'Fantastic' response as natural skincare business Goly opens first shop in Southsea after years of organic growth
A new skincare shop has opened in Southsea
A business owner has swapped home working for bricks and mortar as she celebrates the launch of her first physical store after years of growing her natural skincare brand.
The 42-year-old started making her own skincare and soap products more than a decade ago. She initially launched an Etsy page to sell her wares but turned her attention on raising her children soon after.
In 2020, Estefania established Goly Natural Skincare, which she has operated from her Southsea home for the past five years, and has secured a loyal following across the country. The business has gone from strength to strength, with Goly being the first independent brand to temporarily set up in Cascades as part of Portsmouth City Council’s pop-up scheme, which launched in 2024.
She said: “I left my job in care and became a barber and then lockdown happened and I was at home unable to work so I carried on making soap and skincare for friends and family and my partner said that I should start selling it again. I just started from scratch. It keeps on growing - It has been organic growth, I’ve never paid for advertising. It has been from the local community and word of mouth. I have clients all over the UK and I post internationally.
“This shop landed in my lap because my friend, Connie, has the bakehouse next door. She had the space before. The response has been fantastic. It has been lovely, I’ve had a lot of new clients come in - I had two ladies come from Gosport to see me because they saw me at the market. It has been really good. All of the businesses on Albert Road have been very welcoming.
“It’s hard to miss the shop as it’s painted pink.”
The store sells a range of products including soaps, face creams, scrubs, bath bombs, room sprays, body lotions and more, all of which are handmade in the new lab space within the shop.
“I make everything. It takes me a whole day to make 25 kg of soap and then its needs 24 hours to set before cutting it and then it needs to cure for a month.
“I would like to expand the brand even more. I want it to be known on a bigger scale be it in the UK or in Europe. I want more people to know about my brand because it is beneficial and good for the planet.”