Former Hollyoaks actress and beauty influencer Gemma Atkinson has launched a £500k crowdfunding campaign to launch her new beauty product brand, Gem & Tonic.
Scheduled for official launch in September 2025, the brand leveraged Atkinson’s two million-plus social media following to engage a community of 50,000 fans during product development. It has already sold £127k worth of stock during a three-week pre-order run in November 2024.
Since its launch last month, the crowdfunder has brought in more than £63k from 460 investors. Each of the Crowdcube-hosted crowdfunder’s reward tiers includes a signed thank you from Atkinson, with the highest tier – £25k-plus – promising a meet and greet with the influencer. The lowest investment tier was just £10.
“We intend to operate a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model, supported by a large influencer-led audience and community,” Gem & Tonic’s crowdfunder read.
“Based on surveys conducted, busy women want better beauty products. Busy women are feeling overwhelmed by costly, time-intensive beauty routines and are seeking simpler, more effective alternatives.”
So far, the company has three SKUs (a hair and scalp mist, body lotion, and face cream), each of which combines “scientifically proven products with mineral-rich gemstones”.
Gem & Tonic had already raised £250k from private backers before launching the official crowdfunding campaign. The business valued itself at £2.3m.
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