Cynthia Chua is a relentless entrepreneur and tastemaker in the truest sense of the word. Since 1996, the savvy founder of the Spa Esprit Group has built a lifestyle empire encompassing culinary, beauty and health industries, including Strip, Browhaus, 40 Hands, Common Man Coffee Roasters, Tippling Club and Tiong Bahru Bakery.

Chua has also spread her wings overseas—the group’s 15 brands span more than 100 outlets in 12 cities including Bangkok, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Chua has an uncanny ability to give consumers what they don’t know they want yet. She was the first person to introduce concepts such as natural wine bar Drunken Farmer, farm-to-table dining experiences Noka and Open Farm Community, as well as gut-friendly and gluten-free eatery The Butcher’s Wife. In keeping with her spirit of inventiveness, she launched the Blackout Mask under the Two Lips brand, which just opened its first boutique in Singapore. The product—positioned as the world’s first activated charcoal mask that soothes, detoxes, brightens and moisturises the vulva—debuted in 2018 and was the first in a new range of upmarket intimate-care products aimed at empowering women.