Entrepreneur behind Brow Code sells a product every minute

An Australian brow artist who built a multimillion-dollar business from carving and styling eyebrows has lifted the lid on how one of her products sells every minute.

Melanie Marris is the founder of Brow Code – and its sister brand for professional beauticians Brow Code Pro – starting her business from her home in Perth, Western Australia, with just 70 cents to her name.

The 34-year-old had no real-world experience before she started the world’s first single service brow salon, just a life-long passion for beauty and a keen eye for the finer details.

But what started as a solo career shaping brows has turned into a conglomerate of best-selling products, professional in-person services in Australia and the US, and celebrity clientele.

‘Since I was a young girl I have been fascinated with style, beauty, aesthetics and have always had a natural entrepreneurial way,’ Melanie told FEMAIL.

‘There is an art to creating and enhancing perfectly groomed and balanced features. I have always had a really fine eye for detail in all that I do. That’s sort of how brow styling became such an obsession for me and how I was driven to really perfect my craft.’

On her first day of high school Melanie swore to her mother – her ‘muse’ – that she would leave the minute she was allowed to and enroll in beauty college.

With her family’s support the young and determined entrepreneur did just that at 15, earning herself a diploma and kickstarting her career as a brow artist.  

‘The idea for Brow Code came to me after styling brows for just over 11 years. I had my diploma in hand by age 15 and along this path, I began pioneering the brow industry as a whole,’ she said.

‘I was inspired by how a single service really transformed the way women and men looked at themselves and felt about themselves.’

‘The idea for Brow Code came to me after styling brows for just over 11 years. I had my diploma in hand by age 15 and along this path, I began pioneering the brow industry as a whole,’ she said

She launched her flagship store soon after in the form of ‘Perth Melanie Marris Eyebrow Stylist, home of the signature MM Brow’. 

‘It was the world’s first salon with a service menu of one single treatment, eyebrow styling,’ she continued.

‘At this time, it was considered ludicrous to have just one service on your menu and turn away other requests for makeup or lip waxes and eyelash tints. 

‘But keeping the brand controlled and extremely niche really was the key to my success, being really good at one thing and focusing on making an uber luxury experience while doing it.’

Noticing a gap in the market for quality, professionally backed products specifically designed for brow professionals, Melanie set about building a brand around what her stores were achieving. 

‘I applied my experience and expertise into developing a professional Brow Code line in 2016. We were the first ever dedicated professional brand on the market,’ she said.

‘There was no pro brow category that existed. There were tints, but they were designed for lashes. There was wax, but it was the same wax used on legs or underarms, nothing designed specifically for brow styling. 

Noticing a gap in the market for quality, professionally backed products specifically designed for brow professionals, Melanie set about building a brand around what her stores were achieving

‘At launch, Brow Code completely added a new category to the professional beauty space.’

Brow Code is now stocked in 250,000 retailers worldwide, including MECCA in Australia and SAKS Fifth Avenue, with one product selling every minute.

‘As a professional stylist, beauty industry pioneer and beauty consumer, I am able to tap into what both audiences truly need, constantly coming up with new creative ways we can do things, what technologies and education we can offer our community and so forth,’ she said.

‘My finger is on the pulse at all times and I love seeing my team encompass that same drive and dedication to bring all initiatives to life.’