Tell us about Scented Holistic Skincare. When did you launch? What’s the ethos behind the brand?
I’ve been working as an Aromatherapist creating treatments and products for day spas for around 10 years and I launched Scented at the end of 2011. As I approached my 40th birthday I decided that I wanted to help more women to look after their skin. There is some bad advice out there!
I truly believe that our bodies flourish when we work with nature and not against it. So with that in mind the range was created with natural, organic and wild harvested ingredients. Gentle ingredients, yet with enough oomph to make them extremely effective.
But there is so much more to say and the products alone weren’t really enough. I believe skincare is a holistic daily work in progress. You can get great skin by using powerful natural ingredients, nurturing beauty rituals and having a nutrient rich diet.
So the Scented Holistic Skincare website was born. A place where you can learn about the amazing natural ingredients that are available to us. Where you can find beauty rituals that you love so that you allocate at least 10 minutes a day to nurturing yourself. And as I love food so much, there are also quick fun recipes to boost the health of your skin.
What drew you into the world of organic beauty?
In 1994, I left Australia to go backpacking. I was in a tiny town in Northern Thailand and was offered some ‘natural balm’ in a tiny steel canister, by a German friend, to rub on my temples to treat my headache. I’d never seen these tins before and they certainly weren’t widely available in Australia at that time. My headache vanished. A few months later I was walking through a hot, humid market in Hoi An, Vietnam. I had a headache and thought to myself ‘I need to find some of that balm’. Not five seconds later a little Vietnamese woman jumped in front me with a basket of balms outstretched pleading “you buy, you buy?”
I couldn’t believe my eyes and replied “Oh yes, I buy!” In that moment of serendipity my love affair with essential oils began. I got home and enrolled in an Aromatherapy course. It is such an old art and has been used in beauty treatments for centuries. I loved learning what essential oils could do for skin and beauty. Skincare is and should be, simple and gentle and beautiful.
What challenges did you face starting a new business?
Being online is a real challenge. Working out a way to connect with someone who you never get to meet or speak with is not easy. There are so many courses you can do on copywriting and marketing and it can all get a little overwhelming. I think that all of that helps but the key is to not try to be anyone else. Develop your own feel and personality and you’ll find the people that resonate with you.
What advice could you offer to someone wanting to launch a new business in the beauty industry?
Do it! The more natural brands out there the better. If you create products that you love and that you are proud of your passion will be contagious.
What does being Australian mean to you?
I read a quote once from Franco Cozzo about Australians. He said, “they look sleepy, but they’re not sleepy.”
I love that. We are very laid back in our nature but we are also full of life, adventurous and clever.
Where are your favourite places to travel and visit in Australia?
My husband and I love road trips. Sometimes we’ll start out from home or we’ll fly somewhere and hire a car. We’ll allow ourselves a timeframe and choose the town that’s going to be our furthest point before we turn around. The rest of the trip is free flowing and we just drive and stop wherever we want to each day. We’ve seen a lot of gorgeous towns, forests and beaches this way.
Our next road trip is going to be to the Barossa Valley.
If I had to name my favourite places they would be:
South West Rocks: I love swimming at Horseshoe Bay. It’s so much fun as everyone is in the water. It’s completely normal to be bodysurfing with a 70 year old on your left and a 5 year old on your right.
Byron Bay and Hinterland: I’ve been many times and always leave feeling recharged.
Shoal Bay: I love the contrast of the front beach and back beach. One is lush and green and calm and the other is wild and ferocious.
Sydney’s Northern Beaches: It’s such an incredibly gorgeous area. It’s so green and colourful and the views are magnificent.
Mmm, I see a theme here. I am a bit of a beach lover!
