Scottish skincare supplier Aromantic enters administration; 11 staff made redundant
Aromantic, a family-run natural skincare ingredients business founded in 1997, has gone into administration. The Mirror reports all 11 staff were made redundant and assets sold; the Express says the reason was unknown.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Aromantic, a UK natural and organic skincare supplier founded in 1997, has entered administration after almost 30 years in business. Daily ExpressR “A UK skincare brand that has been around for nearly three decades has gone into administration.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “A UK cosmetic and skincare company has fallen into administration after almost 30 years in business .” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Christopher Horner and Kevin Pinkerton of Business Rescue Expert were appointed administrators; the Express gives the appointment date as 23 September 2026. Daily ExpressR “Aromantic appointed Christopher David Horner and Kevin Daniel Pinkerton, both of Business Rescue Expert, as administrators on September 23, 2026.” Read at Daily Express ↗ Daily MirrorL “Christopher Horner and Kevin Pinkerton, of restructuring and insolvency practice Business Rescue Expert, have been appointed joint administrators of Scotland-based Aromantic Limited.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ The Mirror reports that all 11 employees were made redundant immediately before the administration and that the business has ceased trading. Daily MirrorL “All 11 employees were made redundant immediately before the administration.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
According to the Mirror, the administrators secured a sale of the company's assets, including stock, websites and online platforms, to an unrelated party. Daily MirrorL “The joint administrators have secured the sale of the company’s assets to an unrelated party, including its stock, websites, and online platforms.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Pinkerton said sales fell after trading well during the pandemic, while raw material, shipping and employment costs rose, and that repayments on short-term loans hurt cashflow. Daily MirrorL “Kevin Pinkerton said Aromantic had traded well during the pandemic, but sales declined afterwards.”“Aromantic took out short-term loans to keep afloat, but the repayment requirements had a material effect on its cashflow.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Pinkerton said the administrators and the director tried every avenue to keep trading or sell it as a going concern, but a formal insolvency process was the only option. Daily MirrorL “we tried every avenue to enable Aromantic to continue trading or sell it as a going concern, but regrettably, a formal insolvency process was the only option.” Read at Daily Mirror ↗
The Express says the reason for the administration is unknown, notes that Companies House lists the accounts as overdue, and says the website was still taking orders. Daily ExpressR “The reason behind the company going into administration remains unknown. However, Companies House notes that the business's accounts are overdue.”“The website is still up and running with customers able to purchase a range of products” Read at Daily Express ↗ The Mirror puts turnover at £1.1 million and locates the firm on the Greshop Industrial Estate in Forres, Scotland; the Express reports that founder Kolbjorn Borseth's eldest son Benjamin took over in 2016. Daily MirrorL “Aromantic had a £1.1million turnover and was founded in 1997 by Kolbjorn Borseth” Read at Daily Mirror ↗ Daily ExpressR “After his father retired in 2016, his eldest son, Benjamin, took over the company.” Read at Daily Express ↗ The Express places the collapse within wider pressures on retail businesses from rising costs. Daily ExpressR “Its collapse comes at a time of financial challenges across the wider retail sector.” Read at Daily Express ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Job-loss story led by redundancies, built around the administrator's explanation of why the firm failed.
- Emphasis
- 11 redundancies, administrator quotes, asset sale, turnover and an explainer on administration.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention overdue accounts at Companies House or customer reviews; says Aromantic was contacted for comment.
- Charged language
- “plunges into administration”“the only option”
- For example
-
“It was founded in 1997, but now all staff have been made redundant 'immediately'” — Daily Mirror
“The family-owned business has sadly ceased trading, and all staff have lost their jobs.” — Daily Mirror
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Brand-collapse story set against wider retail-sector cost pressures, with customer praise.
- Emphasis
- Overdue accounts, retail-sector pressures, positive customer reviews, company history.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not report the redundancies, asset sale, turnover or administrator's explanation of the causes.
- Charged language
- “plunges into administration”
- For example
-
“The company's collapse comes at a time of broader financial challenges across the retail sector, with many businesses facing mounting pressure from rising costs.” — Daily Express
“The business has tons of positive review from customers praising both the quality and delivery service.” — Daily Express
What every side reports
- Aromantic, founded in 1997, has entered administration.
- Christopher Horner and Kevin Pinkerton of Business Rescue Expert are the administrators.
- The business is family-run and sells natural and organic skincare ingredients and products.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the cause and trading status are known
- Left
- The Mirror quotes the administrator citing falling sales, higher costs and loan repayments, and says the firm has ceased trading with assets sold.
- Right
- The Express says the reason is unknown and that the website was still selling products.
Company administration topic
The administrators, per the Mirror, say a formal insolvency process was the only option after falling revenue, rising costs and loan repayments; the Express says the cause is unknown.
“a formal insolvency process was the only option.” — Daily Mirror
“The reason behind the company going into administration remains unknown.” — Daily Express
Left1 article
-
UK beauty company plunges into administration as all jobs lost — 'the only option'
Sympathetic Centres on the job losses and the administrator's account of the causes, with an explainer on administration.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
UK skin care company plunges into administration - in business since 1997
Mixed Presents the collapse as part of wider retail strain, with unknown cause and customer testimonials.
- 1 Oct 11:35 First Daily ExpressR UK skin care company plunges into administration - in business since 1997
- 1 Oct 11:35 First Daily MirrorL UK beauty company plunges into administration as all jobs lost — 'the only option'
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.