Tropic Skincare
Tropic Skincare is a British online and multi-level marketing company which sells skincare and cosmetic products. The company is based in Croydon, South London. The business is owned by The Apprentice series 7 contestant Susie Ma.
History
Tropic initially launched as Tropic Pure Plant Skin Care in 2007. Susie Ma collaborated with cosmetic chemists, traditional herbalists and microbiologists to launch the brand.. The company officially became incorporated in 2011. After Ma took part in the seventh series of The Apprentice, Alan Sugar invested to become a 50% stakeholder in Tropic. In 2013, Tropic launched its direct-selling model with 400 founding sales people, known as ambassadors. As of 2025 there are over 20,000 ambassadors across the UK. In April 2023, Ma purchased back Sugar's shares and now owns 100% of the business.Business structure
Tropic uses a direct sales and multi-level marketing business model, in which sales people are paid for selling and for sales made by people they recruit or sponsor. Sales people host party plan events where products are demonstrated or sampled and orders are taken from customers. Sales people also can attend commercial events and have personal web-shops, where products are sold onlineProducts
Tropic offers naturally-derived skincare, makeup and body care products, with sustainably sourced ingredients from the tropical regions located around the equator. Nearly all of the brand's products are freshly made on a daily basis in the UK through a small batch production process.Ethics
Tropic donates 10% of profits to charities and good causes globally. Charity partners include UWS, Reef Restoration Foundation and Trussel Trust. It has funded seven million days of education for children in remote parts of the world. In 2023 its 'Give Back Friday' campaign led to a further 74,000 days of education being funded. It repeated the campaign in 2024, this time funding 80,000 additional days of education for children.After attending a King's Trust event in 2023, Susie committed Tropic to a four-year patronage of its Women Supporting Women initiative, which helps disadvantaged young women and girls to access training, advice and education to help them secure jobs and meaningful careers.
In May 2025, Tropic funded access for its ambassadors to a virtual training course to help detect the signs of skin cancer, with the charity Skcin.
Tropic is certified by the Vegan Society, Soil Association COSMOS Organic and Cruelty Free International, and is a CarbonNeutral and Ethically accredited company.
Awards
Tropic appeared on The Sunday Times Hundred 2022 - Britain's Fastest Growing Private Companies for the sixth consecutive year.Tropic was listed in J.P Morgan's 'Top 200 Women-Powered Businesses Report' in 2024 and 2023.
Tropic has won over 400 industry awards, from the likes of GLAMOUR, woman&home and CEW. In 2022, it won a Marie Claire Prix D'Excellence award for 'Beauty Gives Back', to recognise its impact in empowering through education for its partnership with charity UWS.