Professional Beauty January/February 2020

TALKING POINT
ASAP SKIN PRODUCTS
Outline how homegrown beauty products are best suited to
Australia’s climate, conditions and lifestyle?
asap skin products are formulated by Carley Stewart,
Formulating Chemist and Managing Director of asap skin
products for the harsh Australian climate where there is a
high incidence of skin cancer, premature skin ageing and UV
skin damage.
It is also essential to treat, prevent and protect our skin from
pollution, blue light and UV skin damage. From cold to freezing
in winter to the varied summer conditions of heat, humidity,
sun and wind, asap skin products are designed with these
environmental factors in mind.
Not only is homegrown skincare best suited to Australia’s
climate, conditions and lifestyle, but regular professional
skincare treatments are also key to address skin concerns. asap
microplus+, combining microdermabrasion and sonophoresis is
also Australian made and when used in conjunction with asap
skin products, it provides optimum results.
The results achieved by asap skin products here in Australia
have attracted interest from around the world and asap skin
products are now exported worldwide.
Is it in many ways easier to sell Australian Beauty Products
internationally than locally?
Australian beauty products carry the same perception as our
country itself; clean, healthy and gorgeous! It is well known that
Australians live in one of the harshest climates on earth and
that if our skincare is effective in these conditions it can stand
up to almost anything.
Internationally, Australian skincare brands have a reputation
as being clean, green, no-nonsense, safe products, that are still
very effective. For these reasons, selling asap skin products
internationally can be marginally easier than selling locally.
What satisfaction does it provide you in supporting local
jobs and community as an Australian Made manufacturer?
It is an important and a key company objective that our
product is locally made to support local jobs and
our community. In supporting locally made this also
helps to maintain our high ethical standards and credibility.
With overseas brands continually being introduced into
the Australian marketplace, we pride ourselves in creating
and providing products which are effective, affordable and
Australian made.
Exporting our brand to many countries, knowing they
are locally formulated and produced, provides a comforting
satisfaction that asap skin products are supporting local
businesses and keeping investments and employment
in Australia.
asap skin products have been proudly Australian owned
and made for over 20 years – that is
very satisfying!
DERMAENERGY
Do you utilise the Australian Made logo on your brand for
certification and recognition, and what advantages might
that offer?
On every Dermaenergy box we proudly display the Made in
Australia logo. This statement proudly tells the world and us
Aussies back home, that our skincare brand is 100% authentically
made here. Authenticity is crucial when it comes to skincare.
Australia’s approach to skincare production is very strict when it
comes to hygiene.
When Dermaenergy launched into the UK, the ‘Made
in Australia’ was the main selling point. The UK distributor
knew that the quality of our brand was outstanding and worth
promoting. The “A-Beauty” positioning was instrumental to the
overall launch strategy.
Here in Australia, Australian’s love supporting brands that are
home grown. It helps keep money here in Australia and helps to
keep supporting jobs and our economy.
Do people believe in Australian Made science and technology
when compared with overseas R&D from Germany, USA and
Japan which are acclaimed for their innovative formulas?
Look at Dermalogica, an American skincare brand that has
dominated the beauty industry for many years. But in recent
years, the flavour has changed to boutique Australian made
cosmeceuticals; we have definitely observed that more, and more
Australian therapists are receptive to Australian made skincare
than overseas skincare lines. Obviously we believe in our own
formulations, but here in Australia, our own skin therapists, now
demand Australian made. They believe in them, they like to work
with them and they proudly promote them. This confirms to us
that Australian brands are world class and can compete in the
arena with any other country.
China and Hong Kong strongly believe in Australian Made.
Remember in 2015 when a Hong Kong company purchased
the Australia vitamin brand Swisse for $1.67 billion? Now they
are seeking Australian made skincare. The Chinese believe in
our quality.
Outline how homegrown beauty products are best suited to
Australia’s climate, conditions and lifestyle?
Only an Australian skincare company can truly understand the
unique needs of our climate. With our outdoorsy, sun loving
lifestyle, we have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the
world, so we need sun protection products that deliver on their
promise. We need products and ingredients that can withstand
that, with lightweight, non-greasy and mattifying formulas that
won’t just slide off. We need products that hydrate, packed with
antioxidants to protect against pollution and UV exposure.
We are also quite low-key in our approach – we don’t want to
spend half our life applying a 10-step regime in the bathroom.
We want products that are multi-tasking and
that deliver.
Carley Stewart
Formulating Chemist and Managing
Director of asap skin products
www.asapskinproducts.com
Sean Abel
Founder / Creator / Director
Dermaenergy
www.dermaenergy.com.au
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