Brand new to BEAUTYDIRECTORY, is a safe, natural and luxurious range of products created especially for babies' delicate skin. We sat down with founder Kirsty Gow-Gates to find out the lengths she went to in order to find the perfect formula.
Please could you tell us a little about your career so far?
I started my career in PR and events over 15 years ago, working in London at a prestigious events company called Fait Accompli. Whether planning a small dinner for the Aga Khan, a charity event for The Royal Family or Elizabeth Taylor’s birthday party, I learnt so much about meticulous attention to detail, discretion and creating a ‘memorable’ brand experience.
I established my own PR agency for lifestyle and luxury brands, Exposure PR, in 2005 based in Sydney. I have been really fortunate to parlay my lifelong interests in food and drink, culture, beauty and travel into my business and represent many exciting clients along the way including Jamie Oliver, Richard Branson, BMW cars, leading baby brands, award-wining restaurants, premium beverage companies, LA’s leading endocrinologist to luxury resorts in Fiji.
I started developing Lullaby Skincare three and a half years ago. It was a natural decision during my first pregnancy to represent my own brand and I have loved the creative challenge. I have been working on it, testing formulations and creating products since I was pregnant with my first baby, Archie. I have loved both my pregnancies and feel that I was at my peak of creativity during these times! It has been quite a busy three years and I have been on overdrive to get it all happening!
What made you decide to start your own luxury skincare line for babies?
As a mother, I found it difficult to find a baby range which is extremely gentle, safe, effective AND looks and smells beautiful. I wanted to use high quality, natural ingredients on my baby’s sensitive skin and be sure the products were stripped of harsh, toxic ingredients. Experts say up to 60 per cent of what goes on your baby’s skin is absorbed into their bloodstream within minutes. Everything that your baby does absorb through their skin has to be processed by their little livers. So why take your chances with any harmful toxins or low quality ingredients?
Since I couldn’t find a brand I was satisfied with, I decided to create a luxurious baby brand I could trust.
Please tell us about the journey you went on in order to perfect the formulations?
During a holiday with my husband in Asia, I fell in love with a skincare brand available at a luxury eco-resort which was unfamiliar to me. Knowing I wanted to start my own natural skincare range, I contacted the company which developed the brand and visited them at their head office in Thailand. I travelled back and forth to Bangkok for over a year working with their team to create a range of products for babies and children which I wanted to be natural and gentle for sensitive skin. When it was time to have the products licenced in Australia, I met with a reputable representative from the TGA (Therapeutic Goods of Australia).
After she reviewed each product with a fine-tooth comb, much to my disappointed and surprise, she subtly told me that the products I had hoped to launch in Australia were not as ‘natural’ as I was lead to believe because the percentage of ‘natural’ in each formulation was so small. My heart sank, I wanted the products to be completely transparent and of exceptional quality and integrity, so I knew I had to start again.
I asked her if she could recommend a reputable company who might be able to help me and she said that in her many years of working and analysing skincare, she felt there was only one women truly talented and focused on skin health, a hidden gem, based in Queensland. She herself, having access at no cost to any skincare product on the Australian market, chooses to use only products made by her. Her name is Mimi Gyergyak, an experienced skin therapist and lecturer for over 40 years with her own company called Bio-Pacific. Mimi’s focus has never been on packaging or marketing, it is about sourcing the most effective and natural ingredients she can find. The stars aligned and Mimi agreed to work with me to help create the formulations for Lullaby which are truly special.
Her first advice to me was, if I was serious about skincare, to ensure my products were Aloe Vera based – not water based which is usually the case with skincare products. Working with her over the past 2 years, she is now like family to me, a very special lady with incredible knowledge and dedication to skin health. She is an inspiration and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome for Lullaby’s perfect formulations.
What do you love most about the final ingredient list and how will it benefit babies’ skin?
Our top quality ingredients have been carefully chosen to work together perfectly to nourish, replenish and protect especially delicate and sensitive skin.
The Lullaby range, excluding the sunscreen, consists of locally grown organic Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensia) as their base. The products are not water based, like other skincare products. I love this Aloe Vera that we have chosen for its exceptional nourishing and healing properties. When it comes to skincare, this Aloe Vera is simply unbeatable. Prized for its therapeutic qualities, it’s often called the ‘Queen of the Aloe’. It is grown on farms free of pesticides in South-West Queensland and cold-pressed to retain maximum natural goodness.
Other pure and gentle ingredients we use include jojoba oil, avocado oil, chamomile and vitamin E and these are all naturally derived and sourced directly from plants, herbs and other natural resources only in Australia so we can be certain that every batch is consistent and includes the premium ingredients we have sourced.
All our products are free from Parabens, Phthalates, Sulfates, PPG’s,. Dye, Petroleum, Triclosan, Bisphenol A (BPA), Formaldehyde Donars and Essential Oils. They are not tested on animals.
How did you decide on the particular branding and packaging?
From my experience over many years working with brands in PR, I understand the importance of gorgeous packaging for luxury brands. The Lullaby branding and packaging is elegant, chic, playful and fresh. It has been designed for the fashionable, style conscious mother which also makes the products desirable as gifts for family and friends. It has been a fantastic journey with my designer, Kate O’Connor, who was previously the global design director for Jurlique. Since the products are natural, we have ensured that the packaging is also recyclable.
Where will Lullaby be stocked?
Lullaby is launching this month and will be available for orders online at www.lullabyskincare.com
As Lullaby is at the forefront of the premium baby skincare sector, we don’t intend to stock the range in mainstream retail outlets e.g. supermarkets and chemist warehouse. We look to be available in boutique baby stores, beauty outlets, maternity hospitals and high-end pharmacies.
What do the next five years hold for Lullaby?
We hope to expand nationally to Asia, the UK and the US. We look to increase the product range to cover all newborn, children and mother-to-be skincare needs. We hope all babies have the advantage of having these special products during their precious early years.