Five minutes with... Millie Flemington-Clare, founder of Human Beauty

Millie Flemington-Clare
May 7
5 min read

Here, RARE Revolution Magazine's Joe interviews Millie Flemington-Clare, founder of Human Beauty (as seen on BBC Dragon's Den), about the reasoning behind creating her accessible and disabled-owned brand, while also living with the rare disease, cystinosis, here on Cystinosis Awareness Day.

Millie Flemington-Clare: A young woman tilting her head. She has a soft smile. She has pink eye makeup with a star on each eyelid. She had brown hair with pink money pieces. She is wearing black top with a chunky semi-circle necklace.

Hey, Millie! Firstly, how are you feeling today?

I’m feeling hopeful—a little tired (life of a founder!), but excited for what’s ahead.

How would you describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

I'm small in height, big in passion and very Pink! I have had pink hair for years now, and it is very much a part of me! I’m passionate, stubborn, creative and deeply driven by purpose.

It's Cystinosis Awareness Day. Briefly tell the readers about cystinosis, the condition that we share.

Cystinosis is a rare genetic condition that causes a buildup of cystine in the body’s cells, leading to organ damage. It’s lifelong and complex, but it’s shaped who I am. From meeting lots of people with cystinosis, a big thing I have learnt is that no two of us are the same. We all have different experiences of our condition and are in different stages of it, so never compare yourself to others.

You’ve had two kidney transplants. Did you ever struggle mentally with processing that, and how is your mental wellbeing now?

My first transplant from my mum unfortunately had a blood clot, and I spent two months in ICU, which to be honest, was traumatic, and I did struggle to come to terms with the 'what ifs' due to the rarity of our condition, as doctors missed things. However, I used the news as motivation to get back to university and found looking to my future goals helped a lot. My mental wellbeing now is good. I have managed to fulfil a lot of my dreams, and when I feel down these days, it's due to work stress and not health-related.

"I did struggle to come to terms with the 'what ifs' due to the rarity of our condition..."

What inspired you to create Human Beauty, your accessible and inclusive beauty brand?

I was tired of an industry I loved, but at the same time, was so toxic and inaccessible. Makeup became my therapy during hard times with my health, and I believe it has played a big part in my recovery and discovering who I am. So I knew I needed to create my own brand to challenge the industry, I wanted disabled people to feel seen, celebrated—and not as an afterthought.

As a disabled-owned business, what accessibility needs did you consider when creating your products?

When I talk about accessibility I always say it has to be done from a 360 perspective, I consider both physical disabilities and hidden, from easy to open, anti-roll packaging to QR codes that lead to audio descriptions of our eyeshadow pallets to sensory friendly formulas in the form of lightweight anti sticky and lightly scented products for those of us who are also neurodivergent. I also always talk about how price has to be considered when talking about accessibility, due to 53% of disabled people being unemployed, and it also costs us on average £1100 more to live a month in the UK (Scope 2025), so we need to be affordable to remove that barrier.

Image credit: Human Beauty

You’ve obviously put a lot of thought into the names for each colour in the palettes, such as Empower and Identity. In your opinion, does makeup change how you feel within, particularly for a person living with a disability?

Completely. Makeup is more than surface-level. It’s expression, confidence, therapy— especially when so much of our bodies and stories have been medicalised or dismissed. The names have been chosen to act as a form of affirmation, so as you use them, you are subconsciously telling yourself positive things.

"Makeup is more than surface-level. It’s expression, confidence, therapy— especially when so much of our bodies and stories have been medicalised or dismissed."

What’s your favourite makeup look to create?

Pink Pink Pink! Anything with pink and shimmer and sparkle, I'm a huge magpie and can do my go-to pink eyeshadow look in less than five minutes now.

As a feature in Superdrug’s Faces of the Future, what does the future look like for Human Beauty and for you, personally?

I see a world where accessible beauty isn’t niche—it’s the standard. And I’m here to help make that happen. I have ambitions to grow Human Beauty to be the leader in accessible beauty. I also have plans to create wider change with my new business venture, Certified Accessible, which will be campaigning for wider change around product accessibility. Personally, I plan to continue travelling the world and build a proper home with my partner (hopefully adding a new furry member of the family to be a friend to our cat, Pixie).

Millie on reality show, Dragon's Den. Image credit: BBC

What is your advice for someone who has an accessible business idea but isn’t sure how to get started?

Start small. But most importantly, start with purpose. Lived experience is your superpower, people connect with people and our stories, so share them! Also, there are so many free business resources and templates that are great. Or if anyone ever wants to reach out for any advice or signposting, I am always happy to help, as mentors are how I got to where I am today.

Who or what is your RARE inspiration?

Every disabled changemaker who speaks out and shows up, even when it’s hard. Our community is full of quiet power. I have far too many to pick just one.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

That the right people will never ask you to change or shrink. You don’t need to dilute your truth to be worthy. You will find your people who love and appreciate you for your authentic self.