Organic skincare business to introduce baby range
Date posted: 26 Jul 2011
Samantha Molineux
Ass Dip Bus (Marketing) 2000
Samantha Molineux’s Lily Loves Pearl boutique skincare business is going from strength to strength and is set to launch a new baby range in September.
The new line is something Samantha is very passionate about.
“After the birth of my first son four years ago, I commenced development of the range, and I now have a seven-month-old baby, so it’s quite timely our new Lily Loves Pearl Baby (Baby Organics) will be launched soon. Using the purest ingredients on our babies is essential in protecting their precious constitutions,” she said.
Samantha launched her Lily Loves Pearl business six years ago.
“We started in February 2005 and have grown from a little seed into a fully fledged business,” she said. “Our commitment to providing the highest quality certified-organic products on the market is at the core of who we are.”
Samantha grew up in a household where her gran Pearl and Aunt Lil cooked up their own skincare products in the kitchen using natural ingredients. Although she had dabbled in making her own products, it wasn’t until she worked behind a department store cosmetics counter that Samantha realised she could turn her hobby into a business.
“There were brands marketing themselves as organic, but they weren’t really certified organic, and from talking to the customers I realised there was a real demand for natural skincare.”
Initially, Samantha made simple products like lip balm from beeswax and face masks from avocado and honey for friends and family as gifts. When they proved popular she decided to sell her products at weekend markets.
In 2006, as an Advanced Diploma of Business (Marketing) student at Swinburne, Samantha entered and won the Venture Cup, a competition aimed at acknowledging entrepreneurs. The prize money was $10,000 which she spent on research and development.
“I knew it was a prestigious award that could open up a lot of doors for my skin care business. The competition gave my business structure and made me accountable for meeting deadlines and following through on my strategies. I was thrilled when we won, and the prize money was a great cash injection for the business.
“Nothing can prepare you for launching your business into the world, but having my Swinburne knowledge better equipped me for the journey that was to come,” she said.
Samantha’s first pallet of products was dropped by the courier and arrived smashed and unusable.
“Luckily, I was insured, but I had to hold off on the official launch of the business while I waited for a new batch to be made up.”
That first year, the business made around $8000 profit and has steadily grown. “The past year has been our best,” Samantha said. “Each year we gain more stockists and an increased customer database.”
Lily Loves Pearl products are sold online (see www.lilylovespearl.com) and in niche boutiques around Australia, and exported to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, the UK and the US.
For more information, phone +61 3 9539 1966 or email info@lilylovespearl.com.
Read more about Samantha in Startupsmart.
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