Taking South Africa to the world

South Taking to the world Africa

In our annual focus on homegrown brands, we look at some that have successfully ventured beyond our borders into the export market.

Environ

Founded in December 1990 by world renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr Des Fernandes, Environ today exports to over 60 countries. The brand’s USP is based on vitamin A as the cornerstone ingredient in the Environ philosophy.

Says Environ CEO, Val Carstens: “In the beginning, it was quite challenging to learn and meet all the regulations needed to export Environ to many countries,

as there were no cosmetic companies in South Africa doing R&D and manufacturing, as well as exporting to countries like Japan, US, UK and Europe. The fact that we have so many active ingredients made formulating challenging, as was the registration of the product in many countries. We did not have the capital to brand our product so relied heavily on word of mouth to consumers.

“Eventually, I realised that we needed to start the journey of branding the product and employed a marketing manager who gave of her best with the little cash available at the time. Today I am proud to say that we have a complete brand and marketing team delivering the brand message to market and ensuring that we keep contemporary and exciting, while always delivering the science and results we aim to achieve with each and every product developed.”

Pictured is Environ’s Skin EssentiA range, which is offered to the global market.

DermaFix

In 2006, the shared vision of Rosalie Neto, Dave Neto and Ursula Volbrecht led to the creation of the DermaFix Cosmeceutical Skin Care brand, with exports to South Africa’s neighbouring countries commencing the same year.

Says Volbrecht: “The main criteria we encountered included export compliance, >

safety data and correct labeling on products. Toxicologists identify potential hazards, like the percentages of active ingredients allowed within a cosmetic product, and as such, products are evaluated accordingly.

“Various countries specifically make the compliance process difficult in order to protect their local industries. This is especially noted within the European market, and in particular Spain. The Cosmetics, Toiletries & Fragrances Association (CTFA), Cosmetic Export Council of South Africa (CECOSA), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are partners all available to guide you through the processes.”

She describes the unique selling points of DermaFix Cosmeceutical Skin Care as an evolution of successful formulations, presenting the benefit of the most up to date information on the various skin types, such as problematic and ageing skin, being a focus.

“We strive to provide the distributor with the highest level of customer service and cosmeceutical benefits with visible results. Our team is committed to assisting our distributors with the necessary support so as to develop a strong commercial relationship between our respective businesses,” comments Volbrecht.

Cashmere & Co

A proudly South African lifestyle product brand, Cashmere & Co is a fusion of historic knowledge, quality ingredients and modern sustainable practices in a deluxe collection suitable for use in the spa or at home.

The Cashmere & Co concept was created in 2015 by Jacoline Wentzel, a leading spa designer in South Africa and owner of The Spa Warehouse.

Cashmere & Co is exported to Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Mauritius and is used mostly in 5-star spas in these countries.

“Exporting our range happened organically,” explains Wentzel, “as we have been involved in projects all over Africa and naturally introduced our range to our clients, who have just loved the brand. Local and natural are two concepts that have taken so much space in our market, and our range cater for both those aspects.”

She notes that being a spa consultant and qualified spa therapist with more than 25 years of experience has helped her to design a range that is suitable to use in any type of spa.

“We have great local ingredients growing right on our doorstep, which are not only therapeutic to the body but are sustainable. So we created three signature fragrance blends by using fynbos essential oils that grow only in the Western Cape region. Our first fragrance, Cashmere, is the true signature of the brand. A soft subtle fragrance that soothes the mind, while inducing relaxation. Our other two signature fragrances – Velvet and Silk Touch – both also induce a sense of wellbeing, relaxation and hormonal balance,” comments Wentzel.

SIX Skincare

Now exported to Mozambique, Angola, Namibia and Mauritius, SIX Skincare was founded by Marisa Dimitriadis in 2011 in response to market demand for high quality imported luxury ingredients with a more affordable price tag.

“The brand started as a cosmetic brand maintaining skin health and within six years pivoted towards the aesthetic sector, but not forgetting the spa market we serve,” says Dimitriadis. “We have a unique and very powerful point of difference – whilst delivering the efficient formulations and introducing devices and skin peels into the collection, we are the only aesthetic brand that does not forget how powerful personalisation and aroma is when it comes to dealing with the skin.

“SIX Skincare takes psychodermatology and aroma psychology to the next level by combining natural aromas into our active ingredient rich formulations. We are very proud to say that being a nine-year young brand, we have repackaged three times and reformulated three times to ensure we are always offering the latest active ingredients and packaging that is always on trend and award winning.”

She notes that each export country has different regulations regarding paperwork, with language being another challenge, as some countries want everything translated. “However, the SIX brand is so welcomed into these markets and we are looking forward to expanding into the neighbouring African countries.”

Esse

Esse was born in 2002 as a result of Trevor Steyn’s passion for the chemistry of Africa’s plants. His post-grad research focused on the extraction of active compounds from African plants and, after discovering the potential of these plants in skincare products, he formulated and founded Esse Skincare.

Steyn identified the great benefit (to both skin and human health) of developing an organic brand that used no chemicals. Over time, Esse has followed the findings of the Human Microbiome Project and has taken a leading role in forging a space within the probiotic skincare market. The brand is vegan, cruelty free certified organic and carbon neutral at a company level.

The Netherlands came on board as its first export market in 2011. Today Esse exports to over 40 counties with its strongest markets being in Scandinavia.

“Export changes the operational game for skincare brands as regulations in each region need to be adhered to. Red tape and communicating between culture divides can be challenging but also broadens understanding of varied markets,” states Steyn.

Spalicious

Body care brand, Spalicious, was founded by Marisa Dimitriadis in 2008, and was first exported to Mozambique, followed by Angola, Namibia and Mauritius.

According to Dimitriadis, Spalicious’ USPs are based around aroma psychology, where the client chooses their favourite aroma / flavour of product and then the treatment is performed using all the products needed with the same aroma.

“Smell has the ability to create everlasting memories and has a psychological effect on the human brain by enhancing how a person feels. Our massage oils are unique in that they dissolve in water and do not stain linen whether at home or in the spa,” concludes Dimitriadis.

Sknlogic

Sknlogic skincare is a South African manufactured product that currently exports to Namibia, Kenya and Mozambique, with plans to open an online shop in the US.

The brand was launched in 2015 and was the brainchild of Karin Theunissen, who has been in the industry for most of her life.

“Our biggest challenges regarding exports is definitely keeping up with the different regulations that each country has regarding cosmetics,” she says. “It can be time consuming and, in most cases, very pricey to adhere to these regulations regarding packaging and limitations on ingredients, as well as keeping the paperwork up to date with the latest changes.”

She believes the brand’s USPs are offering affordable skin care solutions that balance with the client’s skin type and pair seamlessly with speciality treatments products to treat skin concerns.

“We are passionate about delivering products that make you look and feel your authentic best. Because we want to provide skincare solutions that are accessible to everyone, our products are not over packaged in an effort to keep our prices as low as possible. We use ethical raw ingredients, because what is not in our formulas is as important as what is,” notes Theunissen. PB