Scottish skincare supplier Aromantic has entered administration after almost three decades in business, with all 11 employees made redundant. The Forres-based company, which supplied natural and organic cosmetic ingredients through its own website, Amazon and Shopify, had seen sales fall after a period of stronger trading during the pandemic.
The family-owned business, founded in 1997 by Kolbjorn Borseth and later run by his son Benjamin, recorded turnover of £1.1 million. Its customers included home crafters, salon owners and beauty therapists buying oils, fragrances and ingredients used to make creams, lotions, balms, toiletries and spa products.
Administrators Christopher Horner and Kevin Pinkerton, from Business Rescue Expert, were appointed after attempts to keep the company trading or find a buyer for the business as a going concern were unsuccessful. The company has now ceased trading, although some of its assets have been sold to an unrelated party.
Falling Sales and Rising Costs Pushed the Business Towards Insolvency
According to administrator Kevin Pinkerton, Aromantic traded well during the pandemic before experiencing a subsequent fall in revenue. At the same time, the company was facing increasing costs for raw materials, shipping and employment. Those combined pressures contributed to the company becoming insolvent. Aromantic also relied on short-term borrowing in an effort to continue operating, but the repayments placed further pressure on its cash flow.
“Aromantic took out short-term loans to keep afloat, but the repayment requirements had a material effect on its cashflow,” Pinkerton said. He added that the company approached advisers over the summer to explore options that might allow it to continue.
Former managing director Benj Borseth gave further detail about the trading difficulties. According to the Northern Scot, he said the Covid period had produced a sudden increase in demand, followed by a sharp decline, while sales to Europe had roughly halved after Brexit.
Ireland, which he described as the company’s largest overseas market, was particularly affected. Borseth also said that the cost of importing and exporting goods from northern Scotland had continued to rise. The company responded by cutting costs and borrowing while attempting to return to profitability. Borseth said those measures were ultimately insufficient to carry the financial burden facing the business.
Assets Sold After Attempts To Preserve the Company Failed
The administrators explored ways to keep Aromantic trading and sought a potential buyer for the business as a going concern. Those efforts did not result in a rescue of the operating company.
According to Administration List, Horner and Pinkerton were appointed as joint administrators on 23 September 2026. The company’s stock, website and online sales platforms were subsequently sold to an unrelated third party. The transaction did not preserve Aromantic as an operating business, and all 11 employees were made redundant immediately before the administration.
Pinkerton said that the administrators and the director had tried “every avenue” to allow the business to continue trading or to secure a going-concern sale, but a formal insolvency process became “the only option”.
For Borseth, the closure also brought an end to a business closely tied to the Forres area for nearly 30 years. He said many employees had worked at Aromantic for a decade or longer and had continued supporting the business during its final weeks. He also acknowledged that suppliers and creditors would be affected by the company’s failure, while thanking customers, employees and others who had worked with the business over the years.
