Mum’s tan horror sparks $4m Australian Glow empire

A Melbourne mum who became fed up with the “horror” reaction caused by tanning products decided to create her own — and it’s gone global.

Liz Agresta had become so fed up with how bad her skin would react to certain tanning products, that she decided to create one herself.

In the three years since she launched Australian Glow, the mother-of-one’s business has made a whopping $4 million in revenue.

Liz had always been a religious self-tanner, but as she turned 30, her skin started to suffer with reactions to her face from the harsh chemicals other tanning products contained.

She said it came to a point where instead of feeling confident, it would make her feel self-conscious.

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Liz Agresta, 37, from Melbourne, is behind Australian Glow – a $4m self-tanning brand.

“I was doing this to look great, but it had the opposite effect,” Liz told news.com.au.

“I had really sensitive skin, and so everything I used on my body I would often have a reaction to.

“My skin would break out, I’d have redness, pimples and just horrible reactions and it was the same with my tanning regimen.

“I was very mindful of sun damage, so I resorted to using self tan products, but again my skin would always react.”

Liz has very sensitive skin.

And it was triggered even more when she would use self-tanning products.

It was in this moment Liz had a light bulb moment and began researching for a solution.

“I looked at products on the market and realised there was much of a muchness,” she said.

“The ingredients are often all the same and that’s when I attended trade shows and started taking more of an interest in the beauty industry.”

It prompted the mother-of-one to create her own product using natural, organic and nourishing ingredients with a commitment to sustainable packaging.

Liz got in touch with a local manufacturer from Melbourne who also had a chemist and from there they went on to develop the 1 Hour Express Dark Self Tan Mousse.

It is a natural, organic and nourishing self-tanning lotion that is “ super hydrating”.

“I wanted a product that didn't have nasty chemicals,” Liz said.

In it you will find ingredients such as Kakadu plum, Goji Berry, aloe vera and avocado oil.

“At the same time, I never wanted to have a product that was not going to give you that beautiful bronzed look, so it needed to be super hydrating and great for your skin.”

The product also includes DHA, the ingredient for colour in tan products.

“All tanning brands use DHS, but it’s all the other stuff they put in that makes the difference.”

Australian Glow’s Instagram page boasts 238,000 followers, however, if you haven’t heard much of it yet, there’s a reason.

Liz decided to first launch the brand overseas in 2019 following the huge interest it generated at Cosmoprof, one of the worlds biggest beauty trade shows in Bologna, Italy.

“I couldn’t compete with what was going on here in Australia — the market was saturated with tanning brands,” Liz told news.com.au.

Before and after photo of the 1 Hour Express Dark Self Tan Mousse – the most popular product in the range.

“I decided to go overseas to a trade show and that’s where we were met with lots of interest from big retailers who wanted to sell our products.”

Liz launched the 1 Hour Express Dark Self Tan Mousse and the refill products, with the latter being the big point of difference buyers went crazy for — mainly in the Nordic countries where sustainability is a huge thing.

“Instead of buying a new bottle, customers would just go to a retailer and buy a refill pouch — they use 80% less plastic than a standard tanning bottle. And it was a big hit overseas.”

Following its success overseas, she launched the brand Down Under in 2019, with Priceline being the first major retailer to jump on-board.

300,000 units have been worldwide since the brand launched in 2019.

She has also expanded into the US, which now accounts for more than 75 per cent of sales. Some of the major retailers worldwide include Macys, Revolve, Douglas, Urban Outfitters and Anthropology.

Liz and her team of eight are also in the final stages of locking in a major US pharmacy with more than 8,000 locations.

The first self-tanning range will have a completely transparent ingredient list on the bottle so you know exactly what you are putting on your body and its purpose.

This deal alone will be worth $7 million per year to Australian Glow’s bottom line.

Liz invested $25,000 into the business and since its inception, 300,000 units have been sold.

But, it hasn’t been an easy journey with Liz saying she has faced many challenges along the way.

Liz invested $25,000 of her own money into the business and is both shocked and humbled at how successful it has become, over such a short period.

“It has been a big rollercoaster — I’ve made so many mistakes. It’s my first time doing anything like this and on top of that, there’s so many exporting rules on beauty products overseas that I was unaware of.”

Despite the hurdles, Liz said it has been an incredible experience and often can’t believe the rapid success of her small business, which is valued at a rumoured $15 million.

In line with her ethos to change the industry for good, the 37-year-old has made a bold move to provide a completely transparent ingredient list.

The world first initiative is aimed at empowering customers to make informed choices when it comes to their skin.

Every ingredient is listed and explained in detail why it has been used.

And of course, Liz hasn’t experienced any horror reactions since using her own products, with 15 more to be launched by the end of 2022.