Emma Lewisham Relocates to London as UK Retail Distribution Deepens

Emma Lewisham — the New Zealand-born founder of her eponymous science-led, fully refillable clean skincare brand — made the announcement in February 2026 via a post on LinkedIn and Vogue Business coverage: she is moving to London, and she brings with her new retail agreements with Bluemercury and Cult Beauty, adding to existing stockists Space NK (55 UK doors since September 2023), Harrods, Liberty, Harvey Nichols, and Net-a-Porter. Lewisham's own words in Vogue Business are instructive: "The UK market isn't one that you succeed in overnight. They want to see if you stand by what you've said, which takes blood, sweat, and tears, and showing up and being prepared to roll up your sleeves."

The brand's story is structurally unusual: a New Zealand founder, building what is positioned as the world's first climate-positive beauty brand (the brand publicly commits to being carbon positive across its full supply chain), choosing to prioritise European market build over US expansion — the reverse of the trajectory most premium clean brands take. The refillable system, which spans its full range of cleansers, serums, and moisturisers, was already established at Mecca in Australia and New Zealand before the UK rollout began. Space NK's stated appetite for Australasian skincare brands — driven by UK consumer demand for advanced sun protection and science-led clean formulation — provided the initial retail gateway.

The relocation signals a level of founder commitment to the UK market that pure distribution deals don't require. Lewisham is not hiring a regional director; she is changing her address. For a founder-built brand where ingredient philosophy and brand voice are inseparable, proximity to the primary growth market is a capital-allocation decision as much as a personal one.

What to watch: Whether Lewisham opens a standalone London retail presence — her 2023 interview indicated a three-year target window — and how the Bluemercury partnership (a US prestige chain) positions the brand for eventual American distribution, which the brand has so far avoided.