Australian beauty brands have pushed out the established labels, from toothpaste to tanning, with a little product innovation and a lot of savvy marketing.
Today we’ve actually launched SmileStikas,” says Alex Tomic. “It’s a temporary sticker for your teeth.” Yes, you read that right – stickers for your teeth. And if that sounds like a mistake rather than a business opportunity, listen up: Tomic, who just turned 30, is probably onto something.
“Blair and I met when he had a salon in Port Melbourne,” says Wilson. “I was a customer and we became friends. We were always talking about brands, we were both interested in consumer behaviour. Blair had a strong understanding of professional tanning but he said that there wasn’t a great DIY product in the market. He couldn’t refer clients to a good product to use at home, or if they were travelling.” Tanning products existed, of course, but Wilson and James thought they could do better.
“Innovation isn’t always about product,” says Wilson. “It’s often about how you talk to your customers, how do you appeal to them? SPF is a good example. There are six brands in Coles, and the product is broadly the same. How do you differentiate yourself? How do you tell a story?” The story of Bondi Sands, he says, is “confidence, joy, fun. When you’re wearing Bondi Sands, you should feel good about yourself.
They launched Hismile in 2014, bootstrapping the business from the beginning with $10,000 in savings each. Teeth-whitening was a growing trend among their friends, but they noticed that people complained that the chemicals hurt their teeth, and that the products didn’t always yield the results they wanted.“We just knew there was a better way,” says Tomic. Theirs is a classic founders’ mentality: by their own admission, equal parts chutzpah and naivety. “We were like, let’s just do it.
It’s hard to overestimate the supercharging of Kardashian’s stamp of approval, but Mirkovic is close to blase about the effect her viral TikTok reel about the toothpaste had for the brand. “It didn’t change the trajectory of the business,” says Mirkovic with that founders’ moxie, “it accelerated it.”
“Beauty used to be really boring,” says Jessica Hatzis, owner of Frank Body, a coffee scrub now sold in Mecca and Priceline . “It was led by a handful of global conglomerates that played it safe. There was nothing memorable from a brand perspective. Now there is a sense of fun to skin, body, haircare and cosmetics. It’s a more joyful interaction with the customer. And that is really appealing to that Gen Z consumer, and even those who are younger than that.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Best Halloween costumes 2023: From Wednesday Addams to Barbie, Best Picks’ top looks for 20237NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
Read more »
Young Rich List 2023: Lamborghini-loving LMCT+ founder Adrian Portelli says he is shy and an introvertKnown for his attention-seeking stunts and love of sports cars, Adrian Portelli has rocketed into the Young Rich List. But his business is under scrutiny.
Read more »
Young Rich List 2023 debutant Prash Puspanathan of Enosis Therapeutics and Caleb & Brown loves cryptocurrency, psychedelics and artPrash Puspanathan, an early adopter of cryptocurrency, has commissioned a giant robot for his pool.
Read more »
Young Rich List 2023 debutant Prash Puspanathan of Enosis Therapeutics and Caleb & Brown loves cryptocurrency, psychedelics and artPrash Puspanathan, an early adopter of cryptocurrency, has commissioned a giant robot for his pool.
Read more »
Gregory Green, Francis Wedin, Tal Paneth among the green energy entrepreneurs taking over the Young Rich List in 2023US-based investor and Young Rich List debutant Gregory Green made an estimated $100 million after selling his share of a landfill gas developer.
Read more »