Ning Cheah | The Beauty Crop

Women to Watch | Beauty Founders

Ning Cheah: The Chemical Engineer Reimagining Affordable Beauty

“Affordable beauty shouldn’t mean compromising on quality or ingredients.” – Ning Cheah

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Some of the most exciting beauty brands aren’t created inside traditional beauty companies. They’re built by founders who see the industry through an entirely different lens.

For Ning Cheah, founder of The Beauty Crop, that journey began with chemical engineering, followed by twelve years in investment banking. But it was her own experience living with eczema and chronic cystic acne that ultimately changed the course of her career.

Frustrated by the lack of affordable products that combined skin-loving ingredients with high-performance makeup, Ning set out to prove that consumers shouldn’t have to choose between quality and price. Today, The Beauty Crop has become one of the UK’s most recognisable independent beauty brands, known for colourful packaging, innovative formulations and accessible luxury.

As part of Darling Magazine’s Women to Watch | Beauty Founders series, we spoke to Ning about resilience, entrepreneurship, balancing motherhood with business, and why purpose will always outlast trends.

1. Tell us about yourself. Who are you outside of your business?

I’m a wife, mum to two young children and someone who genuinely loves creating things. Outside of work, my happiest moments are usually the simple ones—family holidays, discovering great food, or experimenting in the kitchen. I also have a bit of an obsession with chemistry and understanding how ingredients work, which probably explains why I still get excited reviewing product formulations after all these years.

2. When did you first realise beauty was going to become part of your career?

Beauty definitely wasn’t part of the original plan. I studied Chemical Engineering before spending twelve years in investment banking. It was actually my own struggles with eczema and chronic cystic acne that changed everything. I was searching for products that were kind to sensitive skin but still delivered amazing performance, and I couldn’t find them. That’s when I realised there was an opportunity to create something different.

3. What problem were you trying to solve when you launched your brand?

I wanted to prove that affordable beauty shouldn’t mean compromising on quality or ingredients. Consumers were often forced to choose between expensive prestige products or cheaper formulas that weren’t always skin-friendly. I wanted to bridge that gap by creating high-performing makeup infused with skincare ingredients that people could genuinely afford to use every day.

“Affordable beauty shouldn’t mean compromising on quality or ingredients.”

4. Was there a defining moment where you thought,

“I’m actually going to do this.”

There wasn’t one defining moment—it was more a growing conviction. I wasn’t fulfilled in my corporate career, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the gap I saw in the beauty industry. Better-formulated colour cosmetics that truly cared for your skin simply weren’t widely available at an affordable price, and I felt that idea deserved to exist. Eventually, I realised that if I only had one life to live, I had to take the leap. I’d have regretted never trying far more than I would have regretted failing.

5. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve overcome as a founder?

Building a business has taught me that resilience is probably your greatest asset. There have been legal disputes, manufacturing issues, cash flow pressures and countless moments where things didn’t go to plan. Looking back, every difficult period forced us to become a stronger company. You learn to solve problems instead of panicking about them.

6. What’s one thing people assume about running a beauty brand that simply isn’t true?

People often think it’s all product launches, photoshoots and glamorous events. In reality, most of my day is spent analysing inventory, managing cash flow, solving operational problems and making hundreds of small decisions that customers never see. Beauty is creative, but running a beauty business is incredibly operational.

7. What does success mean to you today compared to when you first started?

When I first started, success was simply getting someone I didn’t know to buy one of our products. Today, success looks very different. It’s building a business that’s sustainable, creating opportunities for our team, developing products our customers genuinely love and proving that independent brands can compete with global beauty companies.

8. How do you look after your own wellbeing while running a business?

I’m still learning! Becoming a mum has actually made me better at setting boundaries because family time has become non-negotiable. I’ve also learnt that stepping away from the business occasionally often gives me better perspective than constantly being switched on.

9. Which product best represents your brand and why?

Our Oui Chérie Hydrating Mist perfectly represents who we are. It’s innovative, fun, packed with skincare ingredients and genuinely performs. It became a viral success because people loved it—not because of huge marketing budgets—and that feels very true to The Beauty Crop.

10. If somebody had never heard of your brand before, what would you want them to know?

I’d want them to know we’re serious about formulations, even if we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Behind our colourful packaging is years of research into ingredients that nourish the skin while delivering incredible makeup performance. We believe everyone deserves products that feel luxurious without the luxury price tag.

11. What are you most proud of building?

I’m most proud of building a genuinely loyal community. Seeing customers recommend our products to friends, watching creators organically fall in love with them, and hearing stories about how our products have helped someone’s confidence—that means more than any sales figure.

“If I only had one life to live, I had to take the leap.”

12. What’s next?

We’re entering a really exciting chapter. We’re continuing to expand internationally while strengthening our presence in the UK, with more innovation around complexion and skincare-infused makeup. Our ambition is simple: to become the go-to affordable beauty brand people instantly think of when they want incredible performance without compromise.

Darling

Complete this sentence…

Beauty means…

…feeling comfortable in your own skin, not hiding behind makeup. The best beauty products should enhance your confidence, not define it.

Complete this sentence…

The one thing I wish every woman knew is…

…you don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin. Whether it’s starting a business or making a life change, confidence usually comes after you’ve taken the first step.

Why do you think women should continue supporting independent beauty founders?

Independent founders bring fresh ideas, challenge the status quo and build brands with genuine purpose. Every purchase supports innovation, creativity and often another woman who’s taken a huge personal risk to build something she believes in.

Ning Cheah

• The Beauty Crop was born from your own experience with eczema. How did your personal journey shape the products you create today?

It influences every product we develop. Because I’ve experienced sensitive, reactive skin myself, I’m incredibly conscious about ingredient selection and formulation. I always ask whether a product will not only perform beautifully but also feel comfortable on the skin.

• Affordable beauty doesn’t have to compromise on quality. Why has that always been so important to you?

I never believed great formulas should only be available to people willing to spend £40 on a product. Everyone deserves access to beautifully formulated makeup that’s effective, thoughtfully made and affordable.

• What excites you most about the future of beauty innovation?

I’m excited about the continued blending of skincare and makeup. Consumers are becoming far more ingredient-conscious, and I think the future belongs to products that genuinely improve your skin while delivering beautiful results.

“Start now. There will never be a perfect time.”

Quick Fire

Favourite book? Atomic Habits
Morning or night? Morning
Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, Tea after 12pm
One beauty product you couldn’t live without? Peptide Calm Skin Mist
Favourite place to travel? Shanghai
One piece of advice for aspiring founders? Start now. There will never be a perfect time, and you’ll never feel 100% ready. You’ll figure it out as you go.

Ning Cheah’s story is a reminder that some of the most successful businesses begin with a personal challenge and a willingness to think differently.

By combining scientific understanding with a passion for accessible beauty, she has built a brand that proves innovation doesn’t have to come with a luxury price tag. It’s a philosophy that continues to resonate with consumers around the world.

As part of Darling Magazine’s Women to Watch | Beauty Founders series, Ning represents a generation of founders redefining beauty through innovation, resilience and purpose.

About Ning Cheah

Ning Cheah is the founder and CEO of The Beauty Crop. With a background in Chemical Engineering and investment banking, she launched the award-winning beauty brand after her own experience with eczema and sensitive skin inspired her to create affordable, skincare-infused makeup that delivers professional performance without compromise.

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