Kiwi firm launches $600-a-jar skincare
ANew Zealand company is making a play for a slice of the high-end skincare market. Former oil and mining engineer Mona Masouminia, is launching New Zealand Secret, a range of luxury anti-ageing products.
The 33-year-old has been working on the idea since a beauty show in Paris in 2015. There, she saw New Zealand products on display, and thought they were not taking full advantage of New Zealand’s reputation for being ‘‘clean and green’’ and the cachet that could come with that.
‘‘After working with the formulae during the past 18 months, we can now say that we have a 100 per cent natural range
The target market for our product is worth US$35 billion, but we have narrowed that down to 15 million prospective clients worldwide. Mona Masouminia
for anti-ageing products that is going to compete strongly against some of the world’s biggest luxury brands in this field. The target market for our product is worth US$35 billion, but we have narrowed that down to 15 million prospective clients worldwide, who fit out profile for people prepared to pay around US$500 per 50ml.’’
That is a part of the market usually dominated by international products such as the celebrity-endorsed La Mer skincare range.
New Zealand Secret products including cleansing cream, eye cream, toner and moisturiser sell for between $300 and $625. Ingredients include New Zealand wakame seaweed, sauvignon blanc grape skin extract and kiwifruit skin extract.
Masouminia said the biggest market for the products would be customers outside New Zealand and Australia. She said global customers would be willing to pay a premium for top-quality Kiwi products. One investor had Asian distribution channels.