Case Studies //Cyber Security //
Major UK Skincare Brand
This case study is anonymous for client privacy
How NormCyber helped a fast-growing skincare brand halve vulnerabilities and systematically strengthen its cyber resilience
This UK skincare brand has built a strong reputation for premium, user-friendly products, but as the business scaled, so did its exposure to cyber risk.
In brief
- A small security team and an expanding digital presence, created pressure to strengthen its cyber resilience without building a Security Operations function in-house
- Norm delivered always-on security operations, expert-led support, and measurable risk reporting
- The brand gained full visibility of its risk exposure and a structured programme to systematically improve resilience
The challenge
Following a period of strong growth, the UK skincare brand’s leadership identified a widening gap between the cyber security risks facing the sector and the organisation’s ability to manage them at scale. Until that point, the company’s in-house team manually recorded all security events, with serious alerts forwarded to the company’s CTO for mitigation. This reactive approach consumed valuable time and resources, while leadership recognised that continued growth would require more robust, proactive security capabilities, too.
At the recommendation of its investors to enlist a managed security services provider – and following a competitive tender process – the company turned to NormCyber in 2021.
“Our most imminent concern was the number of threats that could be slipping under our radar undetected. We selected Norm based on its tailored solutions and commitment to round-the-clock support. The team became our eyes and ears to the threat landscape on day one, backed by a structured programme that prioritised action and reduced uncertainty” said the IT manager.
The solution
Norm delivered a flexible, integrated managed cyber security service aligned to the organisation’s risk profile and growth trajectory.
- Managed Detection and Response
Norm’s UK-based, CREST-accredited SOC provides continuous monitoring using telemetry, global threat intelligence and defined use cases to detect and contain threats in real time - CREST-certified Penetration Testing
Ethical hackers identify vulnerabilities, provide clear insight, and guide targeted remediation - Cyber Essentials programme
Enables the business to demonstrate ongoing commitment to data protection across customers, employees and partners
In Norm’s operating model, every control, activity and remediation programme is aligned to outcomes across, protection, detection, management and impact – reflecting the NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF). This provides a consistent structure for understanding how cyber posture evolves over time.
Norm delivers that insight through the Smartbloc portal, which gives the brand a real-time view of risk exposure and prioritised guidance on where action will deliver the greatest improvement. By deploying Norm’s Managed Cyber Security service, the skincare brand automatically received a benchmark Cyber Resilience Score, a proprietary metric that quantifies organisational resilience as a single measurable index.
“The Cyber Resilience Score shows us exactly what’s working and what isn’t. Smartbloc has surfaced risks we didn’t even know existed, and we can see the direct impact of acting on Norm’s guidance” the IT manager said
To ensure insight becomes action, the skincare brand was assigned a dedicated Focal Analyst. This senior security analyst interprets security data, sets priorities and ensures remediation activity delivers measurable risk reduction. As the IT manager explained, “Our Focal Analyst feels like part of our internal team. They understand our unique business environment and commercial goals as well as the wider cyber threat landscape, so we can trust that the advice they provide is the absolute next best step we can take towards further strengthening our cyber defences.”
The results
Norm replaced uncertainty with clarity and reactive effort with structured progress. The skincare brand now benefits from:
- Full visibility of cyber risk across the organisation
- A quantifiable cyber resilience posture
- A clear, prioritised roadmap for continuous improvement
- Confidence in responding to emerging threats without diverting internal resources
“Before Norm, we were operating with too many unknowns. We couldn’t say with confidence that we were seeing the full picture or focusing on the right risks. Now, we have absolute clarity. We know where we stand, what matters most, and exactly what to do next.
In a short space of time, we’ve halved our vulnerabilities and built real momentum in how we manage cyber risk. Just as importantly, we’re continuing to strengthen our resilience in a structured, measurable way as our Cyber Resilience Score improves over time,” the IT manager concluded.
