Karen Tippett - Beauty PR
The beauty scene feels more inclusive, but there’s still progress to be made. In today’s economy, consumers prioritise value, effectiveness, and simplified routines over lengthy 12-step regimens.
Tell us about your career in beauty to date.
I have been in Comms since the early nineties predominantly in Travel/lifestyle and specifically in beauty since 2011. I was incredibly fortunate to have started my beauty career representing legendary hair stylist Errol Douglas MBE. I currently represent UV protection brand Ultrasun, Independent lamellar based skincare brand Skinsense and botanical body care brand SBC Skincare. This involves a wide variety of work from media and content creator events and new product launches to digital and planning strategies. I get to work with brilliant Female leaders and innovators, as well as fantastic PR peers, writers, and creators.
Describe a typical day in your life.
Cliché but there isn’t one. The “typical” part is that I start each day in my disco garage with a workout, alternating the days between strength sessions and fun cardio (big up ANY ride or run from my favourite Peloton instructors Joslyn Thompson-Rule and Hannah Frankson!). As a PR, I obviously check all news headlines, but with curation on source in these challenging times. After this, my day varies on the “what” but is consistent in tasks that feed into the individual plans of each of the brands I represent, including my travel brands. This can be anything from setting up/escorting a shoot in Antigua for a well-known TV show, planning/hosting events, responding to media/creator enquiries, planning meetings with clients, social strategy sessions, collaboration meetings, advising on challenges or opportunities that come up, reach out for new product launches, to my favourite which is one on one meetings with others in the industry.
What made you decide to go solo?
Whilst I’m incredibly grateful for my years in-house and agency side, I was ready to seek out clients and ways of working that are bespoke to the client, and the relationship more agile and direct. I’m incredibly fortunate to work really closely with brand founders and their teams. I also wanted more flexibility in how and when I worked, leaning into my strengths and my natural “business body clock” around how I structure my working week. Finally, I wanted a wider “comms” brief for clients, where the multi-layered channels we now have and creative could all be offered and delivered together.
Please tell us what your current favourite beauty products are.
My makeup bag includes essentials like Beauty Pie Cream Waterline Pencil, Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint, Glossier Ultralip in Coupe, and Clinique Mascara in Black Honey. For foundation, I love IT Cosmetics CC Illumination Cream and Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint—both offer light coverage and a dewy glow that suits my 55-year-old skin. My haircare routine features SBC Propolis Scalp Care Shampoo, Dizziak Conditioner, and styling products like Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream or Carol’s Daughter Goddess Strength Leave-In Cream, depending on how my curls are behaving.
How does the beauty scene now compare to pre-2020?
I think we’re further into our individual knowledge and researched based era, gravitating towards those brands that are clear in what a product does and how it does it. Substance over sizzle reigns, and this is ultimately great for the customer. I also think that our at home routines are as much about effective skincare as they are about wellbeing and self-care, so hard working products that are also sensorial is the perfect combination. For makeup I like to think we are returning to the fun and experimental element that we had pre-2020. The beauty scene feels more inclusive BUT with much more to do. Above all, I think priorities are value in a challenging economy, efficacy and streamlined routines over 12 steps.
