Our latest Beauty Boss is Gemma Colao, Founder and Creative Director of OTO—the leading premium wellness brand in the U.K. that is grounded in nature and guided by science. Designed to bring body and mind back to balance, her products harness the power of pure and potent plant extracts, adaptogens, and actives to formulate premium and highly-effective beauty, wellness, beverage, and spa products.

The Best CBD Beauty Products

OTO’s holistic products and experiences promote balance, calm, and rejuvenation in harmony with the body’s natural circadian rhythm. Crafted with conscience, their products are made in the UK with sustainably sourced, plant-based ingredients, are vegan friendly, and their packaging is currently 95% recyclable.

OTO Announces New Spa Residency at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland

The luxury CBD wellness brand can be found in spas and retail boutiques at some of the most prestigious properties around the world including The Langham, The Mandarin Oriental, The Mondrian, Liberty London, and Selfridges, among others. OTO has partnered with renowned hotels across the globe including Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland to offer the brand’s immersive CBD spa experiences, which include signature massages, a restorative facial, and a new “CBD Glow Therapy.”

We chatted with Colao who shared the inspiration behind the brand, secrets for success, beauty tips, and much more.

When was OTO founded and what does the name mean?

OTO, which rhymes with “photo,” was founded in the UK in 2019 and launched in the U.S. in February. The name is the Japanese word for 'sound' or, more specifically, the space between sound and silence. Since sound has the power to impact you physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are constantly exploring ways we can use sound to amplify the effect of our products and affect our health and well-being.

For example, our spa treatments are deepened when our curated soundscapes are played. These soundscapes are composed to impact the binaural beats your brain creates, encouraging relaxation and positivity while decreasing anxiety—all of which is aided by the precise application of OTO's expertly-dosed CBD-infused massage oils. In the silence comes true healing. For this reason, we say that OTO exists to help you “amplify the silence” so that you can find your space.

OTO is the leading premium CBD brand in the U.K. that is grounded in nature and guided by science.

What inspired the creation of the brand?

I first discovered CBD when I was in the U.S. working in the high-stress, fast-paced fashion industry. I had always suffered from anxiety, which, in turn, badly affected my sleep and well-being. One day, a friend recommended I try CBD, and quite honestly, I've never looked back. CBD changed my life! After having my first child, I moved back to the UK and was deeply disappointed with the options. Not only were the levels of CBD in products ineffective, but they were really unpleasant to use. The market was missing enjoyable CBD products that actually worked. I wanted to design products that people would love using and that would become part of their everyday lives in a meaningful way. And that's why I decided to launch OTO, to help people have this life-changing experience.

Does OTO have a hero product?

Our CBD Sleep Drops are our best-selling product. These drops have delivered more than 1.5 million good night's sleep thanks to the combination of pure OTO CBD infused with soothing lavender, calming butterfly pea flower, and fresh field mint. One of the reasons why they're so effective is because the amount of OTO CBD that makes up this product falls within the third-party research-backed amount to actually impact your sleep. The 15ml bottle has been specially designed to deliver 50mg of pure CBD with each use and will last you a full 30 days, ensuring you sleep well all month. We get such fantastic feedback about how these drops have helped people and changed their lives because they can sleep better, which is the most rewarding part of the job.

OTO CBD Sleep Drops ($102) are infused with soothing lavender, calming butterfly pea flower, and fresh field mint to help you sleep soundly.

What are your favorite products from the brand?

I use all our products in some combination every day, but two standouts for me are our Revitalising CBD Serum. CBD has incredible anti-sebum, antioxidant, skin conditioning, and skin-protecting properties, and the serum has cured my hormonal acne—something I've struggled with most of my life. Like the rest of our skincare products, it is combined with Ayurvedic essential oils and carrier oils to help deliver the CBD where you need it most. It is also rich in antioxidants that protect against free radical damage and other daily stressors.

Our 7-Day Glow Treatment is another one of my favorite products whenever you need a supercharged at-home facial treatment. Each mindfully dosed 0.5ml golden ampoule is designed to intensely nourish, revitalize and rejuvenate tired, stressed, and lackluster skin, and the consumer trial results are outstanding. In just seven days, 96% of participants said the skin's natural glow appears restored, 96% agreed their complexion looks radiant and revitalized, and 94% said the treated area looks more youthful.

Every ampoule contains highly concentrated ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane oil, and frankincense essential oil infused with an unprecedented 25mg of pure OTO CBD. A small dose of one vial in the evening and one in the morning goes a long way, and the results are powerful—so much so that we've recently introduced the treatment as an add-on to our signature CBD facials available at Ciel Spa in Beverly Hills and The Spa at Baia Beach Club at the Mondrian South Beach Miami.

In terms of OTO spa treatments, I love our CBD Balance Treatment. It's a deep relaxation whole-body massage designed to be deeply restorative and help with stress. It uses CBD oil infused with jasmine, helichrysum, and Roman chamomile to calm the nervous system and encourage quality sleep combined with our signature soundscape and the healing properties of rose quartz crystal. It's incredible!

OTO 7-Day Glow Treatment ($137) is expertly formulated to fight signs of aging while restoring skin’s youthful vitality and natural glow.

Where are your products sold?

Our products are available on our website and at premium retailers across the globe such as Harrods, Selfridges, and Saks. You can also find OTO products at leading hotels and spas such as The Mandarin Oriental Group, The Langham Hotels & Resorts, and Ennismore Hotels. Our treatments and products are also now available at La Cantera in San Antonio, Texas!

Future plans for the brand?

We recently acquired SouthWest Brands, a company that includes FEWE, the leading UK brand for female menstrual and perimenopausal wellness, and Love MeMeMe, a TikTok creator-led, gender-neutral skin, and body-care brand. Having a stable of brands means we can speak to a broader group of customer segments and address each of their needs in a specific way which we haven't been able to do previously. This acquisition is also the first step of a “build and buy” strategy that accelerates our mission to develop the wellness brands of the future, today.

We're continuing to develop OTO's hotel and spa proposition, which has become one of the fastest-growing aspects of the brand. We're currently available at more than 30 spas in the UK and at spas across six states in the U.S. including Hawaii, Atlanta, Texas, New York, and California. We will increase our U.S. spa footprint in the coming months, training more and more therapists. Right now, we have more than 300 OTO therapists trained worldwide, and more than 100 of them are in the U.S. We'll be adding a new sleep-focused treatment to our spa menu to complement our existing offering, which includes three full-body massage experiences and a signature renewal facial.

We also have some exciting product launches coming up including our Sleep Soundly Bath & Body Oil—a luxurious oil infused with pure OTO CBD, chamomile, Mandarin, and ylang ylang that can be added to the bath or applied to the skin to help the mind and body relax and unwind before bed. Our Ultimate Balm is the most potent CBD balm on the market featuring 60mg of pure OTO CBD alongside repairing cica, nourishing squalene oil, and balancing lemon oil. It's incredible for calming busy minds, stressed skin, and tight muscles.

OTO has partnered with renowned hotels across the globe to offer the brand’s immersive CBD spa experiences including massages and a restorative facial.

Who inspires you?

My mum is a huge inspiration who has always supported everything I do. I'm in awe of my sister, who has battled breast cancer, come out the other side stronger and determined to live her life to the fullest and enjoy herself. I'm also constantly inspired by my exceptional team, who surpass my expectations every day and who are as passionate about impacting people's lives through OTO products and experiences as I am.

Secret to success?

There is no secret to success; if there were, everyone would do it! I think the most important thing is to understand your customer need. If you create something magical that solves a problem or meets a need, there will be a demand. You must believe in the need and product you create 100% and don't compromise. Make the best product possible.

Beauty secrets?

CBD. It cured my hormonal acne and is incredible for all manner of skin care concerns. Good skin also starts from the inside and is linked to your mood. Feeling good inside and out is so key and that's why I find CBD such an incredible ingredient.

OTO’s Signature Renewal Facial is designed to rebalance tired, stressed skin and reduce inflammation.

Wellness tips?

Find moments of wellness that fit into you every day. My two young boys and business keep me very busy, so finding time for myself can be hard. So I focus on finding ways to incorporate mindful rituals in any way I can. For example, when I put my serum on in the morning, I love putting it on my hands and taking three inhalations to enjoy the smell and focus on my breath in a way that makes me feel grounded. I also take the time to massage it into my face—it feels like a little spa moment at home.

I also like to do gratitudes and set intentions for the day, and have even got the rest of my family to participate. Before my boys go to bed, I always ask them what the best thing about the day was and what they're grateful for. It's so heartwarming to hear their response. I am a big believer in gratitude as a wellness technique.

Best advice?

Find your people and choose well. Business is all about the people, and like any relationship, it's about trust and respect, and support and challenge in equal measures.

Favorite way to relax?

I really like Yin yoga because I love to get into a position and be still, and I don't get to be still, quiet, or on my own much during the working day. Our OTO CBD treatments are incredibly relaxing. Since having children, I don't drink much alcohol anymore, so my husband and I like to unwind in the evening with our CBD cocktail bitters. The bitters give any drink a special element that always puts me in a celebratory mood.

For more information, visit OTO’s website and follow on Instagram: @oto_wellbeing

[Images courtesy of OTO]

Beauty Boss: Gemma Colao, Founder and Creative Director of OTO