At the very heart of the ever-evolving beauty industry all sectors including skin, wellness, aesthetics, and cosmeceuticals are driven by constant innovations in product formulation, new technologies, emerging research, and consumer trends. Anagenics’ Chief Customer Officer Carolyn Heath chats to Anita Quade about growth and development.
Professionals in these sectors who wish to be seen as leaders in their fields therefore need to constantly stay ahead of the curve. Many industry leaders recognise this as their own personal responsibility towards continued education and training. However, strong leaders must also be supported by strong brand partners, those who facilitate industry excellence through the same devotion to continued development.
This commitment to growth has acted as the catalyst driving the recent evolution of BLC Cosmetics. Founded in 1974, BLC has established itself over the past four decades as one of the most highly trusted distributors among the professional beauty, spa, dermal, and aesthetics sectors. In line with its mission to service an even wider array of businesses within the industry and increase its capacity for research & development, BLC announced their merger with ASX-listed Cellmid Limited towards the end of 2021.
Beauty Loves Company
BLC has always had collaboration at its core. In fact, this ethos is where the name originally sprung from. Standing for Beauty Loves Company, BLC’s brand values are based on the commitment to working hard for its partners, through all of its brands, in order to deliver mutual commercial and personal value through collaboration. Its partnership with Cellmid; whose large portfolio of health, wellness and beauty products would further diversify BLC’s brands, was an ideal fit. This strategic alignment with a highly successful healthcare and beauty tech company would propel BLC to a position that accommodated rapid growth and significant increases in scale – and in turn, in a better position to support the growth and profitability of their partnering stockists. Following on from the merger came the introduction of a new name, and a fresh face for the recently-acquired BLC.
Who Is Anagenics?
In December 2021, Cellmid re-introduced itself to the professional beauty, wellness, haircare and aesthetics sectors as Anagenics, boasting an impressive lineup of brands under its banner.
Inspired by the Greek word for regeneration, anagennisi; Anagenics strives for regeneration and transformation – both as a result of its products, and extending through to its partnering businesses. Anagenics is now positioned as a leading provider of evidence-based brands across the beauty, haircare, wellness, and aesthetics sectors. Found in spas, salons, skin clinics, and cosmetic practices throughout Australia, the Anagenics brand portfolio caters to a broad range of practice styles and philosophies within the personal care space.
The Anagenics point of difference is two-fold. The first aspect is the incredible diversity of its brands, whose unique brand stories and personalities can cater to just about any business within the industry. Whether you identify as a provider of a holistic approach, or advanced clinical outcomes, there is something for you. The second component is the common denominator shared among each of these brands – and that is they are backed by science. As a leading distributor of beauty and healthcare products and technologies, Anagenics believes strongly in evidence-based practice. R&D is a big part of this, and by ensuring that Anagenics partners only with brands who place emphasis on science, we believe this provides the greatest possible chance of excellent results for our partnering salons.
Where Are They Now?
In addition to a range of reputable professional brands like évolis and LightStim, Anagenics is proud to continue the distribution of BLC’s most highly regarded brands: Priori, Hydropeptide, Thalgo, and Comfort Zone. These have served as the cornerstones of BLC for decades, and after going through such significant organisational changes since 2021, many industry professionals have been left wondering where the BLC brands are now, and whether the products themselves have undergone changes too. Whether you are already familiar with the brands, or are yet to have experienced them yourself, there is no better opportunity to acquaint yourself with these four revered brands under their new Anagenics banner.
Priori – The Pioneer of Peels
A long-standing household name, Priori is proud to have pioneered several breakthrough concepts and applications in skincare, including the AHAs, LED, Idebenone, and DNA Repair Enzymes. Conceptualised in 2005, Priori prides itself on continuous innovation, with a dedicated R&D team of skin-focussed scientists and formulators to ensure their biotechnology is always new and effective. Priori was the first cosmeceutical skincare brand to conceive ‘adaptive skincare’, combining carefully considered ingredients to create formulas which adapt to the user’s biological skin needs and activities throughout the day, in order to optimise the skin’s performance – no matter the age, gender, skin type, or condition. Priori’s formulas are designed to recognise one’s individuality, and transform their skin on a cellular level by boosting and repairing our natural physiological functions.
Priori formulations are designed to be complex, but the philosophy simple – correct the skin’s functions, and chronological signs of ageing can be reduced. This unique concept of balancing and optimising the skin’s functions, instead of targeting one specific indication, means less products are required, and that the range can be enjoyed by a broader spectrum of users. Priori’s breakthrough creations have also recently expanded into device technologies with the launch of the Unveiled. This flexible LED mask allows professional skin therapists to complement their clients’ professional treatments with at-home boosts of red and near infrared wavelengths. Though it is not designed to replace professional LED, this small but powerful device has been proven to significantly increase collagen levels in just 2 weeks with daily 10-minute use, as well as increase elastin levels in upper to mid dermis. This year, Priori has developed this technology even further with two new launches: an LED specifically for the neck and decolletage, as well as one for the hands.
Hydropeptide – The Science of Epigenetics
HydroPeptide takes the concept of nature versus nurture and applies it to skincare. It has been widely accepted for decades that skin ageing is determined by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and a combined result of genetic composition as well as lifestyle. However, the concept of epigenetics is still (in the context of scientific research) relatively new. This concept still relates to an individual’s DNA; but specifically, how one’s environment and lifestyle factors can influence the expression of that DNA. We cannot alter the genetic code itself, but evidence suggests that certain lifestyle factors can ‘switch on’ or ‘switch off’ certain genetic expression/activity. While this may sound more like science-fiction than skin science, mounting research demonstrates that we do have significant influence over the way our genes behave through alterations in our environment, and the molecules our cells come into contact with. Founded in 2004, HydroPeptide has taken the concept of epigenetics and applied it to the physiological mechanisms which determine the signs of ageing, creating truly forward-thinking skincare.
Thalgo – Marine Beauty
The healing properties of the ocean have been heroed around the world for centuries. Its innate source of power, energy, and restoration has been the inspiration for Thalgo for over 50 years. In combination with deep roots in wellness culture, the science behind marine micronutrients serves as a cornerstone for this beloved spa range. In the early 20th century, the biologist René Quinton was the first to demonstrate the similarities between the mineral composition of sea water and our own blood plasma. The cosmetic superiority of many algae active ingredients comes from this similarity in composition between their environment and that of our cells, which gives them unequalled biorecognition and skin assimilation properties.
Thalgo seamlessly combines the holistic yet powerful history of marine healing concepts, with the results-driven approach of evidence-backed marine ingredient formulation. The result is a truly immersive spa experience, which deeply engages the senses while making significant and noticeable change in the skin, supporting long-term health and longevity. Thalgo is recognised throughout the world for its transportive facial and body experiences, such as the Heart of the Ocean facial for example, whose protocol incorporates sounds and rhythmic movements to replicate the soothing waves of the ocean. These rituals are often performed at the most luxurious spa hotels and retreats around the world. Another of these is the Silicium Lift facial ritual, an Australian favourite which has just received a protocol invigoration. Developed in collaboration with a cosmetic surgeon, this treatment has been designed to meet the demands for non-surgical lifting treatments without the need for invasive procedures or needles. The principle of Face Fitness techniques consists of working the muscles of the face via specialised facial sculpting movements. This method was popularised in Russia and the USA, and has continued to develop and finally make its way to Australian shores.
Comfort Zone – Where Nature Meets Science
Botanical extracts can often boast a wide variety of potent benefits, particularly in the context of skincare. You’ve heard of the paddock-to-plate culinary concept: Comfort Zone delivers a similar ethos of garden-to-lab cosmeceuticals, marrying together the perfect fusion of high-grade plant-derived ingredients and science-led formulations. A team of over 40 experts including chemists, biologists, and dermatologists lead Comfort Zone’s multidisciplinary Scientific Committee through stringent R&D processes in order to provide clean, result-driven formulas using highly concentrated botanical ingredients. These formulations are created via the brand’s very own Scientific Garden, an open-air lab at the Davines Village, where these botanicals are grown and researched on site. A proudly certified B Corp, Comfort Zone strives to be as conscious as humanly possible, and kind to the plant as well as the skin. Packaging is fully recyclable, and fully CO2 compensated thanks to EthioTrees; a reforestation initiative in Ethiopia. Products are also formulated without the use of silicones, animal derivatives, mineral oil, artificial colourants, or SLS.
évolis – The Science of Hair Health
A pioneering anti-ageing haircare collection, évolis harnesses the latest scientific research to formulate plant-derived solutions for thicker, stronger, healthier hair. Researched and formulated by a team of biologists in Japan and Australia who specialise in hair growth and conditions of the scalp, these patented formulas target our physiological hair growth cycles and hormone receptor functions to ensure genuine change in hair growth. évolis clinically proven technology specifically targets the FGF5 (Fibroblast Growth Factor 5). This gene influences hair cycle stages, when hair moves from anagen (growth) to catagen (hair stops growing and prepares to fall out). By keeping the hair in the anagen growth phase, individuals can experience less hair fall, and instead; fuller and and faster growing hair.
What Does The Future Hold?
Since acquiring BLC, Anagenics also proudly adopts BLC’s original six brand pillars and commitments to its partners:
Drivers of Results – We innovate with passion, staying switched on to grow.
Committed and Ethical – We keep our promises, making ethical decisions for people, planet and profit.
Bravely Bold – We dive in with courage, trust and integrity.
United and Inclusive – People are our power. We celebrate our individuality, because we know we’re stronger together.
Solutions-Driven – We show up with a can-do attitude, making informed, useful decisions.
Anagenics will continue to strive for excellence among its partnering spas, salons and clinics by delivering unwavering support, training and education, and reliability. As for the future: Anagenics hopes to provide even greater brand diversity, and exciting new education initiatives to take all sectors of the beauty industry to the next level.
This article first appeared in the November-December 2022 print edition of Professional Beauty.
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