Meet Foundry: The Newest Name in British Beauty

A new British beauty brand has launched into the luxury beauty space with an approach that leans as much on science as it does on the Somerset countryside.

Foundry, created by cosmetic formulator and perfumer John Kilroy, is building its identity around small-batch production and ingredient-heavy formulas, as well as detailed compositions and a clear emphasis on how and where products are made. The brand debuts with an edit of skincare, bodycare, and fragrance, all developed from its base in Frome.

Some of the extracts, ferments, and botanical ingredients Foundry uses across the range are actually grown and processed on site, rather than sourced entirely from external labs. Others come from specialist suppliers, giving the lineup a mix of local and global input.

Kilroy puts it like this: “Everything we make is firmly rooted in skincare science, so we use many technically advanced ingredients from the world’s best skincare laboratories. But we also make many of our own organic extracts, ferments and lysates from wild berries, flowers and botanicals we gather in the Somerset countryside. These are small-batch artisan materials which are integral to the products we make. Embracing both science and nature has many obvious advantages — it’s an important part of our identity.”

At the centre of the launch are a series of serums that go big on formulation. Think ingredient lists packed with peptides, amino acids, and acids like AHAs and BHAs, alongside plant-derived extracts. One serum focuses on the skin’s microbiome and includes vegan placenta extract and fermented vitamin B9, while another uses retinaldehyde paired with vitamin C and delivered through nano-encapsulation. There’s also a formula combining a full spectrum of vitamins with enzymes and antioxidants, plus a night oil built around a large number of plant compounds.

The brand’s body and hand care follows a similar theme, pairing active-led formulas with fragrance compositions that borrow from high perfumery. Ingredients include citrus oils sourced in specific vintages, Melissa oil from a Norfolk grower, and blackcurrant bud absolute from Burgundy.

Everything is produced at a former Saxon water mill in Somerset, a site that has shifted from farming to textiles over the centuries and now houses Foundry’s current set-up.

Foundry is now available from foundryformulas.co.uk, priced from £25 to £180, shipping to both the UK and US.