Okay, so the beautyheaven team is made up of mainly honorary Aussies (we do our fair share of Tim Tam eating and Vegemite scoffing don’t you worry) but we do consider ourselves part of the sunny nation. That’s why we’re so proud that beauty addicts worldwide are sitting up and seeing Australia as a major beauty player. We take a look at some of the key brands making waves overseas.
A’kin
A’kin is a big player in the overseas market with The Purist Company exporting to Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, UK and USA. Phew! The brand has also scooped many an international award. Most recently: Best Natural Hair Care at Your HairMagazine Awards in Blighty (for Unscented Shampoo and Conditioner) and a whole sleuth of praise at Natural Health & Beauty Magazine Awards on homegrown turf. Want to know what the Brits are splashing out on? Pure Radiance Rosehip Oil.
BECCA
What started out as a frustration at the inability to find the perfect foundation led to a global cosmetic following for Perth make-up artist Rebecca Morris Williams. The brand now has celeb fans in Sienna, Gwyneth – who probably picked it up at the flagship London store – and besties Cameron and Drew. The BECCA brand continues to go strong, scooping awards for Beach Tint (allure) and Bird of Paradise Gloss (InStyle) and launching in Asia in January this year. You go girl!
Yes to Carrots
Sydney boy and self-confessed carrot lover Ido Leffler did launch abroad before here but that’s ok, we’ll forgive him. Because quite frankly, we can’t live without the cleverly named products. And neither can the rest of the world it seems. After just 20 months on the market, Yes to Carrots is stocked in 17 countries and over 17,000 stores worldwide. The newbie sister brands Yes to Tomatoes and Yes to Cucumbers, which are currently taking the US market by storm, will be launched here next year. Roll on 2009, we say!
Napoleon Perdis
It seems La La Land is so taken with our Napoleon that it’s close to claiming him as their own. But we know the truth: he started out with his first make-up studio in the Sydney suburb of Leichardt. Three years later his first concept store in Sydney’s Oxford Street opened. Now, alongside the mega 59 stand-alone stores and 800 point of sales in Oz and New Zealand, there’s the Hollywood Boulevard store and a cult celeb. Busy bee, Mr P.
ModelCo
ModelCo, the brainchild of former model agent Shelley Barrett, is based in Sydney but has developed a devotee list that could span the world three times over. The quirky quick-fix products (that started with the massively successful Lash Wand Heated Eyelash Curler back in 2002) are now sold across five continents, 27 countries and over 1000 stores. And if it’s good enough for Posh (she was spotted with an iconic pink compact. Say what you like about her but the girl does have impeccable taste), then it’s good enough for us.
Feeling patriotic? Here are some more awesome Aussie brands for you to check out:
