Irene Forte took her first steps in the hotel industry before moving into skincare
The brand is expanding into the US
For Irene Forte, the family fortune did not become a business to be inherited, but rather the starting point for building her own enterprise. The daughter of Rocco Forte, Irene joined the family’s hotel group at an early age, but her career path differed from that of a mere successor. She initially focused on family-oriented programmes, eventually moving on to managing the spas. It was whilst working on the spas at Rocco Forte Hotels that she had the insight which would go on to become her own business.
Irene noticed that each venue used products from different brands and so set out to find a luxury Italian skincare brand that could best represent the group’s identity. Unable to find one, she decides to create it herself. Thus, Irene Forte Skincare is born – a brand that also draws inspiration from Sicily and the Verdura resort, where Irene had discovered an organic estate and the opportunity to use local ingredients. The aim, however, is not simply to create a range of natural cosmetics: the project combines clean ingredients, scientific research, clinical results and a sensory element linked to the Mediterranean lifestyle.
“For this research, I chose to work alongside Dr Francesca Ferri, who has forty years’ experience in biomedical research and research into plant-based active ingredients,” explains Irene Forte.
Initially, the brand was launched primarily as an extension of the hotel business: the products were intended for the group’s spas. Then came Covid. The closure of the hotels and spas could have brought the project to a halt. “At that point, I realised that the brand could thrive outside the hotels too, so I decided to focus on skincare,” she explains. The figures? Growth far exceeds that of a business that is merely ancillary to the hotel group.
In 2026, Irene Forte Skincare is set to double its turnover compared with the previous year. “The aim is to double turnover every year for the next three years,” she says. The United States is the main driver of growth, accounting for over 70 per cent of turnover generated since the start of the year. In the US, over the same period, the brand has recorded a 200 per cent increase in its direct-to-consumer channel and a 300 per cent increase in its wholesale channel.
