MODELS TO MOGULS
BEAUTY AND THE BEST SHAKE UP A $700BN INDUSTRY, WRITES NADIA SALEMME
THEY went from supermodels and influencers to beauty mega moguls, turning their celebrity profiles into skincare, makeup and self-tanning empires worth millions.
Aussie models, actors, WAGs and influencers are forging their own paths in the $700bn global beauty market, signing mega deals with retail giants including Mecca, Sephora and David Jones.
Zoe Foster Blake, Elle Ferguson, Nadia Bartel and Pia Whitesell are among the stars-turned-entrepreneurs who have followed in supermodel and KORA founder Miranda Kerr’s footsteps by launching beauty businesses.
Whitesell (nee Loyola) is one of the most recent entrants into the market, with her brand Macabalm.
The model and actor drew inspiration from motherhood and her time in the makeup chair on set to create the multipurpose organic macadamia and Kakadu Plum balm, priced from $19.95 to $45.95. It took Whitesell four years to turn the idea for Macabalm into a reality, “sending parcels from my garage” when her business went live in November.
“To take that idea into actualisation is hard,” she says. “There is so much backand-forth in terms of product development, being there in the lab, tinkering with it until its perfect.
“I felt like there was a gap in the market for an all-purpose balm that was made from all-natural ingredients and was sustainably sourced.”
So what impact did her established public profile – and 689,000-plus Instagram following – have on making Macabalm a reality?
“Because I have been in this industry for as long as I have been – I’ve modelled since I was 14 – I have worked with the most in-demand makeup artists and skin professionals in the country,” she says.
“You have access to find out what works … and then when you have the product, you have access to give it to colleagues, to have the exposure, to have the ‘reach’ that other people might not have, just by having done what I’ve done.
“I think it’s about access more so than leveraging followers.”
Whitesell says her consumer base is diverse and even her teenage sons, Isaiah, 18, and Lennox, 14, and her husband, Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell, use it.
“They always steal them – they’re out surfing a lot,” she says. “Patrick steals it all the time when he’s playing golf and he’s out in the elements.”
While the product is currently sold direct to consumers via macabalm.com, Whitesell has plans to expand the brand.
“There will more and there will be an expansion of Macabalm for sure,” she says.
As for whether she will return to acting, Whitesell says launching the brand has been her ”only focus” right now.
Influencer marketing expert Brent Coker, of Melbourne University, says celebrities have established followings on social media platforms – and public profiles – which gives their businesses a “head start”.
“It’s become more popular now – people using their fame (to start a business), and I think it works,” Mr Coker says. “Having a well-known personality behind it adds legitimacy to a brand. People are more willing to try it and are aware the brand exists.”
Former Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr took her career to the next level with KORA Organics in 2009, going from a model to a mogul worth some $80m.
Kerr has had huge success, as have Alist stars-turned-founders including Kim Kardashian (KKW Beauty), Kylie Jenner (Kylie Cosmetics) and Rihanna, whose Fenty brand put her on the Forbes billionaire list.
OTHER AUSSIE BEAUTY MOGULS
Model and founder Lara Worthington unveiled Share The Base (formerly known as The Base) in 2014, with the cosmetic-skincare hybrid LB Cream. Share The Base now operates as a not-for-profit enterprise, donating 100 per cent of its profits to charity.
Influencer Elle Ferguson used her 680,000-plus Instagram following to help launch her Elle Effect tanning range.
Beauty editor-turned-skincare founder Zoe Foster Blake launched Go-To in 2014, propelling her to a reported net worth of $36m through a range of retail deals.
Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins launched Jbronze, a line of athome tanning products in 2013. The brand also supplies professional spray tanning formulas to beauty salons. The model, TV presenter and founder has deals with stockists including Chemist Warehouse and Woolworths.
WAG Alex Fevola launched her makeup brand Runway Room in 2012, described as “professional standard makeup” but “without the high-end price tag”. It features more than 120 products.
Former Victoria’s Secret model Jessica Hart started her makeup brand LUMA in 2014. The range, stocked at Priceline, features multi-use products based on the “illuminating properties of crushed pearl”.