October 18th marks World Menopause Day, and this year, the conversation highlights hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a critical resource for many women managing the often overwhelming symptoms of menopause. But for some, HRT falls short. Katy Kennedy, a Scottish ICU nurse, is one of those women. Her difficult menopause journey led her to create something powerful—a magnesium-based remedy that is now helping women around the world, with her business, LilyBee, headquartered in Greenock.
Katy’s life took a sharp turn when menopause hit her hard, impacting her health and career. After 34 years of service at Glasgow’s Yorkhill Hospital, working predominantly in the paediatric and neonatal intensive care unit, Katy found herself battling extreme menopause symptoms. Despite trying various treatments, including HRT, she couldn’t find relief. “Generic hormone pills didn’t work for me,” she explains, describing how even custom-tailored therapies only offered partial help. Anti-depressants and sleeping pills were prescribed, but they left Katy feeling “zombified,” further intensifying her struggle.
The symptoms were severe enough to force her into early retirement. “I no longer felt competent to work,” she recalls, describing her heartbreak at stepping down from a career she loved. Katy’s world was upended. Alongside physical symptoms, like uncontrollable shaking, blazing hot flashes, and restless leg syndrome, she suffered mentally. “I had become a nervous wreck,” she admits. Depression and uncontrollable mood swings became daily battles. “My family thought I was going insane.”
Feeling isolated and at her wit’s end, Katy turned to research. Determined to find a solution that worked for her, she discovered the critical role magnesium plays in the body, particularly during menopause. Magnesium supports over 300 biochemical reactions in our daily functions, and Katy learned that many women lack sufficient levels during this stage of life. Further investigation revealed that up to 80% of oral magnesium supplements are broken down in the gut, making them less effective.
This sparked the idea of creating a topical magnesium cream. “I wanted to create something that bypassed the gut and worked faster,” Katy explains. She was determined to ensure that whatever she developed would be both safe and effective, so she enrolled in an aromatherapy degree programme and a course in cosmetic formulation. After numerous trials in her kitchen, Katy finally created what she now refers to as her “magic cream.” Applied to the soles of the feet and calves before bed, the cream absorbs five times faster than oral supplements, offering quicker relief from symptoms.
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The first night she used the cream, Katy felt a change. “I still remember that night—I slept for six whole hours. For the first time in so long, I felt like I could handle the day ahead of me. It gave me hope that things could get better.”
Encouraged by her results, Katy shared the cream with family and friends, who quickly echoed her experiences of improved sleep and reduced anxiety. With the support of her partner, Robert, and her daughter, Lauren, Katy decided to launch LilyBee, a small business that started in her kitchen and is now based in Greenock. What began as a personal project has grown into a brand that has captured attention far beyond Scotland.
Today, LilyBee has been featured in British Vogue, and its community continues to expand, bolstered by viral TikTok videos where women openly share their menopause journeys. This groundswell of support has led to the launch of LilyBee’s Menopause Ambassador Programme, aimed at empowering women to share their experiences, try the magnesium cream, and offer one another support. “We want all women going through menopause to feel heard,” Katy emphasises. “It’s about creating a safe space where women can support one another.”
Katy’s determination to bring her magnesium cream to others stems from her own desire to ensure no woman has to face menopause feeling as lost as she once did. Through her work with LilyBee, she’s found not just a business but a mission—to open up conversations about menopause and help women find relief and community.
To further this mission, Katy and her daughter Lauren will be in Glasgow’s Buchanan Street at 1pm on Thursday, October 10th, handing out free LilyBee magnesium cream and starting much-needed conversations about menopause. “At my lowest, I never thought there could be any light from the darkness of menopause,” she reflects. “I realise that my circumstances may have been extreme, but I’m not alone. So many women suffer in silence.”
Visit lilybee.uk or shop on Amazon.
