WINNING FORMULA

While Roccoco Botanicals continues to kick goals from its Yatala base, CEO Jacine Greenwood is shining on the world stage.

IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS, both literally and figuratively, for Roccoco Botanicals founder Jacine Greenwood.

Born in Mount Morgan, a very small mining town outside Rockhampton, Jacine grew up in Brisbane and spent time in rural Western Australia before returning to Queensland, where the business was established.

But it was in New York City that she reached the peak of her career to date, when Roccoco Botanicals' signature product, Ruby Crystal Cleansing Balm, won the prestigious Alle Award for most innovative product of its class.

“I got an email from Cosmetics and Toiletries to tell me about the awards because I’m on their contacts list,” Jacine explains.

“I thought ‘this looks interesting’ and I started my submission but when I saw what was required, I backed out because you are up against major players.

“Then on the last day before it was due, I received a reminder saying ‘we notice you have not completed your application’ so I decided to enter.

“My thoughts were … ‘What’s the worst that can happen? You aren’t going to win, just apply and get the feedback’."

Luckily, Jacine’s instincts were completely off base.

Not only did Roccoco Botanicals make the finals, they became the first Australian brand in the Awards’ ten-year history to have won.

“Without sounding egotistical, we do have the best product on the market, nothing out performs us,” says Jacine.

“We’ve essentially grown by word of mouth and we wouldn’t have been able to do that, to the extent that we have, if the results weren’t there.

“It’s not until people actually try the product that they realise how good the brand is.”

But let’s back track a little to discover how and why Jacine ended up on that stage, in that city, accepting that coveted award.

“I had cystic acne from when I was a teenager and I could not find a solution for it, the treatments and antibiotics just dried my skin out and made it super sensitive,” she explains.

“From when I was 18 to around 25, I went to all the beauty counters in the major department stores and tried just about every product to fix my skin and none of it worked.

“I also visited a lot of skin clinics and found it interesting that I would get conflicting information.

“I’d go to one therapist and they would tell me one thing, I’d go to another and they would tell me something different and I thought ‘this can’t be right … I’ve got two people giving me two different answers and none of it is working’ so that’s when I decided I would go and train as a skin therapist.”

Having graduated at 25, Jacine spent several successful years in the beauty industry in Western Australia before a marriage break-up led to her returning to her home state.

Back in Brisbane, as a single mother with a young daughter, she completed the nursing degree she had started earlier while continuing to run her beauty business from home.

Looking after others became her profession, however, it was Jacine’s own struggles, including the loss of her infant son followed by the death of her father, that inspired her to get serious about the skin care industry.

“When I got post-natal depression after the birth of my second child, I didn’t want to go back to nursing,” she explains.

“I decided I would set up a business from home and that was the launch of my first skincare brand, which was dismal failure but taught me great lessons.”

Fast forward a few years, and Jacine’s passion and determination to make a difference in people’s lives is evident.

“We don’t make products, we make solutions,” she says.

“I see where there is a gap in the market, and I also take note of the negative feedback on other products and try to address the issues.

“For example, with acne, almost every single product I looked at had something in there that would make the user breakout, it doesn’t make any sense.

“What makes us different is that yes, I am a skin therapist, but I am also a chemist.

“I spend a lot of time researching and I also don’t give up easily.”

With Roccoco Botanicals now well established, Jacine’s quest for success is equalled only by her desire to help others grow their own business.

“I think ‘impostor syndrome’ hits you wherever you are in your growth and people need to know that,” she insists.

“I am a hypnotherapist, as well as an NLP Coach.

“I started going in that direction because I found with many business owners their mindset was what was holding them back a lot of the time and they weren’t making the decisions they needed to make.

“And sometimes they hold themselves back because they lack the confidence in their own ability to pull things off.

“So our aim is to not just be a supplier but to support them in business as well … and to grow them as people and individuals.

“We are hoping that with the extra work we are doing, which is over and above what any other brand does, that that’s going to cultivate loyalty and emotional connection.

“And as a consequence our results will get better and better.”

Speaking of getting better, Jacine admits that the past few years have been a challenge as she suffered from chronic pain as the result of a back injury.

Following five corrective surgeries, she is now well on the road to recovery and ready to see what the future holds.

“It will be interesting to see what happens now,” she says.

“I feel like I have just got my brain back, my clarity, my ability to formulate well.

“I quite often think how much potential do I have because we’ve only just started tapping into it.

“And if we’ve grown to where we are with chronic pain and all the spinal surgeries, now that I don’t have any of that holding me back, what’s next?”

“Whatever it is it will be very, very exciting.”

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