beauty at its best

MEET THE SUCCESSFUL WOMEN BEHIND LOCAL ETHICAL SKINCARE BRAND, PEGGY SUE CO

Words Tanaya Joe Images Zarina Heron @zarinaheron

Sustainable skincare, reusable packaging, and all organic ingredients – what’s not to love about local beauty brand Peggy Sue Co? You may have spotted the array of aesthetically pleasing products on the shelves of over 400+ stores across Australia and New Zealand, but who runs this ethical skincare company? The homegrown inspiration has its roots in the Illawarra, with mums Shanah Baxter and Alysha Hack building this wholesome yet elegant brand from the ground up in Shanah’s garage in Bellambi.

What started out as a hobby has now flourished into a thriving business, which has gained the attention of over 40k online followers and seen the duo relocate the company to a warehouse in North Wollongong. It began in 2016, when Shanah decided to make some handmade soaps as Christmas presents for her friends and family. After posting photos on Instagram, people got in contact and she managed to sell about 1000 of them.

“I had grown up with a mum in the skincare industry, so I was pretty familiar with the ins and outs of products and skincare routines, however with the rise in environmental awareness, I wanted to create a brand that was as ecofriendly as possible,” Shanah says.“But on top of that, like most women, I wanted products that were beautiful and aesthetically pleasing as well, instead of brown and generic like a lot of ecofriendly products can be.”

After the successful Christmas rush, Shanah decided to launch the business properly, paying homage to her daughter Peggy in the brand’s name (although, her middle name is Rose, not Sue!).

“I was running the business by myself for a couple of years, making soaps for friends at home and selling them at markets. It grew pretty quickly, and I actually ended up with a huge order from the US company, Anthropologie,” says Shanah.“I asked some friends to help me fill that order, and Alysha was one of those friends – she helped me manage the process.”

In 2019, Balgownie-local Alysha came on as coowner of Peggy Sue Co, and together she and Shanah set about reformulating products, moving to all-organic, and rethinking their packaging to become environmentally friendly. Their products are well thought out and layered with a lot of love. If Alysha and Shanah aren’t completely head over heels for a product, they won’t release it until it’s perfect, often testing on themselves first to get the best results. They started selling their skincare items at Illawarra markets, which then set the foundation for the supportive community that continues to rally behind them.

“We like to think that our community sets us apart, because without their ongoing support and feedback, Peggy Sue would not be the brand that it is today,” Shanah says.“Alysha and I are incredibly thankful.”

The negative impact that the beauty industry has on the environment was an issue they desperately wanted to address. Shanah and Alysha made strides by creating 88 per cent of their packaging to be refillable, majorly cutting down on the carbon footprint left behind from traditional single-use plastic items in the beauty industry.

“Knowing we wanted to move Peggy Sue in a more sustainable direction meant we have spent a significant amount of time gaining advice from a Sustainability Advisor to see the suitable options for us as a business and our customers,” says Shanah.“All of our packaging is designed to follow the waste management hierarchy. Plastics get a lot of bad press, and quite rightly so at times. But we believe it's the system around the material that needs to be addressed, and overconsumption will always have negative impacts. It can often be that plastics can have a much lower environmental impact compared to other materials, so we needed to ensure we were deciding based on how to best protect and distribute our products, work in sync with the waste management infrastructure in Australia and New Zealand as well our commitment to design out waste.”

Peggy Sue is also known for promoting the importance of sustainable self-care, urging their community to reconnect and slow down. Although, ‘self-care’ can sometimes be depicted as a sign of vanity, for Shanah it became a moment of relief in a time of hardship. In 2019, Shanah and her husband were expecting their second child. During her 20-week scan, the family was over the moon to discover they were having a little boy, a younger brother for Peggy. But sadly, their world was turned upside down when they were given the devastating news that his heart hadn’t grown properly and there was no chance of survival after he was born. Despite this heartbreaking reality, the couple bravely decided to carry him to term and named him Tobias, meaning God is good.

“We met him, and we loved him endlessly, then we said goodbye when he was just 10 days old. The best 10 days of my life,” says Shanah.“For both myself, and for Alysha, who walked closely beside me.”

After living through this tragic ordeal, Shanah found that self-care took on new meaning. Focusing on her skincare ritual, and carving out small moments for herself, allowed her the time for the world to not feel as heavy.

“After going through a tragedy like this, we have a deep conviction and understanding that a self-care routine can be such a beautiful moment where you stop and re-centre yourself,” she says.

Shanah and Alysha both believe regular skincare is not only beneficial for your skin, but also in caring for mental health. These kind-hearted and successful women place particular value on the importance of the wellbeing of both their community and their environment, setting them strides apart from other skincare brands.

“Each day we actively try to create a brand that puts its people at the centre of everything we do. We like to say that we are for people and the planet, and each decision we make needs to favour both,” Shanah says.“We are 100 per cent ethically made within Australia, all-natural ingredients, female-founded and members of APCO and REDCycle to ensure we are taking the proper steps to be as sustainable as possible.”

They also use their business to support Destiny Rescue – an organisation working towards stopping sexual exploitation and the child trafficking industry. For every sale made at Peggy Sue Co, the company donates $1 from the profits.As mothers themselves, this is an issue very close to their hearts. “The ongoing generosity that we receive from our tribe is nothing short of amazing and we know that together we can make a difference,” Shanah says.

The impressive brains behind this respected brand strive to create beauty in all things around them, offering care and creating with a conscience. From their "incredibly unglamorous" beginnings – as Shanah describes it – to now running an incredibly successful company, Shanah and Alysha lead with love always.

“Our range is kind on the planet, and designed to not only nourish and care for your skin, but we hope our products help us all slow down each day,” Shanah says.“We want our customers to enjoy meaningful moments of self-care, where we can recentre our minds and show ourselves some love.” ¡

If you want to get your hands on some products, go to peggysue.com.au

The lovely ladies at Peggy Sue Co are offering Coal Coast Mag readers $15 off all products when spending $50 or more! Use code COALCOAST15