As the beauty industry bounces back in 2023, we take a look at the rise in demand for Australian Made products and the importance of that little green and gold Australian Made logo for both the beauty industry and Australian consumers writes, Ariana Pezeshki.
Salon owner and suppliers know all too well how the COVID-19 pandemic affected supply chains and the industry as a whole. It’s not a welcome reminder to think back on, but it changed the way we look at business and growth from sourcing ingredients from overseas to the rise and importance of Australian Made products.
From delays in salon equipment to beauty products, it was not expected for the market to fully recover until 2023, yet here we are in a new year with new expectations and goals for the professional beauty industry as a whole, and hopefully brighter expectations to look forward to as an industry.
Australian Made products have shown a continued increase since 2020 with 93% of Australian consumers stating that they are more likely to buy Aussie made according to consumer research conducted by Roy Morgan. As international borders were closed and restrictions implemented to travel around the world, the silver lining really was the fact that Australian Made goods received a much needed boost to help increase support and preference.
The pandemic highlighted the fragility of global supply chains while also triggering action to boost local manufacturing and Australian made products. It’s a strange but poignant look at a pandemic that took so much away from the world. It’s a small but impactful movement to come out of a dark time for Aussie consumers and businesses alike to realise just how heavily Australians over-relied on imported products. From manufacturing to job creation, locally made and sourced products ensure the highest standards in the industry while giving back to the community and creating local jobs.
Australian Made Chief Executive Ben Lazzaro said, “It is an exciting time for Australian Made businesses and retailers. A renewed focus on buying Australian and supporting local has consumers and businesses exercising their preference for Aussie products more than ever. A trend that we expect to continue.”
With the welcomed shift in Aussie Made products being top of mind for consumers, Lazzaro went on to say, “the pandemic brought the many benefits of buying Australian Made into sharp focus. Not only do our local makers produce products made to some of the highest quality and safety standards in the world, but they also create economic activity and employment opportunities. Remember, you can be sure it’s a genuine Aussie product by looking for the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo.”
Morgan and Keenan Littler are founders of the Australian Made skincare brand, Bohemian Skin. The husband and wife are a proudly Aussie owned and operated company born out of the mission to provide access to deliver safe and effective natural skincare during pregnancy and has filled a hole in the market for more than just another skincare brand.
“Bohemian Skin takes the guesswork out of a very murky industry allowing the consumer to take control of the ingredients they are using and giving them peace of mind for their health and wellbeing. Bohemian Skin’s mission is to support the skincare needs of all people through all life stages with health, safety and efficacy at the forefront.”
As a certified organic Australian Made, owned and operated company, Bohemian Skin has been developed by chemists in the highest standard manufacturing facility using only the highest quality Australian Certified Organic ingredients to ensure the best for consumer’s skin. Morgan and Keenan said, “being an Australia Based, made and owned brand is undeniably important to us and this will not change.
Australia has some of the strictest quality, safety, business and labour laws in the world and remaining an Australian-based company supports the Australian economy, Australian jobs and the sustainable manufacturing and strict environmental policies Australia has in place.”
In addition, the Littlers had to face the challenges of the pandemic on Bohemian Skin’s operations, from creation to distribution. “COVID-19 has impacted Bohemian Skin in a multitude of ways both positively and negatively. The beauty, health and wellness industries saw a massive spike in sales during the pandemic due to the “lipstick effect” which is a theory that explains that despite times of uncertainty and economic downturn, consumers will still purchase affordable self-care items to help them through tough times. While we cannot speak to the challenges other companies have had, the biggest area of negative impact came from supply chain issues and distribution to consumers. This was a major issue and although it is largely resolved now the shipping carriers are still under a lot of pressure to deliver items in a timely manner which has led to a higher rate of delivery issues.”
Many companies post-pandemic have implemented measures in place should something cause disruptions to business again and the Littlers are no different, they said, “if anything like the pandemic were to happen again, we would be adequately equipped to deal with it. The pandemic has forced us to think on our feet and become much more adaptable.
We have put into place measures to ensure limited disruption to our consumers during unprecedented times and have re-evaluated our minimum stock levels on hand and triggers to start production on new batches to ensure we always have adequate stock to eliminate consumer disruption and minimise delays if supply chain issues were to occur.”
Bohemian Skin’s goal for 2023 is to continue to grow and increase our footprint within Australia and continue international expansion while remaining Aussie Made, “we are proud to be Australian Made and this is something that will never change. Australia’s quality, safety and manufacturing standards are extremely high and we believe it gives a certain assurance to our community that their products are always made to the highest standard with the highest quality ingredients,” the Littlers said.
“Australia’s quality, safety and manufacturing standards are extremely high and we believe it gives a certain assurance to our community that their products are always made to the highest standard with the highest quality ingredients.” – Morgan and Keenan Littler.
QED Skincare is another Australian Made company founded by Sydney based Pharmacist Shoshana Eisner whose mission is to tackle skincare issues with science lead ingredients for sensitive skin. “When we opened a salon that specialised in hands- on European facial treatments, using our safe, plant-based products which made our customers feel wonderful, of course, I was always going to manufacture in Australia, as we are blessed with excellent, reliable quality control, fair-trade and keeps our carbon footprint down, which makes us all feel good,” Shoshana said.
Shoshana also stressed the impacts of the industry on QED’s business from uncertainty, to production costs. “Nothing made us more aware that we are working in an Island economy than COVID-19, we are fortunate as many of our core ingredients are locally produced and we were not so reliant on imports. However, what was impacted was our packaging, a lot of which is imported. It created delays in production but fortunately, we work with wonderful suppliers who have been part of the QED team for many years and we just found workarounds that allowed us to service our customers with their favourites as best as we could,” Shoshana said.
“What this period did teach us as a company is the importance of flexibility and thinking on your feet. As with everyone, our short—and longer-term plans changed in an instant and as a small company, we had the ability to modify our strategy in order to meet the constant changes imposed on us all.”
This article first appeared in the January-February 2023 print issue of Professional Beauty.
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