pieces of social content extolling the power of gifts that give back, reaching an audience of more than 1.2m people.

OUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS

TROPIC AT THE EUROPEAN MTV AWARDS 2022

Hello MTV and welcome to my skincare routine! We were honoured to be the official provider of the MTV EMAs for a second year in a row. Our products were used by the incredible makeup team on A-list stars including Tate McRae, Sam Ryder, and even Lewis Capaldi.

“It’s been wonderful to be recognised for our hardworking formulas and sustainability efforts by key media, who are increasingly shifting their focus to highlight brands that give back – so expect to see more Tropic in the press in 2023!

It’s always a thrill to see our products used on household names and 2022 saw Holly Willoughby, Vicky McClure and more support Tropic. We increased activity with influencers, who provide a valuable way of connecting with new and existing brand fans by creating engaging, relatable content that helps to tell our brand story to a larger audience.”

SIOBHAN PR Manager

OUR FIRST TUBE CAMPAIGN

Nice To Meet You, London! We’re Tropic.

We launched our first large scale advertising campaign on the London Underground, with over 200 poster adverts and digital placements at tube stations across the capital.

Our adverts were seen over

10 %

FOR THE WORLD CAMPAIGN

Tropic is all about giving back, which is why we made our boldest commitment yet. 10% of profits will now always go to charity and good causes with our 10% For The World pledge. That means more school days, more help tackling UK poverty, and more rejuvenation of Australia’s reefs.

“

I’m so proud of our 10 % For The World pledge, with 10 % of our profits going to charity and good causes. It's a record amount for us, but it’s also just one of the many ways we’re committed to our Infinite Purpose. It sets a new bar in the industry for truly ethical beauty. ”

CONNOR Brand and Social Responsibility Manager

NEW HIRES

From products to partnerships – over the years, we've created waves in the beauty industry, and we're not stopping now.

There's always a better way to do something. That's why this year, some of the most imaginative and creative minds have joined the team, driving what Tropic does best – creating products that have a positive effect on people and planet.

BARNEY

ALICE

WARREN

OUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

We’re investing for the future, with our very own bespoke studio currently being constructed. This means more shoots, letting more in-house talent shine, and more opportunities to show the best of what Tropic has to offer.

OUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS YOUR ONLINE EXPERIENCE

We’ve seen how the pandemic has signalled a shift to spending more time researching and browsing Tropic online. That’s why we’ve got more plans in the works to ensure your online experience is more immersive and rewarding than ever before. Watch this space!

“We’ve got so many exciting plans that will finally come to life in 2023, and I can’t wait to share them with you! Let’s just say you’re going to feel even more inspired and connected to Tropic than ever.”

NICOLE

Head of Growth & Innovation

BEHIND THE SCENES

BEHIND THE SCENES

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Every formulation we sell starts right here: the nine-person strong Research and Development team with over 100 years of collective experience in beauty. Did

LUXURY BATH FOAM came into existence for the daughter of one of our HQ team members, who wanted a bubble bath that didn’t aggravate her eczema.

TAMANU BALM was made for one of our original Ambassadors, after they asked for something natural to help with scarring following a car accident.

We have over

1, 500 ingredients

to hand, ranging from plant extracts, peptides, emulsifiers and waxes, to butters, essential oils, flower waters and pigments.

BEHIND THE SCENES

SUPPLY CHAIN

Our Supply Chain team are responsible for our high-quality, sustainable ingredients and packaging. They have relationships with over 200 suppliers all around the world who source from over 40 countries – from right here in the UK, all the way to Australia. Every supplier is vetted and approved, with consistent follow-ups from our team to ensure complete transparency.

BEHIND THE SCENES

OLAF

Our first-ever machine, in its lifetime, with its 250KG capacity, it’s made more than two million products! It’s still maintained and makes products such as our Hand Creambalms and Tamanu Balm

HOBY

Our first-ever machine, in its lifetime it’s made more than two million products! It’s still maintained and makes products such as our Hand Creambalms and Tamanu Balm

BEHIND THE SCENES

PRODUCTION

Once an ingredient is sourced, it’s time to put it into production! Once our skincare scientists have established a formula, the weighing team increase the amount of ingredients slowly, ensuring all the pigments, melting points and mixing times are ready for scaling up by over one thousand times. Things must be precise, as the raw materials cost tens of thousands of pounds alone. Luckily, our weighing machines are correct within a thousandth of a gram!

There are over

200 steps and checks

when making a single product - every single step needs to be manually checked and signed off by someone in our incredible Manufacturing team.

These huge mixers and cookers are responsible for cream products, such as our Smoothing Cleanser, Body Wash, Body Love, and Fresh Waves. They can make over 10,000 units of a product at a time.

This machine, called Aera (meaning 'Love' in Korean),

can fill 30 different products

and counting...

BEHIND THE SCENES

FILLING

Once we’ve made our product, it’s time to fill up its packaging.

Our award-winning Innerbottle technology can only be produced by our one-of-a kind, multi-millionpound machine because it's patent protected. We’re the only company with this technology in Europe!

Born in Korea, this machine, called Aera (meaning 'Love' in Korean), can fill 30 different products and counting, which makes the machine a perfect match for many of our ranges. Aera has stringent grading checks, weighing the product to be precise to the gram, and taking photos of every product it fills, to detect any faults. Any out of spec items are ejected at the end of the line for human quality control checks.

Every week, Quality Control

tests 40 batches

before they're packaged. They also test over 20 raw ingredients and 20 packaging components.

BEHIND THE SCENES

QUALITY CONTROL AND ASSURANCE

Once a product is manufactured, it goes to Quality Control. We have various lab equipment and processes to check the quality of a product, testing for density, pH, viscosity, moisture, and colour.

In total there are 15 different tests that can be performed to pass a product. Pressed powders go through the most, with 12 separate tests performed, including colour checks and drop tests.

DISPATCH & WAREHOUSE

With over 400 products, variations and collections currently available, picking them all to wrap up and send to your doorstep can be busy work. We’ve brought in a new picking machine, affectionately called Whitney, to pick all your orders and speed up our processes. This has allowed us to bring millions of our customers Priority Delivery, which is free when you spend over £100

After Brexit, we had to switch off deliveries for our EU customers to avoid any custom charges they may receive. We’ve been doing our due diligence and a huge amount of legal reading behind the scenes… and we’re happy to announce that orders are now back and are custom free for over 30 European countries. We’re just working on Spain, where we’ve run into a few hiccups, but once this is sorted all Tropic orders will custom-charge free to all EU/EEA countries and Switzerland.

“

With over 100 people in the Tropic Team dedicated to packing, wrapping and dispatching, plus our cutting-edge new automated picking machines, our department has received some of the best investments this year. I’m incredibly proud of us for dispatching over a million parcels, each full of products freshly made at Tropic HQ in Britain.”

RYAN Dispatch Manager

MARKETING & CREATIVE

The Marketing team is where our passion for Tropic truly comes alive. An editorial team of over 30 graphic and packaging designers, writers, video editors, and website developers all come together under one roof to collaborate on creating innovative content. No stone is left unturned in ensuring our products are known for being powerful, purposeful, and planet-protective.

...and here’s a fun fact – this magazine has been, on average, in 1 of every 28 households in the UK! It’s all written and designed at our HQ by our in-house graphic design and writing teams.

“What a year it's been! We launched our Beauty Beneath campaign to help support a brighter future for the Great Barrier Reef, exceeded 30,000 five-star customer reviews and are so close to hitting the one million milestone with our magazine! Plus, we're continuing to drive a videofirst approach across our social channels to engage with our online community even further. I’m so proud of what the team has achieved together and I'm looking forward to what 2023 has in store! ”

MIRA Head of Marketing

Got a skincare routine question? How about a question regarding your latest order? Get the most out of the Tropic products you love with our 30-member strong Customer and Ambassador support team, available 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and also at weekends, bank holidays and the festive period too.

“When the cost of living is rising as much as it is, finding money for extra support is challenging and can add more stress to the general day-to-day. I was extremely proud of the implementation of Spill, our new platform which supports colleague mental health. By offering easily accessible guidance from professional therapists, we hope that our team’s wellbeing is supported in every way possible.”

LAURA HR & Culture Manager

BEHIND THE SCENES

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Our HQ team is a true reflection of what we want Tropic to be. We welcome diverse voices in the room and listen to everyone at the table. This year we’ve implemented mental health support for office employees via Spill, providing therapy sessions, manager mental health training, and regular feelings check-ins, which are all completely confidential between therapist and employee.

We’re incredibly proud to be an empowering place to work – in fact, we’re ranked 14th as the Best Female-Powered Company in the UK by JP Morgan. The UK gender pay average is 15% in favour of men, but our pay gap is 0% . The number of women making up senior management positions at Tropic is 60%, nearly double the UK average. Likewise, the percentage of people of colour (Black, Asian, and Mixed Race) making up senior positions at Tropic is at an all-time high of 25%.

– nearly double the UK average.

The number of women making up senior management positions at Tropic is 60%

The only way you can receive in-person dedicated beauty recommendations and experience our premium products first-hand is through our Ambassador network, located throughout the UK.

With no stockists, we simply make products to our extremely high standard, without needing to cut corners or rush deadlines to meet any demands. It also means we manufacture our products to seasonal need and demand, so our products are the freshest they can be.

2022 was a year of reconnection with our Ambassadors. We hosted events rewarding them for their success, including our Tropic At Sea cruise, and Tropic Fest: our own exclusive music festival. We also took some very lucky Ambassadors to the opening of our UWS school in Nepal, and will be doing so next year in Madagascar!

We believe that when delivered in a sustainable and ethical way, direct selling is an incredibly empowering business model, offering many people a chance to create a flexible income and business for themselves. This year, Ambassadors collectively earned over £40 million. That’s money paid directly to beauty lovers across the UK – not business organisations.

Last September, the return of our in-person

Glambassador event couldn't have been more extraordinary, celebrating with over 4,000 Ambassadors. From jaw-dropping live performances to well-deserved recognition. It was our biggest event ever.

GIVING BACK

UNITED WORLD SCHOOLS

Three years ago, we launched our United World Schools partnership. Since then, we’ve supported over 100 schools across the world, with three brand new schools built and opened in Cambodia, Nepal and Madagascar!

For the past three years we’ve helped children from remote, impoverished communities across the world. Together with UWS, we’re helping to break the cycle of poverty, with education being the key to a brighter future.

UWS do incredible work with our funding, overcoming barriers including gender, disability, poverty, ethnicity, religion and language.

Working collaboratively with each community they serve, UWS provides mother-tongue education, training local teachers to empower students and parents. In addition, UWS partners with regional and national governments to provide health and sanitation support. We help provide ongoing funding until each school is self-sustaining after 5-7 years.

This year alone we’ve funded education for 9,000 children

existing schools for an entire year.

PAPOSY

“Last year, I went to school in Andalambezo and I lived with my grandparents. Now I live with my parents and attend UWS Ampandrivotse School. I chose to go to this school because I think it is beautiful. It's the first time I have seen such a building...”

Ampandrivotse - MADAGASCAR Opened in Summer 2022

SANJONA

up, I want to be a nurse. Thank you, Tropic!”

Madamsingh - NEPAL

Opened in Spring 2022

SOPHEA

Ta Lart Themy - CAMBODIA Opened in Spring 2020

MEET SOME OF THE CHILDREN ATTENDING OUR TROPIC SCHOOLS!

“A big thank you to the Tropic Team for supporting our community even during school closures when we were able to continue to learn at home.”

“I love this school – it’s a great environment. All my subjects are my favourite. When I grow

GIVING BACK

REEF RESTORATION

10% OF PROFITS FROM OUR BEAUTY BENEATH COLLECTIONS WILL BE DONATED TO REEF RESTORATION FOUNDATION, HELPING TO GROW A TROPIC NURSERY OF CLIMATE-RESILIENT BABY CORAL ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

Our partnership has established and operates a nursery of ten tree frames at Moore Reef located off the coast of Cairns.

This next generation of coral starts as a cutting, about the size of your finger, which is snipped from healthy corals adjacent to the reef that is to be regenerated. The corals are then attached to the coral tree frames in an ocean-based nursery. The frames accelerate the growth of the corals, which are checked regularly, cleaned and measured to ensure there are no signs of disease.

More than 1,500 species of fishes and other vertebrates live in the Great Barrier Reef, including rays and sharks, as well as corals –which are animals, not plants! There are hard and soft varieties of coral which live together in large groups called colonies.

Coral reefs provide food for a variety of fish. It’s estimated that around 500 million people in the world rely on coral reefs for tourism and coastal protection.

FORESTRY ENGLAND

In 2022, Tropic funded and planted a forest in Queen Elizabeth Country Park in the Hampshire South Downs.

OVER

7,000

NATIVE AND CLIMATERESILIENT TREES SUCH AS ITALIAN ALDERS, SMALL LEAVED LIMES, OAK, HORNBEAM AND SYCAMORES HAVE BEEN PLANTED, HELPING TO REPLACE OVER 20 HECTARES THAT WERE FELLED IN 2019 DUE TO ASH DIEBACK.

Growing trees, protecting rare heathlands and caring for our streams and freshwater sources means we can create more habitats in which wildlife will thrive, and create more green spaces to visit. These trees will be enjoyed by people and wildlife for generations to come.

Tropic has also funded the addition of a nest cam, allowing ecologists to monitor and measure the development of a community of goshawks. On their way back from the brink of extinction, goshawks – known as the ‘phantoms of the forest’ – are some of our greatest and most elusive birds of prey.

These majestic goshawks help maintain an important balance in our forest ecosystem.

This forest is free and open to everyone. Find the exact location of the Tropic forest by downloading the App what3words and typing: shifts/minds/found

carbon negative

GIVING BACK

CARBON NEUTRAL

We are CarbonNeutral® certified by offsetting our emissions from the previous year, following the CarbonNeutral Protocol which is the global standard.

To be certified CarbonNeutral®, we measure and offset our direct emissions (scope 1), indirect electricity emissions (scope 2) and other indirect emissions (scope 3). This year, for our carbon neutral projects, we’ve supported the Acre Rainforest Conservation project and the Canales Wind Power project in Guatemala. It’s important, however, to look at overall carbon reduction strategies.

Working from home, as well as a reduction in business travel, allowed us to be more efficient than in 2020.

We've double offset our emissions for the last 5 years, effectively being

TRUSSELL TRUST

Now with a portion of our profits going to the Trussell Trust as part of our 10% For The World pledge, we will continue to support this incredible charity to run a nationwide network of food banks –providing emergency food and support to people locked in poverty – and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

Since partnering with the Trussell Trust in 2020, we’ve raised over

PRIDE

Coming out, or being outed as LGBTQ+, can lead to young people being made homeless. In fact, 24% of homeless young people identify as LGBTQ+. Our world is a better place when people can be who they are, which is why for the second year running, we’ve championed and donated to akt . This charity supports LGBTQ+ young people aged 16-25 in the UK who are facing or experiencing homelessness, or living in a hostile environment.

GIVING BACK

BIG CHANGE

Susie also set her sights to the sky at over 16,000 feet and climbed Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa, all in the name of Big Change who invest in big ideas that help young people thrive in live, not just exams.

THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF OUR AMBASSADOR COMMUNITY, WHO HAVE DONATED OVER £120,000 THIS YEAR ALONE, WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP EVEN MORE WORTHY CAUSES BEYOND THOSE THAT ARE INCLUDED WITHIN OUR 10% FOR THE WORLD PLEDGE.

THE WINNIE MABASO FOUNDATION

Together, we’ve supported The Winnie Mabaso Foundation for over five years. The Winnie Mabaso Foundation was established to support vulnerable and orphaned children in South Africa, particularly those living with HIV. The foundation also supports a network of ‘grannies’, who may no longer have family due to the impact of HIV/AIDS.

We’ve been able to gift the grannies a well-deserved holiday, after staying at home for nearly three years since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve also been able to buy every granny in the network a brand new bed so they can sleep with dignity and comfort.

GIVING BACK

PAPYRUS

Closer to home, we’ve been looking at how we can create a healthier world here in the UK, and health starts with mental health. Papyrus is a charity for the prevention of young suicide across the country. Just £5 can fund a call via their HOPELINEUK service, playing a critical role in helping those from those at risk of suicide and concerned others.

This service can be used by anyone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide, and also by those who are worried about somebody in their lives who may be at risk of suicide. Their life-assisting care-givers have had extensive training in suicide prevention, and are equipped to work on safety plans to keep people safe from suicide.

We're so pleased to have funded enough for over 8,000 calls, potentially saving multiple lives.

This report was written with forward-looking projections. Actual results may differ. Please do not place undue reliance on these projections.