“Let me start by sharing,” says Paul Gerrard, founder of self-care brand Happy Paul. “I have suffered from depression since my early teens. I have also experienced other family members’ mental health challenges.” Gerrard is a UK Ambassador for Global Wellness Day and also happens to have a Guinness World Record under his belt for The Longest Hug.
Having spent most of his career in advertising as a creative, Gerrard felt intense pressure to constantly create top-quality work. “So much so that my mental health often suffered,” he says. “For years, I’ve written ideas down on a spreadsheet; a list of pipedreams that would never make it into the real world, but at least they made it a little further than just the inside of my head.”
However, one idea did make it off the spreadsheet. After meeting the CEO of Young Minds, a UK charity which fights for young people’s mental health, Gerrard wanted to find a way to be of service to the organisation. This desire planted the seed for Happy Paul: a wellness brand aimed simply at making people smile. After launching in 2021, it now offers a signature line of unisex scents and skincare products. The signature mood-lifting scent Bright Spice is specially crafted to help boost serotonin levels and promote feelings of positivity. It contains a blend of essential oils, offering a citrusy and light aroma with a subtle, spicy twist.
Happy Paul has a vision for customers to feel happiness, so each scent becomes a self-care tool; a moment of comfort in a world where many of us are grappling with burnout. “We do have a caveat, though, in that Happy Paul can’t promise to make you happy, but we can care and we will try,” says Gerrard. The brand encourages a pause for self-reflection, highlighting the importance of self-care as a gateway to caring for others.
As Happy Paul grows, its path remains fluid, driven by a mission to spread smiles. “I believe that to make a much-needed dent in the mental health of our society, we need to work at the grassroots level – in schools, nurseries, through policy, etc. This is where Young Minds excels, and that is why I feel so impassioned for Happy Paul to continue to make significant donations to support it.”
Currently, the brand donates 10% to 20% of profits from its core range to the charity, and 100% from all supplementary products sold is donated. Gerrard and the rest of his team are determined to continue inviting people to discover joy and upliftment, one smile at a time.
Pia Brynteson is Digital Editor at Service95
