Seeh Skincare: How a skin allergy sparked a skincare business

For people with skin allergies, it is challenging to find products that do not inflame or irritate the skin. That’s a problem that inspired Sophie Hansson to create her own brand, Seeh Skincare. Inside FMCG talked to Hansson about the surprise impact of last year’s lockdown on the business and her mission to give something back to the community.Inside FMCG: Tell us how you started Seeh Skincare.Sophie Hansson: I started Seeh Skincare by accident really. When I was about 25, I started getting really annoying bumps all over my chin and jawline. After trying everything from different pimple creams, exfoliators and even antibiotics, I eventually worked out it wasn’t adult acne at all. I was actually allergic to the sodium lauryl sulfate in my toothpaste. From there I went on a natural beauty crusade but I really struggled to find a range of skincare that was natural and gentle enough for my dry and sensitive skin, didn’t contain any nasties like SLS and parabens, but was also active enough to actually do something.  With a degree in Chemical Engineering, I had an affinity for the science behind beauty, and in particular the ingredients and how they work together! My mum, who also suffers from dry skin, introduced me to cleansing balms as I was searching for a gentle cleanser without any foaming agents like SLS. It literally changed my skin in one single use. I was hooked, but back then they were really hard to find or super expensive. So I researched and researched and sourced the ingredients I wanted to use to make my own cleansing balm! Firstly for just me, and then friends and family and now you can get the Seeh Skincare’s Cleanse Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm Australia wide. And with that, Seeh Skincare was born!Seeh Skincare products are approved by Peta as vegan-friendly.Inside FMCG: Tell us the process of creating vegan skincare products.SH: It is a much longer process than most people realise. Most products take at least two years from initial concept to shelf. I do most of the formulating myself, and then work with a group of cosmetic chemists in Sydney to perfect the products. It can take many iterations to ensure we have selected the right combination of ingredients, scent, consistency, etc. so we always have a few products at various stages in the development pipeline. I also test all the products myself for months at a time to ensure they do what they are meant to do without flaring up my sensitive skin. Once products are finalised they are sent off for further rigorous testing to make sure they are absolutely perfect for our community. It is generally at this point they are signed off by Peta for their vegan-friendly and cruelty-free certification. Then it goes through packaging and label design and then finally production. Inside FMCG: What are your best selling products?SH: Our best sellers are the Cleanse Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm, Nourish Superfood Facial Oil and Renew Age Defying Moisturiser. We also offer skin-specific bundles that provide a routine ready to target specific skin types or concerns. Inside FMCG: How did Covid-19 affect the business?SH: As Covid-19 took hold last year, and the precautionary measures of lockdowns were implemented across Australia, the first major impact was that our sales tripled as more and more people were turning to online shopping. In Australia, the shipping and distribution support from our third-party providers really struggled to keep up with the huge surge in online shopping during the various lockdowns, which meant we stepped up our focus on customer service, ensuring we were really open and transparent with our community as things were changing. The longest-lasting impact we have noticed has been on inventory management. Covid had flow-on impacts on our entire supply chain including overseas ingredient supplies and packaging delays. It forced us to change our own business strategies to ensure our shelves stayed stocked.Sales tripled for the business during the Covid-19 lockdownInside FMCG: Tell us about partnering with charity organisations such as the Foodbank and i=Change.SH: We partnered with i=Change before we opened the online store, over two and a half years ago. Our focus has been, and always will be, on making a difference in our community where we can. We support three different charities: Foodbank Australia, Women’s Community Shelters and Send Hope Not Flowers. We donate $1 from every purchase and the best part is that our customers get to choose where we donate.Every little bit counts. $1 provides two meals Aussie’s in crisis with Foodbank, $50 provides safety for a night for women and children seeking shelter and $30 provides a baby bundle of essentials for pregnant ladies in need in PNG. I=change has raised more than $2.9 million to date, and we are really proud to be part of the change. Inside FMCG: Do you have plans to take the brand abroad?SH: At this stage our immediate focus is expanding our brand awareness further in Australia, but we would be open to it in the future. Inside FMCG: Are there any new products your company is launching this year?SH: We are always formulating exciting new products to bring to market. Every year we aim to release two or three new items and this year will be no different.