The History of BYOMA

Byoma is one of beauty’s most instantly recognisable TikTok-era skincare brands, but behind the bright, block-coloured bottles is a surprisingly straightforward mission: to stop people doing too much to their skin.

In just a few years, the British skincare brand has taken ‘skin barrier’ from a term mostly used by dermatologists and skincare obsessives into one of the biggest beauty conversations of the moment.

Here’s how Byoma did it.

From Lockdown to Launch

Byoma was founded in 2022 by beauty entrepreneur Marc Elrick. The brand launched under Future Beauty Labs, Elrick’s Glasgow-based beauty incubator, which had been backed by private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners since 2020, and whose portfolio included Tan-Luxe, Isle of Paradise, and Tanologist.

The idea for Byoma came to Elrick during the pandemic, when — due to people being stuck at home — social media became flooded with layering routines, acid exfoliants, retinoids, serums, and dramatic before-and-after transformations. Interest in experimental, active ingredient-led routines was rapidly rising, but so were the risks of over-exfoliating, irritating, and compromising the skin. It was here Elrick identified a gap between affordable active-led products and gentler barrier-supporting formulas.

The Skin Barrier Solution

Byoma’s real point of difference was this barrier-first approach. Instead of telling consumers to strip their routines back to absolutely nothing, the brand focused on helping them make smarter, more supportive skincare choices.

The brand’s formulas are developed around its signature Tri-Ceramide Complex, designed to help support and replenish the skin barrier. Its packaging has also become part of the education. Bright, modular bottles and clear product names make the range easy to navigate, while the brand’s messaging focuses on helping consumers understand what their skin actually needs.

At the beginning, Byoma kept things streamlined. It launched with just a handful of skincare essentials, including the Creamy Jelly Cleanser, Moisturising Gel Cream, Hydrating Serum, Brightening Serum, and Clarifying Serum. And to get the products into as many hands as possible, Byoma launched simultaneously in Target in the US and Boots in the UK — giving it instant scale while sitting comfortably in that rare sweet spot between premium-style skincare and affordable drugstore pricing.

The brand’s social strategy was another contributor to its rapid success. It put aside self-promotion on its social channels in favour of educating its audience, making the skin barrier feel more accessible and helping consumers understand why irritation, dryness, redness, and sensitivity could be signs of doing too much rather than too little.

This minimalist message perfectly coincided with the rise of the digital de-influencing movement, where TikTokers began rejecting expensive, over-complicated routines in favour of affordable products that actually did what they promised.

That message landed particularly well with younger beauty fans, who at the time were experimenting with products well beyond their age range. This became especially true during the rise of the ‘Sephora Kids’ phenomenon, which saw tweens using harsh acids that risked damaging their young skin.

While other viral brands faced heavy backlash for attracting tween shoppers, Byoma quickly became a safer option recommended by parents and dermatologists alike. The brand feels fun and visual, but it also gives consumers and parents a reason to trust it. This was not about abandoning active ingredients but teaching consumers how to use skincare in a way that protected the skin rather than overwhelming it.

Building the Byoma Universe

As the brand grew, Byoma expanded beyond its launch essentials. In 2023, it moved into suncare with its Moisturising Gel-Cream SPF 30, bringing its barrier-first positioning into a category that can often feel either too clinical or overly cosmetic.

More products naturally followed — like blemish care and clever, trend-savvy drops like the Phyto Mucin Glow Serum, which gave fans a vegan alternative to the snail mucin craze.

But it was the brand’s 2024 bodycare line that dominated socials. Byoma took the high-performing active ingredients usually reserved for your face and brought them down the high street bodycare aisle, tapping into the collective ‘Everything Shower’ obsession.

Through all the growth, though, the core rule never changed — every new formula still followed the same barrier-first logic.

By 2024, Byoma had become one of the most talked-about names in beauty, with a growing retail presence across Ulta Beauty, Space NK, Selfridges, and Sephora UK. But the brand wanted to do more than just sell products. To help people better understand their skin, Byoma launched Skin Barrier Awareness Month alongside a Smart Skin Scan tool — a quick digital analysis that takes the guesswork out of building a routine that works for you.

The Big Money Move

In September 2025, after Byoma crossed $500 million in retail sales, Bansk Group agreed to acquire a majority stake in the brand, wholly divesting it from Yellow Wood Partners.

The deal kept Marc Elrick and the existing leadership team in place, giving the brand major backing for its next stage of growth while allowing it to remain founder-led.

The Byoma Effect

In just four years, Byoma has helped make the skin barrier a major talking point in beauty. It has proved that products focused on skin health can still be fun, colourful, and easy to shop.

It’s a strategy that has catapulted the brand straight into the global big leagues; its recognition on the prestigious Time 100 Most Influential Companies list — paired with lifetime retail sales passing $770 million — proves this is no fleeting TikTok trend.

It has also revealed that younger beauty consumers expect more from skincare brands than cute packaging and catchy names. Increasingly, they are looking for formulas that make sense, routines they can stick to, and brands that help them understand their skin a little better.

Byoma is available in the UK at Boots and Space NK. US shoppers can find the brand at Target and Ulta Beauty.