Few UK business leaders are as closely identified with their sector as Charlotte Tilbury is with cosmetics. After moving from Ibiza to an English boarding school, Tilbury developed a fascination with beauty products. Drawing on fashionable connections like friend Kate Moss and mentor Mary Greenwell, she used this passion to launch Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013.

In 2020, Tilbury sold a majority stake in the company to Spanish group Puig in a deal valuing the company at around £1.2bn – a scale-up trajectory that would make any founder blush. Success has continued since. Full-year results for 2025 reveal that pre-tax profit reached £21m, driven by an 11 per cent rise in sales. The brand is now targeting further growth through a renewed physical retail strategy, including its rollout to select Boots stores across the country mid-2026.

Tilbury remains chairman, president and chief creative officer, and her ambitions show no sign of narrowing: she reportedly wants to build "the biggest make-up brand in the world." She is, by most measures, already the industry’s most successful entrepreneur, with an estimated net worth of £335m in 2026. Her contribution to beauty and cosmetics was recognised in 2026, when she was appointed CBE. One of only a handful of female founders on this list – and of only three sole female founders – Tilbury and her distinctive red hair bring a pop of colour to the UKBPB landscape.