My dad’s booze addiction was so bad he’d leave hospital to buy vodka – the trauma helped me build my $2 billion business
NICOLA Kilner, the powerhouse CEO behind beauty empire DECIEM and founder of The Ordinary, has opened up on her dad’s alcohol battle that helped her build her $2.2 billion beauty empire.
The mum-of-two, 35, was just 24-years-old when she first went into business and has now got candid on her father’s struggle with alcoholism and the resilience it instilled in her from a young age.
Revealing all to Davina McCall on her podcast Begin Again, Nicola, who studied Business Management at Nottingham Trent University and then worked at Boots as an Assistant Buyer, shared the lessons she’s learned about leadership, loss, and finding purpose in chaos.
The inspirational woman behind DECIEM, also known as The Abnormal Beauty Company and the leader in science-backed skincare, explored the highs and heartbreaking lows of her journey, as she revealed that her therapist put the success of her booming beauty empire partially down to the challenges she has faced.
Sharing all of her late father’s alcohol addiction, Nicola, who is from Sheffield, claimed that it was in fact her dad who encouraged her to pursue her business in the first place.
Nicola confessed: “My dad [had] so much charisma, so much energy, he was the kind of person who would light up every room. My mum was more reserved, in the wings, but my dad was the life and soul and the energy.
“But at the same time, he had a challenging upbringing. He was the first child to ever get expelled from his junior school. He started smoking when he was 10.
“As much as he had this energy and this light and this charisma, he also had mood swings and you would know when to be scared.
“If he was angry, I remember the whole house would be in silence, creeping around and feeling that fear. Never from violence, but from him being angry and the mood swings that would be there.”
And not only did Nicola’s father experience ‘scary’ mood swings, but he also found himself in the depths of a debilitating addiction.
Shortly after his death, Nicola discovered that his booze battle had in fact helped her to build her business empire, as she admitted: “My dad eventually became an alcoholic.
“He always liked to drink but quite quickly, something happened. He lost his job and things escalated quite quickly.
“I’ve only ever been to two therapy sessions – she said so many successful people are those that come from a family where there’s one challenging parent, and then the other parent, like my mum, who is the most loving, kindest, calmest, sweetest, most stable, supportive person – that combination, if you’ve grown up with medium trauma, it creates you to be who you are.
“Growing up in a childhood like that – you read the room. You know when to stay silent.
He’d be in hospital and he’d walk out to the hospital to an off-license to buy a bottle of vodka
Nicola Kilner
“I don’t think you necessarily realise that as a child but actually learning for me, growing up in that environment, then when you have a business, there’s ups and downs, so much s**t happens along the way.
“I’m always calm, nothing phases me.”
‘No one could have stopped my dad’
Discussing her father’s battle with drink, Nicola acknowledged: “He always liked a drink, it was consistent.
“He’d be in hospital and he’d walk out to the hospital to an off-license to buy a bottle of vodka.
“I remember the yellowness and the smell, but it’s not the smell of the alcohol on the breath, it was seeping out.
What to do if you think are an alcoholic
IF you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, the most important thing is to recognise the problem and seek support – You don’t have to face it alone.
Seek Professional Help
- GP or Doctor – A medical professional can assess your situation and provide advice on treatment options.
- Therapists or Counsellors – Talking to an addiction specialist can help address underlying causes and develop coping strategies.
- Rehab or Detox Programmes – If physical dependence is severe, medically supervised detox may be necessary.
Consider Support Groups
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – A well-known 12-step programme that provides peer support.
- SMART Recovery – A science-based alternative to AA, focusing on self-empowerment.
- Local Support Groups – Many communities have groups tailored to different needs.
“I remember the doctors in hospital saying to us, he was almost unlucky, because they said actually how quickly he deteriorated wouldn’t normally happen. Within probably about three years he’d gone.
“No one could have stopped my dad from drinking.
“As a society, I don’t think we fully understand how addictive it is.
“We’re starting to know so much more on addictions and mental health. I hope there will be more treatment and awareness.”
‘I want to be in control’
Discussing where Nicola’s passion for business emerged from, Davina questioned, “do you think [your father] saw an entrepreneurial flair in you?”
I want to be in control and own my own destiny
Nicola Kilner
To this, Nicola, who grew up in a middle class family but “didn’t have spare cash”, explained: “I always had this feeling that I want to have freedom in life, I want to go on holidays, I don’t want to rely on a man or anyone else, I just want to be in control.”
As well as this, the savvy CEO, who asked her dad for business books at the age of 12 and used to religiously watch Dragons’ Den, added: “I think that was more of my motivation and seeing when my dad got ill, he lost his job and seeing that made me think, I don’t want anyone to be able to dispose of me, I want to be in control and own my own destiny.”
The busy mum then got candid on the journey of her successful business empire, as she recognised: “DECIEM is the Latin word for 10, so it was all about building 10 brands at once.
“We wanted to have our own labs, our own creative teams.
“Another thing that was interesting was everyone we hired had very little experience.
“As a start-up, experience means high salary, and we couldn’t afford high salaries, so everyone we were hiring were in their twenties, out of college, out of school, but that was the success of DECIEM.”
Biggest skincare trends for 2025
Face The Future’s Head of Clinic, Kimberley Medd, shared the five skincare trends predicted to take off in 2025.
1. Exosomes
Exosomes are the buzzword for 2025, taking advanced skin regeneration to new heights. These micro-messengers signal skin cells to repair damage, boost collagen, and accelerate recovery, and they’re a gamechanger for targeting ageing.
2. Streamlined Skincare
The age of 12-step routines is fading as consumers shift to more intentional, multi-functional products. Streamlining skincare not only saves time but also reduces the risk of overloading your skin. In 2025, we’ll see a rise in hybrid products that combine active ingredients for simplified, effective results.
3. Vegan Collagen
Plant-based collagen will dominate the skincare world this year, providing a sustainable, ethical alternative to traditional animal-derived collagen. Expect vegan collagen in everything from moisturisers to serums.
4. The Rise Of AI
AI is revolutionising the beauty landscape, making it possible for consumers to get truly personalised skincare solutions. In 2025, we predict a dramatic shift towards AI-powered tools that help people understand their skin on a deeper level.
5. Hair Loss Solutions –
Hair loss is an issue that affects more men than we often realise, and it’s no longer just something we’re talking about behind closed doors. This year, expect to see a continued rise in demand for treatments that not only tackle hair loss but also nurture overall scalp health.
And when it comes to The Ordinary, the ingredient-first skincare brand with body care for all skin types, Nicola beamed: “We often talk about common sense, and I think The Ordinary is such a good example of this.
“People ask ‘why was it so successful?’ – it was common sense. People want to know the ingredients.
“Largely ingredients were not known, you’d go and pick which serum or moisturiser you wanted to buy, which was largely just based on either a recommendation or packaging – people didn’t have that awareness of ingredients.
“I think DECIEM was lucky that it was formed of young, hungry people who were naive, but naive in all the best ways.”
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