How two Aussie women turned a terrifying experience into a growing business
Two Aussie best friends have created a booming business venture after realising they had a deeply personal connection to a terrifying disease.
Face & Body
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“How cool would it be if we created a product?”
This was the question that began the small business journey for two Adelaide-based best friends.
Nicole Tomasek and Nicola Nikolaidis have been friends for more than a decade and were discussing health and ageing during their usual Sunday catch-up when they discovered they both had a deeply personal connection to a terrifying disease: skin cancer.
Specifically, scalp melanoma.
As their conversation continued, the duo realised the severity of scalp melanoma was often overlooked.
“(We) started talking about skin cancer and because we use sunscreen every day … we went ‘what do you use on your head?’” Ms Tomasek said.
This line of thought propelled the friends to create a product that combined sun safety and beauty, under the brand name By NIKŌL.
“The reason we decided to blend (SPF) into a beauty product was we wanted everyone to pick up this product,” Ms Tomasek said.
They took their idea of a hair growth serum containing SPF to manufacturers across Australia and were surprised by how keen they were.
“When we were talking about SPF they were like, ‘You want that in there too?’” Ms Nikolaidis said.
Eventually they found a manufacturer who they clicked with and understood the brief for their brand.
Over the 12 months it took to create their product, the friends travelled between their Adelaide homes and where their manufacturer was based in Sydney.
“We wanted to be very close to this. We wanted to formulate this product. We had no interest in saying this is what we want, let us know what you come up with,” Ms Nikolaidis said.
“Put a trundle bed in the lab because we want to be there every step of the way.”
For the By NIKŌL founders, releasing a product was more than having their label on something.
“We wanted to create something that was ours, that we were really proud of and that we know works,” Ms Tomasek said.
It was integral to Ms Tomasek and Ms Nikolaidis that any product they made was based on research-backed clinical results.
Because of this, their first product underwent nine iterations before reaching its final form as SO’L THIC.
SO’L THIC is a thickening serum they say promotes hair health and growth while simultaneously protecting your scalp from the harsh UV rays of the Aussie sun.
The product is proudly Aussie-made, cruelty-free and vegan and uses natural ingredients – values that are at the heart of the brand.
“By using this product you are naturally going to be protected,” Ms Tomasek said.
“If you don’t pick it up for the SPF fine, pick it up for the hair growth, but at least we know you’re protected,” Ms Nikolaidis added.
The driving force behind the brand By NIKŌL is a personal connection to the issue.
Both Ms Tomasek and Ms Nikolaidis come from families with extensive histories of skin cancer
In 2011, Ms Nikolaidis found out she had a growth on her scalp.
Much like many young Aussies today, Ms Nikolaidis grew up in the sun with a carefree attitude towards sun safety.
“I was absolutely obsessed with being in the sun – pool, walking, beach – anything I could do to be outdoors,” she said.
“It was a lack of awareness – I was like ‘oh, I don’t need sunscreen’.”
During a routine skin check, Ms Nikolaidis’ dermatologist found the spot and decided it had to be removed and tested.
“It just kind of hit me,” Ms Nikolaidis said.
“I didn’t have a good feeling. At that moment I was like I’ve messed up, I’ve really messed up here.”
The procedure involved shaving a part of Ms Nikolaidis’ head, surgically removing the spot, then stapling her scalp back together.
“I was in my early 20s, to hear that my head had to be partly shaved, that I had to be awake during the removal was terrifying,” she recounted.
There were post-operative ramifications too, like not being able to wash her hair for two weeks, having a bald patch, and waiting for the results to come back.
While the spot was non-cancerous, it served as a wake-up call.
“The reality of it was scary and it’s really terrifying to know that there are cases out there that have been much worse,” Ms Nikolaidis said.
For Ms Tomasek, her sister’s experience with scalp melanoma brought home the harsh realities of skin cancer.
Ms Tomasek, who loves to be outside, explained that her sister was quite the opposite.
“My sister is very rarely in the sun – she’s a busy mum of three, she’s a flight attendant, she has her own business – she’s not the type of person to go lay by the beach,” she said.
But in 2019, Ms Tomasek received a call from her sister who said her hairdresser had found a growth on her head.
A biopsy revealed it was a melanoma spot that had to be surgically removed.
“I remember the staples that she had in her head … the spot might have been a couple of millimetres, but the actual scar to get everything out was quite extensive,” Ms Tomasek said.
“The part for me that really hit home was the conversation with the doctor afterwards around if this didn’t come out, this could have travelled to your brain and this would have been a very different situation.”
Now, Ms Tomasek always asks the dermatologist to check her scalp during routine skin checks.
Cancer epidemiologist and Cancer Council National Skin Cancer Committee chair Anne Cust said scalp melanomas were often detected at a later stage due to how hidden they could be, emphasising the importance of bringing attention to your scalp during routine skin checks.
“It’s definitely a problem area and it’s one of the most serious places to get a melanoma. The prognosis is poor for melanomas developing on the scalp,” Professor Cust said.
“It’s a particularly problematic area because it’s quite hard to treat because it can be quite painful and there’s not really a lot of extra skin there.”
The head and neck region accounts for about one-fifth of melanomas reported, Professor Cust said.
She said the best way to prevent scalp melanomas and other skin cancers from developing was by using sun protection such as a hat and sunscreen.
In Australia, about 95 per cent of melanomas are caused from too much sun. according to Professor Cust.
“I think it’s really important that we talk about skin cancer and how susceptible everyone is living in Australia … You really have to think about all your exposed areas, including your scalp,” she said.
Because of their experiences, the By NIKŌL founders wanted to do more than provide sun-safe products – they wanted to open up dialogue about skin cancer.
“It could be that little conversation that you have with a friend over coffee to say ‘hey, have you gone to get your skin checked recently?’ that might prompt them to make an appointment with their GP to get a referral to a skin specialist, which could actually save their life,” Ms Tomasek said.
“I want people to hear it from us and want people to trust us … we’ve done this because we’ve come across some traumatic experiences. We don’t want people to have to go through that,” Ms Nikolaidis said.
“If you want to talk about it, let’s talk about it. It should be OK to talk about things. We want to create a safe space.”
By NIKŌL launched on March 3 this year and the duo have already been flooded with positive feedback about their product.
“I think we were really overwhelmed with the response at the start because you create something (and) once it’s out in the world, you’re quite protective of it – we want you to love it, we want you to see how great it is,” Ms Tomasek said.
“We actually are making a difference because if people are coming to us and going ‘I didn’t know, I didn’t realise’ – great, now you do,” Ms Nikolaidis said.
The best friends turned business partners already have their sights set on the next goal for By NIKŌL, but for now they are focusing their attention on creating a strong brand and sharing their philosophy and ethos behind what they are doing for skin cancer awareness.
Originally published as How two Aussie women turned a terrifying experience into a growing business