What PaintGlow does

PaintGlow is a UK-based direct-to-consumer cosmetics brand and manufacturer operated by Lakeland Cosmetics Ltd, a private limited company headquartered in Workington, Cumbria. Founded in 2008 and operating with 11–50 employees, the company designs, manufactures, and distributes novelty, festival, and special-effects makeup and hair colour products from its UK Lake District facility. Its portfolio is structured across five registered sub-brands: the PaintGlow™ house brand (UV-reactive and glow-in-the-dark face and body paints, UV lipsticks, paint sticks), Glitter Me Up™ (pre-mixed water-based glitter gels, face jewels, glitter fix adhesives), Rebellious Colour® (semi-permanent hair dyes and temporary colour/glitter hair sprays), Fright Fest™ (Halloween SFX makeup including fake blood, liquid latex, scar wax, spirit gum, and Halloween face jewels), and ExtremeFX® (professional party effects fluids such as smoke, bubble, snow, and UV holi powder). Products are formulated as vegan-friendly and cruelty-free, with stated EU and FDA cosmetic regulatory compliance, supported by a Lakeland Cosmetics EUROPE "Responsible Person" entity in Letterkenny, Ireland.

Underlying technology centers on water-based cosmetic formulations with proprietary UV-reactive and glow-in-the-dark pigment systems, pre-mixed glitter gels that eliminate separate adhesive application, and pre-applied adhesive reusable face jewels built from crystal rhinestones and acrylic diamonds. The company's go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer e-commerce via paintglow.com, with global shipping and a free-delivery threshold of £25, supplemented by a separate B2B trade account programme (with a dedicated NetSuite-hosted login portal and trade enquiry form) serving makeup artists, retailers, and entertainment companies. Pricing is unit-based at low ticket sizes (£3.99–£18.99), with promotional mechanics such as a 10% off newsletter incentive and Buy 2 Get 1 Free volume offers. Customer segments centre on festival and event-goers, Halloween and fancy dress consumers, and trade/professional buyers; Hair Color Enthusiasts are an additional use-case segment. No revenue, funding history, management team, or acquisition activity is publicly disclosed.

Name

PaintGlow

Legal name

Lakeland Cosmetics Ltd

Website

https://paintglow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PaintGlow is a UK-based cosmetics manufacturer and DTC e-commerce brand (Lakeland Cosmetics Ltd) selling UV-reactive face paints, glitter gels, face jewels, SFX makeup, hair dyes, and party FX fluids across five sub-brands to festival-goers, Halloween consumers, makeup artists, and global trade customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Workington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: One-time product sales through paintglow.com online store. Products include face paints, glitter, face jewels, SFX makeup, hair dyes, and party FX fluids. Customers can purchase individual items or take advantage of Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotions.
2. Trade/B2B Wholesale: Trade accounts for business customers including makeup artists, entertainment companies, and retailers. Separate B2B login portal and trade enquiry system available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PaintGlow is a UK-based cosmetics manufacturer that designs, produces, and sells novelty and special-effects cosmetics through its own e-commerce store and B2B trade program. Its product portfolio spans UV-reactive and glow-in-the-dark face and body paints, glitter gels, self-adhesive face jewels, special-effects (SFX) makeup, semi-permanent and temporary hair colour, and party FX fluids. All products are manufactured in Workington, Cumbria, and sold under five house/sub-brands (PaintGlow, Rebellious Colour, Glitter Me Up, Fright Fest, ExtremeFX).

Product overview

PaintGlow is a UK-based e-commerce cosmetics brand (operated by Lakeland Cosmetics Ltd) offering a portfolio of novelty, festival, and special-effects makeup and hair colour products across five sub-brands. The core PaintGlow™ house brand covers UV-reactive and glow-in-the-dark face and body paints. The Glitter Me Up™ sub-brand provides pre-mixed glitter gels (Fantasy Iridescent and Holographic ranges in 12ml and 50ml sizes), face jewels collections, and Glitter Fix Gel adhesives. The Rebellious Colour® sub-brand offers semi-permanent hair dye and temporary hair sprays (colour and glitter). The Fright Fest™ sub-brand covers SFX makeup (Spirit Gum, Scar Wax, Fake Blood, Liquid Latex, Fake Cut Tattoo) and Halloween face jewels. The ExtremeFX® sub-brand provides professional party effects fluids. Products are manufactured in the UK Lake District and sold direct-to-consumer via paintglow.com with free UK delivery over £25 and a trade/B2B programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PaintGlow™: Primary brand for UV face paints, glow in the dark products, and neon cosmetics.
• Rebellious Colour®
• Glitter Me Up™
• Fright Fest™
• ExtremeFX®

Products and services

• UV Face & Body Paints Neon UV-reactive face and body paints in multiple colours that glow under UV blacklight, sold to festival-goers, party enthusiasts, and consumers seeking vibrant UV-reactive makeup.
• UV Lipstick Neon UV-reactive lipstick in eight colours formulated to glow under UV blacklight, targeted at festival and party consumers.
• UV Paint Sticks Solid stick-format UV-reactive face and body paint for quick and convenient application, marketed to consumers for festival and event use.
• Glow in the Dark Face & Body Paint Photoluminescent face and body paint that glows in the dark without UV light, available in six colours, for party and event use.
• Face Jewels (Gem Packs) Self-adhesive crystal rhinestone and acrylic diamond face jewels in themed collections (fantasy, Halloween, unicorn, mermaid, etc.), reusable, for festival, party, and Halloween consumers.
• Fantasy Iridescent Chunky Glitter Gel Pre-mixed water-based iridescent chunky glitter gel that requires no separate adhesive, sold in 12ml and 50ml sizes for festival and party consumers.
• Holographic Chunky Glitter Gel Pre-mixed holographic chunky glitter gel for face and body in eight colours, requiring no separate adhesive, for festival and party consumers.
• Glitter Fix Gel / Glue Water-based adhesive gel formulated for use with Glitter Me Up face and body jewels, helping glitter stay in place for up to 24 hours.
• Semi Permanent Hair Dye Semi-permanent vegan and cruelty-free hair dye available in 12 bold colours for consumers seeking temporary vibrant hair colour for festivals, parties, or experimentation.
• Temporary Colour Hair Spray Spray-on temporary hair colour in ten shades for one-day wear, designed for festivals, parties, and Halloween consumers.
• Temporary Glitter Hair Spray Spray-on temporary glitter hair product in four variants for festival and party consumers.
• SFX Makeup Range (Fright Fest) Special-effects makeup line (spirit gum, scar wax, fake blood, liquid latex, fake cut tattoos, Halloween lipsticks) marketed for Halloween costumes, fancy dress, and theatrical consumers.
• Party FX Fluids (ExtremeFX) Bulk party effects fluids (smoke, bubble, snow, UV holi powder, deionised water) sold in 5-litre containers for events, parties, and entertainment use.
• Giftsets Pre-curated gift sets combining PaintGlow UV paints, glitter gels, and face jewels, sold for gifting occasions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kryolan: Global professional makeup brand with strong SFX and theatrical ranges. Adjacent incumbent in the same SFX/face-paint category, serving both consumer and professional channels.
• Barry M: UK mass-market colour cosmetics brand with vegan/cruelty-free positioning and broad retail distribution. Comparable on UK indie-to-mainstream trajectory and colourful product aesthetic.
• Lush: UK-headquartered ethical beauty manufacturer-retailer with vegan/cruelty-free positioning and own-manufacturing ethos. Useful comparable for UK-manufactured, ethically-positioned brand scaling.
• Mehron: US-established professional special-effects and theatrical cosmetics maker used by makeup artists globally. Comparable to Fright Fest on the SFX/professional side, though at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Manic Panic: Iconic alternative hair dye and beauty brand with vegan/cruelty-free positioning. Closest international comparable to Rebellious Colour on formulation ethos and target demographic.
• Snazaroo: Established UK face-paint brand with a strong Halloween/fancy-dress presence and water-based formulations. Comparable core product (face and body paint) with overlap on the Fright Fest SFX segment.
• Moon Glow: UK-based direct competitor specialising in UV-reactive and neon face/body paints, glitter, and festival cosmetics. Closest head-to-head rival to PaintGlow's core UV paint range, targeting the same festival-goer customer segment.
• Blue Banana: UK alternative/festival brand offering UV face paints, body glitter, temporary hair colour and Halloween SFX alongside clothing. Directly comparable assortment and audience overlap with PaintGlow's multi-brand portfolio.
• Stargazer Cosmetics: UK indie cosmetics brand offering vibrant, low-priced face paint, hair dye, glitter, and festival-friendly makeup. Comparable on indie UK positioning and festival-segment product mix.
• Crazy Color: UK semi-permanent and temporary hair colour brand. Directly competes with PaintGlow's Rebellious Colour sub-brand in vibrant, fashion-forward hair dye sold via DTC and pro channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PaintGlow