Elle Ferguson talks ELEEFFECT and her burgeoning tanning company

An Australian entrepreneur has revealed how she developed her own fake tan product with a natural glow and rose scent, after selling out on launch day.

Elle Ferguson, from Bondi Beach, Sydney, is the owner of self tanning company ELEFFECT, which she started in 2016 after struggling to find a company she loved. 

‘It came from a personal desire to produce a safe, sunless tan that delivered the perfect golden glow,’ Elle told FEMAIL. 

‘A natural (faux) glow that didn’t smell like self tanner.’

‘It came form a personal desire to produce a safe, sunless tan that delivered the perfect golden glow,’ Elle told FEMAIL. ‘A natural (faux) glow that didn’t smell like self tanner’

Elle has been sporting fake tans for years, knowing that it’s the only safe way to change the colour of her skin, particularly in the harsh Australian climate, but she could never get the right natural colour. 

‘Everything on the market was orange or green so I started mixing brands and making my own unique shade,’ she said.

With her work as both an ‘influencer’ and entrepreneur Elle was constantly travelling overseas and one of the main compliments she would receive would be about her tan.

‘In that moment I knew I had to make my own tan, something I could share with people that made them feel good and glow,’ she said.

With her work as both an ‘influencer’ and entrepreneur Elle was constantly travelling overseas and one of the main compliments she would receive would be about her tan

The product of her labour was The Self Tanning Mousse ($44.95), which contains all natural ingredients like aloe leaf juice, tangerine oil and coconut oil

‘Everything I hated in other tan brands I was going to change in my own brand.’

The end result was The Self Tanning Mousse ($44.95), which contains all natural ingredients like aloe leaf juice, tangerine oil and coconut oil.

‘It wasn’t an easy journey and it was in a time when chemists and pharmaceutical companies didn’t take “influencers” seriously so I had to actually have the tan produced in the US as they were the only people that would accept my cash to make a sample and take me seriously,’ she said.

‘It’s funny now the companies that said no to sampling products for me have since been banging on my door to sample. Sometimes you have to take a chance on someone.’

ELEFFECT stands out for the colour it produces but also its no-nonsense rose scent. 

ELEFFECT stands out for the colour it produces but also its no-nonsense rose scent

The Tint ($44.95) is part of Elle’s secondary launch package, an instant tan and body makeup all in one, and The Wash ($29.95) promises to get rid of any pesky lingering tan so you can start from scratch every time

‘It is the only tan that is scented like roses. No more nasty tan smells just a natural rose scent,’ Elle said.

‘When I was in the development stage I had a research group sit blindfolded in a room and smell five different tans on the market. The five included ELEFFECT and every person in the group complained about the toxic “fake smells’ until they smelt mine. I knew in that moment I had a winner.’

The mousse sold out within the first day of launch and are continually out of stock within Mecca and in the online store, with expansion plans into the US market.  

The Tint ($44.95) is part of Elle’s secondary launch package, an instant tan and body makeup all in one, and The Wash ($29.95) promises to get rid of any pesky lingering tan so you can start from scratch every time.

‘It literally airbrushes your body,’ Elle said of The Tint. 

Kim Kardashian has posted about the tanning products on her social media pages, proving that the sky is the limit for this celebrity-endorsed brand.