"Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before"
- Gloria Steinem

Our Story: Why We Started

We've been best friends since we were 17. Between us, we've spent over two decades in careers that couldn't look more different on paper and it's exactly that combination that made GLORIAH possible.

Isla spent 11 years in the NHS, working in high dependency units and later running menopause clinics within the NHS alongside work in sexual health. In those clinics, she saw the same story play out hundreds of times: women silently managing symptoms they'd been told were just part of ageing, with almost nowhere to turn that didn't feel clinical, embarrassing, or frankly inadequate. Vaginal dryness in particular, affecting up to 75% of women during menopause and was barely talked about, massively undertreated, and served by products that looked like they belonged in a hospital supply cupboard.

Jessica spent the same years building a career at Sky, managing multi-million-pound product launches, subscriptions and commercial strategy across the UK and Europe. She understood consumer brands, distribution, and what it takes to make a product that people actually choose, not just reach for because there's nothing else.

The moment everything changed came when one of our closest friends was thrown into surgical menopause at 25. Overnight, she was dealing with severe vaginal dryness, hormonal disruption, and a category of products that made her feel worse, not better, plastic bottles with a clinical feel, nothing that reflected who she actually was. We couldn't stop thinking about how many women must be navigating exactly this, completely invisible in a market that had simply never been designed with them in mind.

So we started GLORIAH, initially while still working our full-time jobs, fitting it around night shifts, evenings, weekends and annual leave.

We launched in Scotland in 2021, won Scottish EDGE funding twice, and the rest had snowballed from there.

GLORIAH isn't a wellness trend. It's a women's health company built by two people who've seen (clinically and personally) what happens when this category is ignored.

Women have been overlooked in this category for decades. We're changing that.

Isla Wynne Thomas & Jessica Rose Watson
Co-founders, GLORIAH — Edinburgh, Scotland

Why we're called GLORIAH

We get asked this a lot.

Our brand is inspired by second wave feminism, and the great Glorias of that era.The name is a tribute. To Gloria Steinem, feminist icon and co-founder of Ms. Magazine. And Gloria Gaynor whose anthem "I Will Survive" became a rally cry for female resilience.

And the 'H'? That stands for pleasure. For the moment you exhale. The "ahhh" that comes with relief, comfort, and being seen.

Because that’s what we want GLORIAH to feel like.

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What GLORIAH Means to You

When we first launched, we spoke to menopausal women. But then you came to us.

The ones in your 20s and 30s. The ones with PMDD and POI. The ones who couldn’t find anything that made you feel seen.

You told us the old stuff didn’t speak to you. You didn’t want to feel like a patient. You wanted to feel powerful.

So we listened. We pivoted. And we’re still listening.

“GLORIAH is the first brand that talks about my condition without making me feel broken.”

“Everything else felt sterile. GLORIAH feels like a hug and a f*ck you at the same time.”

This brand is yours as much as ours.

The Brand: Rebellious by Design

Our aesthetic is no accident.

We took inspiration from the 1970s, a decade of cultural change, liberation, and feminist fire. Our bold terracotta tubes? A nod to that earthy, statement-making energy. Our prints and textures? Inspired by the riotous beauty of second-wave feminism.

Even our product names carry weight:

  • Liberation Oil – A tribute to the Women's Liberation Movement.
  • Soul Gel – Inspired by funk and soul, the soundtrack of Black Women’s Liberation.
  • Hey, Sunshine – Our disco-bright scent for mood and energy.
  • Slow Jam – A sultry, scent-patented pulse oil for calm, intimacy, and winding down.

We believe female health should look, feel, and sound like you. Not like a medical textbook.

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Our Formulation Philosophy

Soul Gel took two years to perfect. We work with the UKs leading chemists in natural cosmetics to create formulas that are natural, effective, and safe.

We don’t use endocrine disruptors. We avoid harsh fillers. And we never add ingredients just to make a label look fancy.

We champion clinically proven naturals, like AlgaPur, a sustainable algae oil proven to boost hydration and collagen better than Argan or Coconut.

Every formula is designed to do more than moisturise, it’s there to nourish, soothe, and respect your skin.

If it wouldn’t go on our vulvas, it doesn’t go in our products.

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This isn’t just a brand.
It’s your space too.