Miranda Kerr’s beauty brand to a multimillion-dollar gut health empire: Australia’s wellness moguls revealed
It’s an industry worth $6.2 trillion worldwide so it’s no wonder these Australians — from models to chefs — are raking in serious cash from wellness.
Chemical-free beauty, crystal facial-rollers, and “glow” powder supplements.
“Wellness” is the self-care buzzword that has quickly become a lucrative and growing global industry.
And it’s raking in serious cash for Australian moguls who are selling their products off the wellness message.
The wellness economy is said to be worth $US4.2 trillion ($A6.2 trillion) worldwide, according to the Global Wellness Institute.
The term refers to the beauty products, nutrition and weight loss supplements, and gadgets (such as jade facial rollers) sold off the all natural, non-invasive health message, in an industry now worth serious cash.
It includes weight loss and personal care products, as well as spa treatments and mind or body exercise practices such as pilates and yoga.
American Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow, who founded the controversial lifestyle site Goop in 2008, is perhaps Hollywood’s most recognisable wellness powerhouse.
Goop is valued at an estimated $US250 million ($A371 million), according to the New York Times.
Its wellness offering takes in the areas of detox, fitness, food, health, mindfulness, sexual health and spirituality, according to goop.com.
These are the Australian entrepreneurs — from supermodels and e-commerce executives to Byron Bay locals — building business empires off the back of wellness.
CARLA OATES — THE BEAUTY CHEF
She has built a multimillion-dollar empire, according to Forbes, off the back of her “beauty begins in the belly” trademark.
Based in Bondi Beach, Carla Oates — a former stylist and beauty writer — is the brains behind The Beauty Chef, a line of powders, liquids, sprays and lip balms positioned around boosting gut health.
She founded the business in 2009 from her bedroom, and grew it into a multimillion-dollar empire stocked at Selfridges, on luxury fashion site Net-A-Porter, as well as Anthropologie and Gwyneth Paltrow’s influential website, Goop. The brand has amassed a 167,000-strong following on Instagram.
Oates’ products include the best-selling Collagen Inner Beauty Boost ($42), Glow Inner Beauty Powder ($65) and a Well Spray ($29), and she’s written books including The Beauty Chef Cookbook and The Beauty Chef Gut Guide.
“What sets The Beauty Chef apart from other brands in the market is our holistic view of health, beauty and wellbeing,” Oates told News Corp Australia.
“Unlike other probiotic supplements, which often only contain one or two strains of bacteria, our unique bio-fermentation process, Flora Culture, involves introducing 14 species of bacteria and beneficial yeasts into our ingredients to ferment for a period of six to eight weeks.
“This results in a potent, natural and food-based probiotic which nourishes the gut and promotes radiant skin from within.”
So how does The Beauty Chef define “wellness”?
“I’m such a big believer in wellness is beauty and beauty is wellness,” Oates said.
“When I launched my first inner beauty product back in 2009, it was a challenge to break into the mainstream beauty market.
“The feedback from a business perspective was that the idea was a little too left of field. Lacto-fermentation and the benefits of probiotics as well as gut health were only just beginning to be understood in the health arena, but it was a very new concept for the beauty world.
“Ten years later and consumers are spoiled for choice.”
MIRANDA KERR — KORA ORGANICS
Supermodel Miranda Kerr went from the runway to a full-fledged business powerhouse with her take on the wellness movement: Kora, a line of organic skincare.
The former Victoria’s Secret Angel, 36, has a net worth of $US45 million and 12.1 million followers on Instagram and launched the brand to huge success in 2009.
Kora is now stocked in 200 retailers across Australia (including David Jones) and in the United States, where it is available at Sephora.
Speaking exclusively to News Corp Australia, Los Angeles-based Kerr said the brand — of which she self-funded 95 per cent — had been developed with a “holistic approach to overall wellness” in mind
“Kora Organics encourages you to look after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally,” Kerr said.
“I believe the health of our mind, body and skin are all connected, so we need to look at all three aspects for the best results.”
Kerr’s take on wellness is to “feed your mind with positive affirmations and self-love, feed your body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best and feed yours kin with products to help detoxify, nourish and revitalise”.
Empower Yourself author Kerr admitted her supermodel status had helped Kora’s success as a business.
“It has given me a unique platform to launch my brand and a following that I have been able to educate on the importance of using certified organic skincare,” she said.
JULIE STEVANJA — STYLERUNNER
She’s the brains behind Stylerunner — the $50 million Australian activewear empire, stocking PE Nation, Adidas and her own line of athleisurewear.
In August, Sydney-based Julie Stevanja — who has an Instagram following of 614,000 and counting — expanded her business into the wellness sector, with the launch of stylerunner.com/wellness.
The former corporate banker described the launch — billed as #JustAddWellness — as “one of the strongest category launches we’ve seen to date”.
“I think there is a trend of consumers looking to trusted retailers to sell them a wider assortment of offerings — it’s more convenient, it’s faster and it’s more efficient than fragmented shopping across multiple sites,” Stevanja told News Corp Australia.
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Stylerunner’s Wellness offering is in a similar vein to overseas models seen on luxury shopping site Net-A-Porter and American fashion chain, Urban Outfitter.
”On category growth, consumers are continuing to become more and more educated on how to look after themselves, how to achieve optimal performance and how to recover better,” she said.
“They also understand that they’ll receive benefits not only from working out and purchasing new activewear, but also achieve results faster when they supplement with protein powders, magnesium, superfoods, vitamins.”
Stevanja said she expanded Stylerunner into the wellness space after market research revealed an overwhelming response in 24 hours.
“We found a huge level of interest from our customers in terms of purchasing wellness products,” she said.
“Our customer is already interested in proteins and supplements, so launching wellness was a natural progression.”
Stylerunner’s Wellness e-store stocks a curated product range including The Beauty Chef, Mayde Tea, Bear, Inca Organics, Life Botanics, Vida Glow and The Healthy Chef, as well as crystal face rollers and sculpting boards by Theseeke.
DANIELLE EGAN — SIENNA BYRON BAY
Non-toxic, ethical and vegan. Danielle Egan owns Sienna Byron Bay — a line of nail polishes (minus the nasties) considered a market leader in toxin-free polishes.
Founded five years ago, Sienna is, of course, manufactured in the Byron Shire.
Egan, 36, is an entrepreneur and former clothing designer, who took her original ambition of becoming a mobile nail technician and turned it into a full-fledged brand with more than 30,000 Instagram followers and celebrity clients, including Barely Famous actor/producer, Erin Foster.
Egan started selling the polishes at the Byron Beachside Markets in 2014 with 13 colours. The range now includes about 70 (priced from $25 each), with stockists in 20 countries.
“The main difference is that we are ethically and sustainably produced, as well as being vegan, inclusive and Australian made,” Egan told News Corp Australia.
It’s a beauty-based spin on the wellness industry. “The formula is free of nasties and we are proud to say we have the cleanest formula on the market,” she said, of the Sienna Byron Bay line.
Egan said her business was evolving with plans for a US expansion.
“We’ve come a long way since our launch and we are growing,” Egan said.
“We’re market leaders in Australia and are currently working exclusively with one of the biggest eco-beauty companies in the States.
“We have the cleanest formula on the market, and we depend on science to make sure the polish will still give a luxe, durable finish.”
Given “wellness” is a buzzword of the moment, Egan had some advice for consumers when navigating which products to purchase.
“Keep an eye out for companies that are honest and ethical, this way they know they are getting what they pay for,” she said.
“You might find a cheap nail polish but I always wonder who is the one missing out when a product is created at such a price point.
“All our processes and ingredients have been audited and we are accredited by reputable, independent organisations like BCorp (B Corporation certification) and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), so customers can trust we mean what we say.”
Originally published as Miranda Kerr’s beauty brand to a multimillion-dollar gut health empire: Australia’s wellness moguls revealed