Ageless beauty founder, 52, behind ‘secret weapon’ buy that sells every three minutes announces major move

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For Carla Oates, ‘beauty begins in the belly’ isn’t just a mantra – it’s a way of life.

The youthful-looking mum, from Sydney, knows a thing or two about nourishing the body from inside out with gut-healing wholefoods rich in probiotics.

After making changes to her own diet, the cookbook author saw the gut-skin connection after noticing improvements in her overall health and glow.

It wasn’t until she began receiving compliments and questions from her curious family and friends about her glowing skin that she realised there was a niche in the market for ingestible beauty.

‘I realised I was on the brink of something really special, and that’s when The Beauty Chef was born,’ Carla told Daily Mail Australia.

‘At the time, the concept of ingestible beauty was so left field and a Glow powder made from fermented foods with probiotic bacteria for gut health and glowing skin was even weirder.

‘I was told by numerous people that it was too strange a concept and would never take off. But I felt so passionate about what I’d discovered – a real solution to skin and gut issues that I knew worked.’

Determined to prove there’s a market for inner beauty powder, Carla, 52, went on to build a celebrity-loved wellness empire – with the award-winning Glow Inner Beauty Essential so popular, it now sells one tub every three minutes globally.

Carla Oates is the founder of The Beauty Chef which recently launched at Chemist Warehouse

Glow was crowned the winner of Best in Australian Beauty at the 2021 JONES Beauty Awards.

The berry-flavoured powder has received more than 3,700 glowing reviews, boasting a near-perfect 4.8 out of 5 stars.

‘Glow has become a non-negotiable for me, I don’t go a day without it. An absolute essential. The quality and range of products by The Beauty Chef is second to none. The market is flooded with options now but this is absolutely the best,’ one raved.

‘I had a friend tell me about Glow and it has completely changed my skin. As a model and dancer I’m often on camera at last minute’s notice and this has helped me find consistency with keeping my skin clear and glowing,’ another shared. 

The brand – loved by the likes of Margot Robbie, Naomi Watts, Lara Worthington and Meghan Markle – offers a range of bio-fermented powders, elixirs, capsules, skincare and supplements, developed by a team of microbiologists, naturopaths and nutritionists.

‘I’m passionate about creating a brand that educates people about their gut health, their skin health and their overall wellbeing – empowering people to be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves,’ Carla said. 

The Beauty Chef is stocked in major retailers around the world, with its latest launch at Chemist Warehouse, making the brand even more accessible and affordable. 

‘It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come since launching in 2009. This year we’re celebrating 16 years of Glow – the product that started it all,’ Carla said.

The youthful-looking mum knows a thing or two about nourishing the body from inside out with gut-healing wholefoods rich in probiotics

‘We’ve also had a a complete brand refresh with new, elevated packaging and a fresh aesthetic for our transformative formulas.

‘I’m excited to see how the expansion into Chemist Warehouse reaches a larger audience and empowers even more people to learn about their skin, gut and wellness.’

Designed for glowing skin, gut health and whole-body wellness, Glow is packed with antioxidant-rich ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, grapeseed extract and sea buckthorn.

‘I’m a Glow devotee and always will be. It’s a delicious berry-flavoured, fermented super powder for glowing skin, healthy hair and nails – as well as energy, gut and immune health,’ she said.

‘I recently turned 50, so I’ve now transitioned to Glow Ageless.’

Glow Ageless has a similar base of fermented wholefoods and supernutrients as the cult-favourite Glow – but designed for those aged 50 or over.

The Beauty Chef top three products

Glow and Glow Ageless: Our heroes for radiant skin, healthy hair and nails, energy, gut health and whole-body wellness.

Collagen Boost: Our bestselling berry-flavoured collagen elixir. It’s a vegan-friendly way to promote collagen production, with vitamin C and zinc for healthy hair, skin and nails.

Deep Marine Collagen: Our MSC-certified and sustainable marine collagen. Hydrolysed marine collagen peptides support skin elasticity and hydration, while protecting collagen deep within the skin. It comes in three versatile flavours: Berry, Peach and Unflavoured.

‘Glow and Glow Ageless form the foundation of your beauty routine. It’s where everyone should start. They both promote glowing skin from within, nurture digestive wellbeing, support energy and immunity, and taste delicious,’ Carla explained.

‘They share a similar base of fermented wholefoods and supernutrients and have recently been supercharged with our exclusive Hyaluronic Complex for extra radiance.

‘The difference being that Glow Ageless includes ingredients to specifically support those aged 50 plus – including bone health and hormonal balance.

‘With 200 per cent of your Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) of vitamin C, plus provitamin A, B vitamins, zinc, antioxidants, prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics – one teaspoon daily is all it takes, it’s just that easy. 

‘Choose the one best suited to you and get ready to glow.’

Carla with her daughter Jeet Pavlovic, a graphic artist and model

Every morning, without fail, Carla adds Glow Ageless and Collagen Boost to her smoothie or water.

‘All of our products are designed to work synergistically together, and this duo is what we call our “Power Pair”,’ she explained.

‘I always carry Plumpers with me while I’m out and about – they’re our potent collagen chewables (1 serve = 2625 mg collagen) and they’re so delicious and easy to pop on the go.

‘I’m also loving our new Body Protein+. It’s a high-level protein that’s fermented (making it more absorbable), with digestive enzymes so it’s super gentle on the gut.’

For anyone who has never tried The Beauty Chef, Carla suggested starting with Glow or Glow Ageless.

‘They are the easiest daily ritual for radiant skin, healthy hair and nails, energy, gut health and whole-body wellness. Our formulas are complex so your routine doesn’t have to be,’ she explained. 

‘In just one teaspoon of Glow, you’re getting 200 per cent RDI of vitamin C, 50 per cent RDI of zinc, 25 per cent RDI niacinamide and biotin, 20 per cent RDI of provitamin A, pre, pro and postbiotics and fermented superfoods.

‘From there, you can target any other specific skin, gut health or wellbeing concerns with products from the rest of our range – with our on-site quiz ready to help point you in the right direction.

‘Just like a skincare routine, your ingestible beauty routine should be personalised to suit you. All of our products are designed to work together for enhanced results.’

The Beauty Chef is stocked in major retailers around the world, with its latest launch at Chemist Warehouse, making the brand even more accessible and affordable

Carla with Dr Mike Bridges, the head scientist and engineer at The Beauty Chef Probiotic Lab

Carla Oate’s beauty and fitness secrets

Exercise is a big part of my life, particularly walking and Pilates. Walking works wonders for me mentally and emotionally. It’s like a natural filing system for my brain. It’s both cathartic and calming, and, at the same time, energising. My mind can be full of thoughts, problems and ideas, but by the end of the walk, I often have solutions, resolve and a sense of calm.

I’m not much of a make-up person but I do love the ritual of skincare. Aside from our Glow F.A.C.E oil and Flora Fix Balm, I love Emma Lewisham’s products – especially her Illuminating Oil Cleanser. Nécessaire The Body Cream is also brilliant.

In 2018, The Beauty Chef established its own fermentation lab in Sydney to better control every step of the process and create products backed by science.

‘What sets The Beauty Chef apart from other brands in the market is our holistic view of health, beauty and wellbeing – as well as our fermentation process,’ Carla said.

‘Fermentation is our superpower, which is brought to life in our state-of-the-art Probiotic Lab in Sydney – we even have our own exclusive probiotic strain GUT5Y.

‘Using our unique fermentation process Flora Culture, we introduce a mother culture of 13 probiotic strains to ferment our wholefood ingredients. This not only maximises their efficacy and bioavailability but creates broad spectrum probiotic and postbiotics.

‘Supercharged probiotic nutrition. Fermented for potency. Visible results. It’s what makes our bestsellers like Glow, Glow Ageless and Collagen Boost so beloved by our community.’

Carla stayed tight-lipped about what was in the pipelines for The Beauty Chef but urged fans to keep an eye out for upcoming news.

‘As a creative, product ideation is one of my favourite parts of the job,’ she said.

‘We’re always speaking to our community and learning about their wants, the needs and their hurdles – and thinking of ways The Beauty Chef can best support their skin, gut and wellness.

‘All I’ll say is, watch this space.’

To shop The Beauty Chef range from Chemist Warehouse, click here.

Please check with your health practitioner before making any changes to your diet or taking supplements or herbs, especially if you are pregnant or have a health condition. Always read instructions for use carefully.

The Beauty Chef products are intended to be used in conjunction with a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle and you should always consult a qualified medical professional to see if they are right for you. 

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