Ruby Barreau, the visionary founder behind March14 Beauty Residence, was thrown a curveball in life when diagnosed with skin cancer. The experience propelled her into a more profound relationship with both herself and the beauty industry.
It also became the driving force behind the creation of her own spray tan solution and technique as well as the launch of her salon, which she refers to as a beauty desination.
We chatted with Ruby to find out more about how her personal cancer experience became the catalyst for her entrepreneurial expansion.
Cosmo ME: How did your experience with skin cancer impact your relationship to beauty, both personally and professionally?
Ruby Barreau: When I was told I could no longer tan naturally and had to be extremely careful with chemicals, I thought the beauty industry would have answers.
Instead, I found a lack of seriousness that honestly shocked me. I would ask specific questions about products, ingredients, and safety, and the answers were always vague.
For me, this was not about trying something new or having fun. This was my life.
That experience pushed me to learn everything myself, from formulas and technologies to what truly worked and what was just marketing. That knowledge became the foundation of March14, where we approach beauty with precision, responsibility, and real understanding.
Cosmo ME: Your spray tan method came out of that experience. What was missing from the industry that made you feel like you had to create your own solution?
Ruby Barreau: What was missing was a real understanding of why some women need a spray tan in the first place. For me, it was never something occasional or superficial.
Losing my natural tan after skin cancer made me feel like I no longer recognised myself. I became obsessed with creating a result that looked completely undetectable, like naturally sun-kissed skin rather than a spray tan.
I started testing formulas, correcting undertones, balancing skin pH, and developing techniques that most people overlook.
Cosmo ME: You developed your formula through years of experimentation, even working from your own home lab. What did that process look like behind the scenes?
Ruby Barreau: It was a very long and unforgiving process because with spray tan, you don’t get instant feedback.
You apply it, wait 18 to 24 hours, and if it’s wrong, you have to live with it before starting again. Behind the scenes, it was constant testing, adjusting formulas, changing application techniques, and studying how colour develops on different parts of the body.
I learned that a tan should never be applied evenly because every area develops differently. The smallest details, especially around the hands, chest, and legs, completely change whether a result looks believable or fake.
Eventually, no one could tell my tan wasn’t from the sun, and that’s when I knew I had found the method.
Cosmo ME: Your tanning technique is known for being odourless, anti-orange, and ultra-natural. What makes it so different from what’s currently on the market?
Ruby Barreau: What makes it different is the combination of formula and technique. Even the best formula will turn orange if it’s overapplied, and the best technique cannot fix a poor formula.
I work with organic bases where the colour is developed from fruit extracts rather than heavy synthetic pigments, but just as important is how the tan is layered across the body. Certain areas should always stay lighter while others need more depth to recreate how the sun naturally hits the skin.
The goal is not to make the skin darker. It’s to make it look naturally sun-kissed in the most believable way possible.
Cosmo ME: You’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the world, from the Kardashians to Jennifer Lopez. How did that backstage experience shape the way you approach beauty today?
Ruby Barreau: Backstage and red carpet environments demand a very specific mindset. It’s not just about delivering a result, it’s about understanding the person in front of you completely.
When I work with someone, I think beyond the look itself and focus on what they need emotionally, physically, and practically. Because I test everything on myself first, my feedback never feels theoretical. That creates trust very quickly.
I’ve never believed beauty should feel transactional. There is always an opportunity to give something beyond the service itself, whether that’s advice, education, or helping someone feel more confident.
Cosmo ME: You describe March14 as a “beauty residence.” What was your vision when creating the space, and what is the inspiration behind the name?
Ruby Barreau: I call it a beauty residence because it feels like a place you can trust the way you trust your own home. It’s not anonymous or transactional.
The vision was to create a space where people genuinely care, where services are adapted to each individual and where clients feel understood rather than processed.
March14 is also a collective of professionals with backstage experience who share the same standards, precision, and desire to keep growing. The name itself is personal. March 14 is my birthday, but it also represents my story, my mindset, and the way I turned difficult experiences into something meaningful.
Cosmo ME: There’s a strong emphasis on performance and results across every service at March14. How do you balance that with the emotional side of beauty?
Ruby Barreau: Confidence comes from competence. You cannot build someone’s confidence if you are not fully in control of what you are doing.
Most insecurities come from a result that failed, a service that was not adapted, or a lack of understanding from the professional. At March14, we focus on understanding why something happened and how to solve it properly rather than giving vague advice.
Once the problem is solved, the emotional side follows naturally. The person feels understood, reassured, and confident again.
Cosmo ME: Looking back from your cancer diagnosis to creating March14, what are three words that sum up your journey?
Ruby Barreau: Fearless. Confidence. Time.
Fearless, because when you face death, you realise nothing else really scares you anymore.
Confidence, because I’ve learned I can make something good out of even the worst situations.
And time, because once you truly understand how fragile and temporary life is, everything becomes much clearer.
Cosmo ME: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ruby Barreau: March14 is more than a place you come to for a service. It’s entering my world. Beauty is what brings people together, but beyond that, I wanted to create a space where women feel safe, connected, and understood.
I don’t want people to simply come in, get a service, and leave. I want them to leave feeling better, clearer, stronger, and more confident than when they arrived.
Book your beauty appointment at March14 here.
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