June is widely recognised as Pride Month around the world.

Pride Month is dedicated to celebrating and promoting the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more) community and commemorates the Stonewall Riots, which took place in June 1969.

In an exclusive interview with Retail Beauty, Paul Tsalikis, the Founder and CEO of Damn Good Beauty and Vanity Group, shared the driving force behind his newest brand, Urban Jungle.

Paul expressed that his inspiration stemmed from a strong desire to witness greater diversity and inclusivity within the beauty industry, particularly in the realm of skincare

“As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and from a family of immigrants, I thought it was time to shake things up and create a brand aimed at embracing inclusivity, welcoming all, and helping people fearlessly tackle life with swagger and confidence,” he said.

“I’ve been in beauty for the past two decades and have always had an entrepreneurial itch to create a beauty brand that doubled as a community for people. Although Urban Jungle was officially created in 2020, the idea to create it had been years in the making.”

The brand recently launched into Sephora, where it has quickly established itself as a cult skincare range flying off the shelves.

“I’m excited to see Urban Jungle in the hands of Sephora’s most diverse, unique and beautiful people,” Paul said. “Affordability is a big part of inclusivity for us, so to be able to support people in creating an accessible, easy to use (and efficacious) beauty routine in five steps fills me with pride.”

Paul said he believes the brand has had such early success because it simplified skincare for the customer.

“By creating a simple and effective five-step skincare routine, we cut through the clutter and overwhelm of the skincare industry,” he said.

“We provide products that do what they say, do it well, and are available at an accessible price point. And hey, we’re cute to boot.”

The retail partnership with Sephora was a “no-brainer”, due to the two businesses successfully collaborating.

“Choosing a new retailer was a no brainer for us, it was always Sephora,” he said.

“The partnership came about very organically, and we share a lot of core values. We chose Sephora for their commitment to building a community where all are welcomed.  They’re innovators, fiercely passionate about self-expression and are home to a renowned portfolio of prestige beauty. Together, we’re paving the way for confidence, authenticity and great skin.”


To coincide with Pride Month,  the brand has two new product launches:

  1. Sake Bomb Gel Cleanser, RRP $42: The Sake Bomb cleanses, gently exfoliates, balances oil, and like its hero ingredient, gives skin a hydrating drink. Fermented sake penetrates deep in the skin and helps it lock moisture so the skin feels hydrated after cleansing.
  2. The G.O.A.T. Face Serum, RRP $46:  It’s called the Greatest Of All Time for a reason. This baby is packed with the of MVPs of skincare including  niacinamide, vitamin C, ferulic acid and hyaluronic acid. It’ll brighten, treat and improve skin elasticity thanks to its unique micro-encapsulation technology that delivers higher potency.

Read the current issue of our digital magazine below:

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