The Smooth Company gets nomination for national award

LUCAN beauty product supplier The Smooth Company has been nominated as one of 26 companies for the SFA National Small Business Awards 2025.

The aim of the awards is to celebrate the achievements of small business in Ireland and to recognise the vital contribution of the small business sector to Irish industry.

The Smooth Company was founded by entrepreneur Aine Kennedy, who has gone from packing products at home with her grandad and sister, to an award-winning business that has its brand at major stores such as Brown Thomas, Arnotts, the UK, and customers in over 50 countries.

Kennedy’s start-up has been nominated as a finalist in the retail category (up to 50 employees) for the SFA awards.

However, she has already won accolades for the venture, including a ‘Highly Commended’ in the Marie Claire UK Hair Care awards 2024, a high-style beauty award in 2023 and an ‘Emerging New Business 2023’ from the National SFA Small Business Awards.

It took Aine nearly two years to perfect her award-winning Smooth Stick, and she has documented her small business journey online, racking up over 95 million views on TikTok.

Sue O’Neill, Chair of the SFA Awards Judging Panel, said the strong response to the awards programme highlights the resilience of Irish small businesses.

“The Small Firms Association remains committed to celebrating the achievements of small business owners.

‘With 273,000 small businesses employing almost half of Ireland’s private sector workforce, these awards shine a spotlight on excellence, innovation and success across every sector and region of the country,” she said.