When Founder of Ismi Cosmetics Michal Meron moved to Australia 8 years ago, she dove into the beauty industry as a sole operator but couldn’t find the thermal plumping gel that she knew from back home, so she decided to bring it here. She noticed a different approach locally to extractions, and felt there was an opportunity to give local beauty therapists and aestheticians the option to use something other than a steamer for skin preparation. Thus, Ismi Cosmetics was born to help beauty therapists in their extraction work and continues to help them discover new, advanced products that can help them with their pre/post extractions step. We talk to her about this novel product, having a focused product and what’s next in the industry for facialists.
PB: How do you think this product will help beauty therapists adapt their treatments in a post-pandemic world?
“I think that in a post pandemic world, therapists are much more cautious and aware of contamination and try to be as safe as possible for themselves and their clients. This product is an alternative for a steamer so you won’t have to use a steamer again and save yourself that airflow that goes between you and the client.”
PB: How does this product work in lieu of steaming?
“The product’s synergie of ingredients and the way the product is made causes the gel to help soften the skin with a warming sensation. It helps to soften the skin just like a steamer but with the benefits of all the ingredients that help to also hydrate and calm the skin, and in direct contact all over the skin, where a steamer sometimes doesn’t distribute the steam evenly all over. A steamer is also bulky, old fashioned, and uncomfortable. it’s much easier and more advanced to use a product instead.”
PB: Why is steaming a less good option to this product in a post-pandemic option?
“I think in a post pandemic treatment you want to try to have as less contact or actual air flow between you and the client, we all know it’s almost impossible because we sit so close to them, so at least to try and have less air flow between you, as the steam gets to the client but it also always gets to us therapists.”
PB: How have Australian beauty salons/therapists reacted to the introduction of this product to their market?
“The reaction has always been amazing, at first, therapists are amazed by the product which most of them have never heard of, once they try it the feedback i got was they absolutely love it and the results and it is so much easier to work with. Lots of therapists told me they don’t like to use a steamer so it’s the perfect solution for them.”
PB: What are your plans with the brand/product?
“My plan is to build awareness of this specific product and to let therapists know there’s an option instead of a steamer. an option that is used worldwide for years.”
PB: What are your plans for bringing other brands/products here?
“Other products I want to bring will keep the same line of helping therapists with extraction either before or post extractions, that is my main focus.”
PB: Where do you see gaps in the market currently?
“I feel the extractions market has a gap here in Australia, which is why I wanted to start ismi cosmetics. For me, there’s no such thing as doing or even getting a facial without extractions. I think maybe it’s a cultural thing? but back home, how I grew up is that I always knew a facial includes extractions. Then I got to Australia and saw it wasn’t an obvious thing here as a part of a facial. I also haven’t seen a steamer since I was 16 years old and all of a sudden I saw it here 🙂 that’s what got me thinking and realizing the extraction step is a bit unadvanced here in my opinion.”
PB: How has your own beauty therapy business been affected by the pandemic?
“The beauty therapy industry had a big hit from the pandemic, i wasn’t able to work like many others and i think the main thing was mentally, this pandemic has really challenged me to find what keeps me motivated and what makes me happy, and to keep having hope for our industry.”
PB: How has bringing Ismi to Australia helped your business?
“Bringing Ismi here helped me to connect more with other therapists and be more connected to our industry which i think is so important, the support and help you can get, and it’s something i haven’t noticed before, so that was a great thing to discover – an amazing bunch of businesses and individuals that are very passionate about their work.”
PB: What advice would you give to beauty therapist for creating a COVIDsafe salon experience?
“I think you need to do what makes you feel safe and comfortable, obviously try to have the least contamination as possible between clients, if it’s disinfecting the rooms, using just disposable, having some more air flow in the rooms. I do think that anyway our industry is very good with keeping clean as we work with people all the time.”
PB: What protocols or behaviours do you think we’ll see adopted from COVID times for general use in future?
“I think the protocols will be that if you don’t feel good don’t come, make sure to keep a clean turn over between clients, i think salons will allow more time for cleaning in between clients, using more disposable gloves, taking only the amount of product you need to each facial/client and using the least contact as possible, if possible obviously in a facial. And maybe from my point not using the steamer and using the gel as a safer option.”
Learn more about Ismi Cosmetics or stocking the brand in your salon: Michal Meron, 0432 603 561, ismicosmeticsinfo@gmail.com and https://www.ismicosmetics.com.
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