DRIVEN BY PASSION Brittany Vescio

By Louise May

Over 10 years ago, Brittany Vescio made a career-defining leap of faith to a whole new industry. It was certainly terrifying to leave behind what she knew best after studying IT and having applied her studies as an IT Consultant.

Thankfully, the territory Brittany was moving into was not that unfamiliar to her. Being the daughter of Co-Managing Director Simone Vescio, she had been connected to Derma Aesthetics since its inception, supporting them with their systems in her spare time.

What inspired her to make the shift was her passion for sales. As a young teenager all the way up until she landed her first corporate role, Brittany not only worked in retail, but absolutely loved it! After learning more about the operations at Derma Aesthetics, it dawned on her that they needed her, and she was driven to prove that she could be an asset to them.

They had an opening for a BDM role, but Brittany didn’t just land the role, she interviewed with Simone’s business partner and Co-Managing Director Reika Roberts to demonstrate what she could bring to the company.

Soon after, Brittany was employed as a BDM and IT Support. In a full-time capacity, she continued to make considerably greater improvements across the company’s operations and systems whilst also being a sales representative throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Brittany’s IT background has continued to influence her approach to this very day. More than anything, it taught Brittany to be process and detail-oriented. Consequently, she has implemented and continues to improve processes and of course implement the latest IT solutions, to streamline and optimise operations at Derma Aesthetics.

Editor Louise May speaks to Brittany about her role as General Manager of Derma Aesthetics and her journey so far...

You’ve been an integral part of Derma Aesthetics for 10 out of its 13 years in business. What key changes and advancements have you witnessed in the aesthetics industry during this time, and how has Derma Aesthetics adapted to stay at the forefront of these developments?

The most noticeable movement over the last 10 years in the aesthetics industry would have to be the movement to ‘clean beauty’. At Derma Aesthetics, we have always been at the forefront of this concept with our first and major brand, dermaviduals – a product range well ahead of its time.

With a core focus on Corneotherapy (which mind you, soon became a trend term), the dermaviduals range adheres to a unique approach, treating the skin as a living organ; utilising products that mimic skin structure and function, while ensuring skin preservation and overall health.

dermaviduals is bespoke, pure, and active, and free from fragrances, conventional emulsifiers, preservatives, parabens, silicones, amines, mineral oils, and colours – the true definition of ‘clean beauty’.

Later came the trend towards internal health to further complement external results. Over the years, there has been an abundance of internal health products popping up on the market, however, we wanted to wait until we could release something unique with major points of difference.

So, this year, at the 2023 Beauty Expo in Sydney, Derma Aesthetics launched SIMKA. SIMKA is a brand created and founded by Simone Vescio and Reika Roberts. The debut product SIMKA Alpha Omega-3, is a next-generation plant-based Omega-3. Perfectly balanced to supply the body and skin’s omega-3 needs.

Our formulas are organic, ethically sourced and vegan, with no fishy taste during or after consumption. We launched two products; one liquid and the other in a soft gel formulation – so consumers can choose their administration preference!

We believe skincare shouldn’t be confined to the surface; it should be a holistic journey that embraces the power of ingestible nutrients like omega-3 to support skin from the inside out. Watch this space, there is so much more to come from the SIMKA brand!

Having worked across various departments before stepping into the role of General Manager over 2 years ago now, can you highlight some of the business processes you’ve championed that have played a crucial role in shaping Derma Aesthetics into the successful entity it is today?

As I previously mentioned, I commenced my employment at Derma Aesthetics in sales. When our number of partners grew, I was able to build our sales team across Australia and New Zealand assuming the role of Sales Manager.

Simultaneously, I branched out into assisting with marketing activations and before I knew it, my functional responsibilities were vast; everything including managing supplier relationships and logistics.

In a high-growth business, it made sense to do what was required to ensure our success. As we identified more future leaders in our business, I was able to hand over the sales team leadership role, so I could focus on the core responsibilities of an Operations Manager.

After a few years in operations, we were doing such a great job that the role outgrew me due to the compounding volume of our inventory. It was time for me to find my successor with tangible operations experience.

At this point in my career, I had always expressed an interest in leadership and having already become an integral part of strategic decisions and relationships, it was most timely for the directors to entrust me with my beloved and current role of General Manager.

Having worked across nearly every department, I have facilitated the creation of business processes that we live by today. The most impactful contributions would have to be the processes and workflows I designed from bottom up during my time in sales, many of which have evolved since I have moved on from this department to adjust to the requirements of our partners and the industry alike, however the core foundations remain.

These include our sales workflows, pipeline management and existing business support expectations that set Derma Aesthetics apart from our competitors. Moving on from sales, I am proud to have played a key role in the creation of our standout employee induction and onboarding programme.

The way we induct our new staff is exemplary and we place a key focus on people right from the beginning! Part of their induction includes ample time with Directors, they shadow existing employees in a similar role and most importantly they complete our product education.

No matter what area of the business they work in, it’s imperative that all employees appreciate our points of difference and understand the foundations of our brands. We receive consistent feedback from newly onboarded staff that our onboarding is like no other they’ve ever experienced.

Derma Aesthetics’ team members sign off their onboarding feeling confident and well equipped to succeed in their roles.

I’ve also championed the creation of our top employee benefit programmes including monthly derma dollars, additional leave days rewarded on tenure, and flexibility to work from home. All together making Derma Aesthetics a desirable place to work.

As General Manager, what I’m most proud of though is having built the leadership team we have today. Our team consists of a head of every department, all who collaborate and operate with our shared vision front of mind, always for the greater good of the business and our teams alike. We love what we do and have fun doing it!

One of your significant achievements at Derma Aesthetics was securing distribution partnerships for the EXCEED medical microneedling device and epi nouvelle+ naturelle facial masks. How do these products complement Derma Aesthetics’ core offerings, and what considerations went into selecting these particular partnerships?

It has always been our prerogative to bring to market products which align with the principles of Corneotherapy, whilst offering the highest quality in ingredients and technology. In our early days, we provided a microneedling device, but it wasn’t before long that the technology and standards quickly evolved. In 2018, the Directors and I embarked on a global journey to locate the next generation in medical microneedling.

In 2019, we launched the EXCEED medical microneedling device, equipped with an array of features, some of which the market was already familiar with but many of which are unique to EXCEED. With German engineering and global medical certifications including a local listing in the ARTG, the EXCEED device comes with exclusive and patented, sterile needle cartridges including a safety membrane to prevent backflow of fluids, a tilting needle plate to ensure perpendicular needle penetration and minimal epidermal trauma, as well as a small cartridge head to carefully treat all contours of the treatment area.

The device itself is incredibly quiet during operation with unrivalled precision, quality, and safety features, all coupled with superior education developed by our experts in the field of medical microneedling.

Our partnership decision was easy to make with the array of standout features combined with the understanding that microneedling activates the skins natural regenerative process, therefore aligning with our core practice of Corneotherapy.

MT.DERM, the manufacturers of the EXCEED device, were similarly impressed with our educational focus, market approach, complimentary products and already trusted name in Australia and New Zealand, granting Derma Aesthetics exclusive distribution rights in both countries. ...

dermaviduals products have been created with the understanding that each skin is unique, requiring its own customised prescription to target individual skincare needs. Our prescriptions are also designed to evolve with each person’s individual skincare journey.

Fast forward a few more years, we were at a global dermaviduals Symposium in Germany when I was introduced to the Sales Manager of epi nouvelle+ naturelle masks. Their patented bio cellulose technology with the simplicity of only 2 ingredients; a skin friendly biomaterial cellulose + water, made this a desirable product to complement not only dermaviduals and Corneotherapy but also medical microneedling treatments.

The sterile biotech mask reduces the downtime of microneedling treatments via its immediate cooling and soothing effects, further supporting the natural regenerative intention. Altogether, we had formed a synergistic product suite, underpinned by strong supplier relationships – all based in Germany! I have to say, we’ve found that quality certainly comes with German-manufactured products.

As the Head of Operations and now General Manager, you’ve overseen aspects such as business strategy, product development, marketing, and sales effectiveness. How do you balance these diverse responsibilities, and what strategies do you employ to ensure a cohesive and effective operation within Derma Aesthetics?

Initially it was a fine balancing act, and I was at capacity most days. I sought to manage these responsibilities to the best of my ability via prioritisation of tasks and business impact. As the business grew, it became more and more difficult to ensure cohesive and effective operations.

This is what instigated the requirement to form a Leadership Team. We recruited or internally promoted stand out individuals to join me in this team. It was designed in such a way that each leader takes complete ownership of their department strategies.

All department strategies align with the overall business plan that we annually develop together and transparently share updates with the broader company on a quarterly basis.

With this structure in place, we ensure cohesive and effective operations by breaking down our yearly strategic plans into 90-day goals, reported in weekly meetings, with an opportunity to discuss any issues and opportunities. For this structure to work it takes someone in my position to have complete faith and trust in their team.

I can wholeheartedly say that I am confident in allowing my team to autonomously make their own decisions and this sentiment cascades down to their own teams. Making for a positive working environment across the entire company, where everyone feels they have ownership in the big picture of our shared business plan.

Derma Aesthetics seems to have a unique product range, with a focus on dermaviduals. Can you shed light on what sets dermaviduals apart in the skincare market, and how the brand has positioned itself to stand out among competitors?

The entire suite of products we distribute at Derma Aesthetics are not only unique but stand out as a consequence of their quality, purity, and precision. Zooming in on dermaviduals, the core focus of the range is to provide a bespoke dermatological skincare solution for practicing Corneotherapists to treat every skin and its condition.

Groundbreaking technology provides the platform for a skin-mimicking concept that is customisable using our exclusive and patented Derma Membrane Structure (DMS) and active concentrates.

It’s not only the unique features of the brand that allows us to stand out amongst our competitors, our success and positioning is greatly attributed to our focus on strengthening the level of knowledge and education in cosmetic chemistry, advanced skin analysis and Corneotherapy throughout Australia and New Zealand.

We provide superior post graduate education via our dermaviduals and EXCEED online and live education events. In addition to this, we have more recently heightened our education focus with the creation of the Australasian Academy of Corneotherapy (AAC).

The self-paced, virtual learning platform has been designed to expand the knowledge of the broader aesthetics industry by bringing forward comprehensive courses to strengthen the industry’s understanding of the integumentary system, the principal methodologies of Corneotherapy, skin analysis, consultation, cosmetic chemistry, and clinical treatment methodologies.

Education is at the core of what we do at Derma Aesthetics, and as industry leaders in skin aesthetics we continue to reshape the business of skin through science, innovative products, and advanced education, with a core focus of “changing lives, not just skin”.

Looking ahead, what are your visions and goals for Derma Aesthetics in the coming years? Are there any exciting projects, innovations, or expansions that you can provide a sneak peek into?

Over the coming years, we are committed to supporting the continued success of all dermaviduals and EXCEED partner clinics. With impressive new products launching for dermaviduals next year, the brand continues to be unrivalled in its customisable nature and legacy of success. Our dermaviduals partners set themselves apart from others in the industry, not only by being equipped with a superior range but also being armed with education from our leading experts. We look forward to continuing our passionate focus of consistently elevating the knowledge of our partners and bringing them the very best new product developments.

Of course, we also remain focused on our heritage brand in the making – SIMKA, brainchild of founders Simone Vescio and Reika Roberts. Under this brand we’ll be developing more than just high-quality skincare; SIMKA will deliver skincare that goes deeper, offering real solutions aimed at caring for the skin from within, all while raising the standard for transparency in skincare. SIMKA is invested in being part of solutions, and aligning with causes that prioritise change in all aspects of health and wellbeing.

After years in the industry, we are putting our passion for skin, deep understanding of consumer needs, stringent expectations for quality, and long-term results into our very own brand. With a sophisticated aesthetic, ethical formulations, clean ingredients, sustainable practices, and efficacy - SIMKA is the future of healthy skin, consciously formulated for health and skin nutrition.

www.dermaviduals.com.au

www.simka.com