How customised lipsticks made these Sydney sisters millions

FINDING the right shade of lipstick isn’t always an easy task. From red to ruby — landing the perfect colour was a struggle sisters Courtney and Kimberley knew all too well.

THE MISSION to find the right lip shade can sometimes be as painful as landing the perfect swimsuit or fitted pair of jeans.

From ruby to red, peach or pale pink — it was that battle that spurred sisters Kimberley, 28, and Courtney, 27, into launching their now multimillion-dollar cosmetics line, The Lip Lab.

The Treacy sisters, who grew up in Camden in Sydney's south west, stumbled upon the idea to create customised and personalised lip products so every woman could find their perfect match.

The concept, which started in 2015, is pretty straightforward. Customers go in for a ‘consultation’ where they map out desired colours, textures, scents and finishes.

The Lipstick can contain various colours, textures and even SPF protection.

Once you’ve found the right shade, the mixing process begins using heating and cooling methods to contour the cosmetic into a lipstick tube, in a process that takes about 15 minutes.

“This all started when Kimberley and I were travelling overseas, and we’d stopped over in Dallas, Texas,” Courtney explained to news.com.au.

“We came across a small boutique that was selling customised foundation, and a small selection of lipsticks. I’d always wanted a black lipstick, but that wasn’t really available. So we spoke to the store owner, who put us in contact with a cosmetic compounder, and that’s how we started off.”

Combination process at the Lip Lab, which will take about 15 minutes to set once mixed.

The sisters, who were working in the beauty industry prior to launching The Lip Lab, said that since inception they are now turning over $2.8 million annually, have opened 14 stores across the country — and plan on expanding overseas.

“We’ve been open for three years now, and last year we sold 45,000 lipsticks,” Courtney said.

“This was a hobby for us and just something on the side. But it’s taken over everything else — my tattoo removal business, and Kimberley’s beauty salon.”

In 2017, the trend of brands focusing on strengthening their client relationship through the use of emotions, customisation and making things “personal” soared.

The customised and personalised lipsticks are named by the customer.

According to Euromonitor, the concept of “bespoke” has become increasingly common branding bait, and a trend that will only continue in 2018.

The Daily Edited, which personalises everything from wallets, handbags and mobile phone cases, was one of the first Australian brands to turn customisable accessories into a phenomenon, and bought personalisation to new heights for consumers.

Speaking to Vogue, Alyce Tran from The Daily Edited said the popularity of personalisation comes from customers wanting a product which manages to stay unique, true, and above all: genuine.

“Personalisation has always been around it’s just everywhere now right now,” she told the magazine.

“People really connect with product a lot more obviously when it has their initials, or something that they’ve created themselves.”

Consumers no longer have a ‘need now want now’ attitude when it comes to bricks and mortar shopping, and so are getting used to waiting for their purchases — meaning the production logistics of creating a customised product in store are no longer an issue.

Social media has had a strong influence on beauty and personal care in Australia.

The beauty and cosmetic industry continues to soar in the Australian market, with the strongest-performing categories being sun care, skin care and colour cosmetics — according to 2015/16 statistics from Euromonitor.

Social media has had a strong influence on beauty and personal care in Australia, with consumers, particularly from the younger generation, increasingly living their lives online.

“Social media acts as a cost-effective, brand-building tool for companies, allowing them to increase brand-awareness, share beauty tips and announce new product launches,” the summary read.

“Social media is impacting consumer behaviour, with consumers frequently sharing their product experiences and looking to achieve the perfect and flawless look in images they share.”

“Right now, everyone loves a personalised product,” Courtney added.

“These lipsticks are completely personalised, and the customisation is unique.

“We are both young mums, and while we thought this would be popular, we never thought it would be anything like this.”