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Glow up with these 4 female-founded Aussie beauty brands
We’re celebrating International Women’s Day 2021 by highlighting some of Australia’s finest females, and here we’ve collected four local beauty brands founded by women that’ll have you looking radiant from the inside out. Enjoy!
Alpha-H
A true pioneer in affordable skincare, Michelle Doherty was one of the first people to use glycolic acid in her products when she began Alpha-H on the Gold Coast 25 years ago.
She was passionate about the ingredient, which exfoliates away the outer layer of skin, after she personally found success with it after years of battling cystic acne.
Her signature product range, Liquid Gold, is made up of resurfacing treatments, serums and creams that use glycolic acid along with ferulic and lactic acids and a low pH, to clear dead skin buildup and help your complexion glow.
It’s been wildly popular not only for its luxurious feel, but also because it’s designed to be slotted into your existing skincare routine as an emergency treatment when your skin needs a bit of extra love.
Sadly, Michelle passed away at age 57 last year from cancer, but her legacy lives on in Alpha-H which is now a booming, multi-million dollar global brand.
Bear
Byron Bay businesswoman Saasha Burns founded wellness brand Bear, along with her husband Sammy Leetham, in 2017 with the idea of creating simple vitamins, super powders and skincare products from the highest quality ingredients.
Popular among Australian influencers and beauty bloggers, their prebiotic Nourish super powder is made of 100% certified organic, bio-dynamic Green Australian Lady Finger Bananas, and is designed to promote skin health, increase energy levels and general wellbeing with one tablespoon in your morning smoothie.
Deeply committed to being environmentally friendly and sustainable, Bear uses 100% recycled medical-grade jars and bottles for their products, while their shipping packaging is made of recycled cardboard and compostable courier satchels.
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They also donate a percentage of profits to Australian conservation non-profits, and offset their carbon emissions via contributions to the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor in Australia’s southwest.
Maaemo
Organic skincare brand Maaemo, is the brainchild of 25-year-old naturopath and herbalist Hillary Willcox, who started the label after feeling frustrated by the products currently on the market.
“I was seeing a lot of clients in clinic who were experiencing skin conditions like eczema and acne, and I couldn't find anything that I felt confident enough to recommend to them,” Hillary says, “I knew exactly what ingredients I was looking for and what would work, so that's when I decided to start my own range of products.”
The line includes her best-selling Rejuvenation Clay Cleanser made with papaya extract, hazelnut oil and restorative Bentonite clay to leave skin soft, elastic and bright.
Loved by people with acne and eczema, all of Maaemo’s products are certified organic and the brand is committed to clean and non-toxic packaging and processes.
Since its launch in 2017, Maaemo - which means ‘the mother earth’ in Finnish - has grown exponentially and made over a million dollars in sales last year.
Tanzee
Self-tanning addicts have flocked to Aussie brand Tanzee, after 29-year-old Madison Rapa launched her unique bed sheet protectors in 2015.
Made from vegan-friendly, microfibre art silk, the sleeping bag-like product is designed to protect your sheets from tanning stains no matter how much you toss and turn overnight.
It has a built-in pocket to slip your pillow into, comes in three colours, and counts beauty blogger Chloe Morello, and bikini instagrammer Tash Oakley, among its fans.
Madison has been growing the brand while in and out of hospital battling Lyme Disease, a debilitating condition that leaves her suffering from tremors, pain, fatigue, numbness and vomiting.
It took her two and a half years to get a correct diagnosis and she’s seen over 50 medical professionals in Australia and overseas to try and treat the disease.
“As my health continued to deteriorate, my business was going from strength-to-strength,” she said in an interview with Elle.
“The irony of this juxtaposition didn't go unnoticed. I should've been celebrating the success. Instead, I was watching it grow from a screen as my product kept selling out.”
She hopes that sharing her health battle will help raise awareness for the disease.
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