World first: Tanning brand Australian Glow to list each ingredient and its function on every bottle

A young mum whose self tanning company has boomed into a $15million empire is set to be the first range of its kind to have a completely ‘transparent’ ingredient list.   

Liz Agresta, co-founder of Australian Glow, has made the step to list every single ingredient found in her products on its packaging so customers know exactly what they’re putting on their skin. 

The Melbourne businesswoman hopes the world-first initiative will transform the beauty industry and empower customers to make informed choices when it comes to their skin.

Every ingredient will now be listed on each bottle with a detailed explanation as to why it has been used.  

With a bottle of Australian Glow’s popular $25 self tanning mousse selling every 70 seconds worldwide, the company is rapidly expanding with more opportunities on the horizon.

In a world-first, very ingredient will now be listed on each bottle with a detailed explanation as to why it has been used.

Australian Glow is now going public allowing fans to buy shares in the company for the first time and help take the business to the next level.

Liz and her team are also locking in a deal with a major US pharmacy with more than 8,000 locations which will be worth an extra $7million per year.

The 35-year old mum first launched Australian Glow in 2019 in Rome due to the influx of self-tanning businesses saturating the market in Australia.

Since then, Australian Glow is now stocked in 15 countries and has removed the equivalent of more than 50,000 plastic bags from the world’s ocean by focusing on sustainable packaging. 

Liz told FEMAIL that during her twenties she was a ‘big fan’ of self-tanning products, but that all changed when she hit her thirties. 

‘My skin became sensitive and would experience reactions on my face, which would affect my confidence. I was doing this to look great, and it had the opposite effect,’ she said.

‘There had to be a better solution that wouldn’t cause my skin the react, but after researching the leading tanning products I was shocked by their lack of nourishing skincare ingredients.’

 Liz and her team are also locking in a deal with a major US pharmacy with more than 8,000 locations which will be worth an extra $7million per year

Unlike other products, the self-tanning mousse contains natural, nourishing ingredients 

After realising the tan was causing her skin to react badly, Liz changed the entire skincare and tanning routine she relied on.

Then Liz had a lightbulb moment and launched a business venture to develop a ‘natural, nourishing’ fake tan. 

‘The Australian sun and beaches are iconic around the world, and I was passionate about sharing this with the overseas market. I knew international buyers would resonate with the brand and love our products,’ she said.  

Since the Aussie market is saturated with an influx of fake tan businesses, the new mum decided to first launch the brand overseas in Rome

‘The Australian sun and beaches are iconic around the world, and I was passionate about sharing this with the overseas market. I knew international buyers would resonate with the brand and love our products,’ Liz told FEMAIL 

‘I worked with a leading chemist to create our most popular product that we sell today – it’s given me the confidence to look good and feel good and share this with the world,’ she said.

‘Once the idea took shape, I knew it was one of the best in the business, and that’s when I knew my $25,000 investment was very worthwhile.’  

Putting herself in the deep end headfirst, Liz took on the global market by attending Cosmoprof, the largest beauty trade show in the world in Italy, and met with buyers from all the largest pharmacies, beauty retailers and department stores from around the world.

‘I was very nervous showing there for the first time – I had never even met with a buyer before,’ she said.

Liz was meeting with the world’s leading buyers and often required a translator to have a conversation with other attendees.

‘I was negotiating contracts with retailers such as ULTA beauty and Revolve and met with buying representatives from Australian retailers such Priceline,’ she said.

In the last financial year (2020/2021), the business turned of a staggering $3.3million dollars and has a projected sales forecast is $5million

Five months into launching the brand, Liz quit her job to focus solely on Australian Glow and the popularity ‘began to snowball’.  

At the moment customers can choose from ten different products as well as additional bundles and accessories.

The most popular product listed is the $24.99 dark self-tanning mousse that offers a one-hour express tan.

‘The mousse is also packed with Australian botanicals and amino acids that are locally sourced to nourish your skin to make you feel confident,’ Liz said. 

Because of the key ingredients used, it also provides a longer-lasting tan.  

In the last financial year (2020/2021), the business turned of a staggering $3.3million dollars and has a projected sales forecast is $5million. 

The brand also launched the world’s first self-tanning refill unit, reducing the brand’s footprint and ensuring less ‘virgin plastic’ is produced.

Liz said the refill units use are 82 per cent less plastic than the mousse bottles. 

She anticipated the following year will be an exciting 12 months for the brand, and in future they are planning to release 15 new products.