REFY Beauty has appointed Vagabond Digital as its performance marketing partner to support global expansion plans. The Manchester-based beauty brand, launched in 2020 by model and influencer Jess Hunt alongside co-founder Jenna Meek, selected Vagabond following a competitive pitch process, according to Prolific North.

Vagabond Digital will manage REFY’s PPC strategy across all territories and product lines as the beauty company focuses on international markets. The agency, which has previously worked with beauty brands including Marc Jacobs, L’Oreal, and Zooki, begins the partnership with “positive results” already reported.

Parallel Growth Trajectories

Both Manchester companies have experienced rapid growth since their 2020 launches. REFY Beauty has built a loyal customer base with its approach to “simplifying beauty,” while Vagabond has expanded to a team of 33 digital marketing specialists at its Manchester headquarters, serving clients including allbeauty, Mazuma, and Fragrance Direct.

Tom-James Lee, CEO of Vagabond Digital, states that the agency is “beyond ecstatic” about the partnership and “super excited to support REFY on the next phase of its growth plan as it targets new markets.”

REFY’s financial performance reinforces this growth trajectory, with recently filed accounts showing turnover increased to £40.3m for the year ending August 31, 2024, up from £24.8m in the previous year. Pre-tax profits rose to £13.2m from £8.9m, while the company’s headcount doubled from 48 to 94 employees.

Community-Focused Marketing Approach

REFY’s marketing strategy focuses on providing authentic customer experiences. In 2024, the brand launched “The Refy Project” campaign for its concealer line, featuring over 1,000 real customers instead of professional models. The initiative included shade-matching events across Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and London.

Hunt, who has over 1.7 million Instagram followers, explained the approach to “Glossy Beauty Podcast”: “We wanted to show these concealers off to absolutely everybody and show them on real skin. So often, you see airbrushed images, and [then] you buy a product and think, ‘Well, this looks nothing like that on me.'”

Global expansion appears to be driving significant results, with REFY’s international sales figures showing particular strength. The company’s turnover outside the UK and Europe jumped from £12.5m to £23.7m, while European sales grew from £1.8m to £3m. 

CEO Meek described 2024 as “a pivotal year” with “phenomenal growth,” highlighting the company’s “customer-first philosophy” as a key driver of their 63 percent revenue increase.