SKINCARE: THE FACES OF LUXURY

THE FACES OF LUXURY

When it comes to leading the luxe movement Australia has some incredible innovative leaders, who have developed a loyal clientale both locally and internationally. They continue to drive the industry with their stunning spaces and cutting edge treatments. Anita Quade chats to skincare entrepreneurs about their journey and what is in store for the future.

AMY JEAN SALONS

www.amyjean-collection.com

Claim to skincare fame:

A self-confessed art lover Amy Jean has been taking her passion and creating brow couture looks since she started out in the industry in 2004. Known as the ‘archangel’ she has worked with celebrities including Naomi Campbell and has opened her luxurious salons across Australia.

The experience is unforgettable and its luxury at its finest – complete with decadent Moet piccolos for guests on arrival, bespoke brow, lip and lash treatments amidst a designer setting think Louis Vuitton accents and cashmere throws. In 2019, she launched the Amy Jean Privee collection, the brow cosmetic essentials to help maintain brows at home. The kit contains brushes and tweezers encased in gold and made in Italy. It was promptly snapped up by Net-a-porter and then the world’s most famous department store Harrods. It seems her journey is only just beginning.

Your Amy Jean salons embody the word luxury – why did you set out to capture the high-end market?

AMY JEAN

Owner Amy Jean Salons

“Thank you – I’m so happy that is your perception of the brand and salons. I didn’t necessarily set out with an intention to capture a high-end market, but I did want to ensure each salon visit was a best-in-class, premium experience for our clients. From the interiors that greet you upon arrival to the salon, to our treatment rooms, products and brow artists, it was imperative that every client was provided a moment of reprieve, relaxation and indulgence. And when you offer this calibre of service, with attention to results and customer care, you naturally become synonymous with luxury.

”How do you choose your luxury high end locations?

“It always starts with research. I want to provide the best possible client experience so it’s important to first analyse the surrounding retailers and the typical customer, as well as proximity to luxury hotels, etc. I also like to situate myself in the space – I’ll perch myself on the street or in front of the new potential shop, observe the passing parade and try to immerse myself in the location. Environment and surroundings can completely make or break a retail experience, so putting in that groundwork early will set you up for success later on.”

How do you ensure your salons remain a luxury experience for clients?

“I set my standards sky high and then work hard to meet them. It also comes down to numerous factors – never just one – including salon presentation, hygiene, hiring highly qualified and passionate artists, offering innovative treatments and treating all clients with equal care and enthusiasm. Most importantly, my front-of-house concierge employees are warm, welcoming and authentic. I’m often emailed about how kind and nurturing my team are.”

You had your AJ product line – tell us when you launched this and how you have expanded on this over the years?

“I originally launched my ‘Eye Couture’ product range in 2009 when I had a single salon. Fast forward six years and I was managing five Australian salons, as well as clients across Singapore and the UK. By this time the brand and grown and evolved, and we had established ourselves as a luxury brow offering – so the products needed to rebrand with us.

I launched our Amy Jean Privée Collection in 2018 and the growth has only continued from there; we’re now stocked by some of the world’s most prestigious retailers (and e-tailers!), including HARRODS London, Net-A-Porter and David Jones. We also had a surprising waveof international client interest for our products during the first pandemic lockdown – we reached consumers in countries we’d never expected to!”

How important is it to have your own brand in the salon? Do you use any other brands also?

“It’s incredibly important for us to stock and use our own brand in the salons. The origin of the Amy Jean Privée Collection was to create salon-quality, effective and easy-to-use products that clients could use at home to work in tandem with their treatments. And there’s no better way to demonstrate both our trust in the product and their efficacy than by using them in the salon – it’s our way of offering a holistic brow service to our clientele. We also carry products from other brands that are relevant to our treatment offering.”

What’s your favourite luxury treatment?

“I truly love a decadent facial - I frequent Melanie Grant in Australia (her clinical approach to skincare is unparalleled) or the Spa De La Mer at the Baccarat Hotel in NYC.”

Any plans to expand your salon presence and product line in the future?

"Absolutely! I'm endlessly researching and developing new products and we have some exciting new partners in the cosmetics retail space this year that we can't wait to reveal."

ALL SAINTS CLINIC

www.allsaintskin.com.au

Claim to skincare fame:

This renowned aesthetic physician is known for his love of art and created the ultimate luxurious skincare space in 1999 in Double Bay. He has commented that his greatest achievement of his career was to launch the sanctuary that offered him the chance to combine his aesthetics career with an artistic approach and worked with famed interior designer Blainey North to create the concept that is the go-to for local and international celebrities. He reveals the highly selective skincare brands he stocks and the appeal of his luxury treatments.

DR JOSEPH HKEIK

Owner All Saints Clinic

Tell us how you started outand set up All Saint Clinic?

“When I founded All Saint Clinic in 1999 I noticed a gap in the market, for a clinic run by doctors that truly specialise in skin health. With my medical degree and background, coupled with an interest in art, sculpture and aesthetics, I wanted to focus on helping people become the best possible version of themselves. Rejuvenation and preserving one’s youthful vitality, both in terms of skin and also self-value, are at the heart of what I set out to achieve.”

What is it about the luxury market that appealed to you?

“What could be better than visiting or working in a clinic that has the luxurious ambience of a high-end hotel? Whether coming in for an indulgent facial, or a rejuvenation appointment with our doctors, our clients can relax and feel pampered in our luxurious and comfortable surroundings. My friend and interior designer Blainey North helped bring my vision to life in our Double Bay clinic and more recently our skincare boutique, Le Petit Saint.”

Who is your clientele?

“Whether you are an international A-lister, a top Aussie TV presenter, or simply Joe Bloggs, our team prides itself on treating everybody equally. Whilst it is true that we have a large base of celebrity clients, we also have a very loyal following of local customers in the vicinity of our clinics, as well as clients who travel from all over Australia and even overseas, making All Saint Clinic a priority destination whilst they are in Sydney.”

Tell us about the brands you stock and how you go about choosing these for the clinic and skincare store?

“I am very selective in the brands that we stock, ensuring that each one is backed by high-level, robust science. These range from international best sellers such as Augustinus Bader, Rationale and Skinceuticals, to more specialist brands that are actually only available through selected clinics – including Skin Better Science, iS Clinical and Universkin. We also stock a broad range of ingestible products, including popular brands WelleCo, The Healthy Chef, The Beauty Chef, as well as exciting new brands on the market – such as CILK and FloraBiome.”

It must be so competitive to have a skincare brand in a salon such as yours what is your criteria?

“Firstly, impeccable scientific credentials. Secondly, each product is tested by myself and my expert team, to ensure we fully believe in them and can ensure excellent results for our clients. Thirdly, ensuring that we cover all possible facets of skincare – both for face and body, as well as supporting with ingestible products.”

With high price tags for luxury treatments and skincare – what is your advice to your clients on how they will see the return for their investment?

“In terms of luxury treatments, you certainly pay for what you get. Not only do our clients notice immediate and long-term results, but they also leave our clinic feeling revitalised and relaxed. We also have a philosophy that ‘less is more’, so for example with injectables often just a few subtle touches are needed by my expert team of doctors, meaning clients are actually paying for less.

We take our clients’ skin on a journey for the long-term, with regular check-ins and appointments to keep it looking its best. This offers a great return on their investment, by nurturing their skin for the future and keeping it looking as youthful as possible.”

What is your one biggest luxury skincare splurge?

“On my day off, my favourite treatment is our signature Red Carpet Laser Facial – which gives the ultimate radiance with zero downtime, plus leaves you feeling relaxed and revitalised.

In terms of skincare products, I can’t get enough of the Rationale range and it’s no great surprise why it is top of many beauty editors’ lists. It is a brand that is founded on incredible research and science and I’ve seen for myself how it can actually transform clients’ skin. I also highly recommend that clients pay that bit extra for a tailor-made serum, ensuring that the freshest and most potent active ingredients are perfectly combined to suit each of their skin’s needs. We offer two great choices by Universkin and Skinceuticals.”

Plans for expansion...

“All I can say is stay-tuned.”

DR JOSEPH’S HERO TREATMENT

New for 2022 and popular amongst the A-list crowd, this luxurious treatment ensures clients look relaxed and radiant with the famous #AllSaintGlow. The expert dermal therapists combine an oxygenating treatment, pure enzymes, vitamin fusion, peptide mask and LED light therapy to stimulate collagen. The treatment deeply rejuvenates, has zero down-time and leaves skin luminous, soft and smooth. Clients find that their skin benefits with greater product absorption and overall skin health.

Beneficial for:

♦ Fine lines and wrinkles

♦ Pigmentation and sun damage

♦ Dry, rough or dull skin

♦ Congested pores

MELANIE GRANT STUDIO

www.melaniegrant.com

Claim to fame:

She is on the speed dial of A-listers including Victoria Beckham and Cate Blanchett and is among the world’s most sought after skincare experts. In 2016 CHANEL Australia announced Melanie as their first official skin expert followed by CHANEL USA in 2019. Given her love of skincare and attention to detail she has just launched an exclusive offering to clients - the Biologique Recherche Haute Couture Programme.

MELANIE GRANT

Owner Melanie Grant Studio

She spends her time jet setting between Australia where she has two studios, Los Angeles and Paris. Just last month she launched her book The Modern Guide To Skin Health – which won praise from Victoria Beckham who commented: “A must-read for anyone who wants to improve their skin health.” The book offers practical advice she has learnt throughout her two decades in beauty and educates readers on how to make the best choice for their skin.

Tell us why you entered the luxury skincare market?

“I never intentionally positioned my studios in a luxury market, it really just happened naturally. I’ve always been super focused on the client experience - I appreciate just how busy modern life is and so my team and I are constantly looking for ways to offer an experience that is restorative, decadent and elevated while still being completely results-driven. Detail is an incredibly important element of this, from lighting, music and ambience in Studio, right through to the finesse of a European massage performed in each treatment. At it’s core, the MG philosophy is shaped around the type of experience I would like to have as a client.”

What about the products you work with?

“I’m ultra-selective with the ranges we house, and prefer a less-but-better approach to home care. It’s crucial that the formulas we carry are the very best available in terms of quality, efficacy and even sensorially because I want our clients to see noticeable results, and above all, to enjoy using them.”

What is it you love most expert for Chanel Australia and Chanel USA since the mid2000s? What does this involve?

“I’ve been working with CHANEL for a long time now and it’s an absolute pleasure! We collaborate together on press days at my studios or treating guests before awards season, we’re celebrating product launches and introducing media and journalists to new products and ranges. Over the past few years there were some really fun virtual masterclasses, which gave us the opportunity to meet and connect with people all over the world - a definite silver lining to those seemingly unending months spent in lockdown.

Recently, I spent a beautiful couple of days visiting Gaujacq in the south of France to experience their incredible farm that propagates - and conserves - over 2,000 varieties of the camellia flower, which forms the basis for CHANEL’s new sustainably minded, clean and conscious range, No.1 de CHANEL. It was so eye opening to see just how much thought and detail goes into every formula - from seed, to flower, to bottle.”

You have also recently launched the Haute Couture program with Biologique Recherche – tell us about this?

“The Biologique Recherche Haute Couture Programme is something that’s been in the works for a long time - and it’s been really hard not to let it slip! This is a really special offering, and one that’s exclusive between Melanie Grant Skin Health and Biologique Recherche.In short, the programme allows clients to have a completely customised series of Biologique Recherche formulas created for their unique complexion by a Biologique Recherche Doctor and their team of expert formulators over a one, three or six month period. The process itself is incredibly detailed and collaborative from beginning to end.”

What does the program for clients involve?

“The programme starts with an initial consultation with a Biologique Recherche Doctor and Haute Couture expert at one of our Studios. They’ll perform a detailed analysis of your current and historical concerns and a series of clinical assessments, the results of which are sent to their lab and formulation centre in Paris.At the lab, Biologique Recherche’s team of experts draw on their extensive library of unique, potent and proven ingredients to create high performance formulas that are specifically designed for you. These formulas will evolve over the course of the programme in terms of concentration and active ingredients selected to work with your complexion, concerns and end-goal.

You’ll have a standing appointment with a Biologique Recherche Specialist at one of our Studios every month for the course of the programme to ensure that your formulas are continuing to be well tolerated, working optimally and that your skin is enjoying the myriad benefits they’ve been designed to offer. It’s the epitome of truly customised home care, and really results focused.”

How costly is this to clients?

“Pricing for the programme is shaped around the time frame you decide on with the Biologique Recherche Dr and Haute Couture Expert at your initial consultation. After your meeting, you can select to follow it for a 1, 3 or 6 month period, which are each priced accordingly at $5000, $14,000 and $25,000.”

Check out Melanie’s book: The Modern Guide To Skin Health.

JOCELYN PETRONI

www.jocelynpetroni.com.au

Claim to beauty fame:

She is one of Australia’s top facialists and the official manicurist for CHANEL Australia. Her signature salon with the tagline ‘We Know Beautiful’ is set on the streets of the Eastern suburbs enclave Woollahra. It offers bespoke treatments which incorporate spiritual healing into holistic rituals and Jocelyn is known for developing the amazing Heart Chakra Facial and the most sophisticated designer manicure in town.

JOCELYN PETRONI

Owner Jocelyn Petroni

Tell us why you set up Jocelyn Petroni salon?

“I have always had a passion for skin and nail health, instilled in me from a really young age via my dad. I worked in salons for many years but there was nowhere that truly made my heart sing, so I created it myself. I had a vision of a huge space, light and bright with the sun streaming through billowing curtains, and a brilliant, all-female, supportive team who loved what they do as much as me. And that’s just what I’ve done!”

How do you ensure you salon has that luxury vibe?

“To me, luxury is really in the attention to detail. That’s what makes anything luxurious. We’re not just about a manicure or a facial, we’re about the manicure experience and the facial experience. And ultimately, I think it’s really about that experience that we provide – the loving care and touch that is woven into everything. If there were Michelin stars or hats given out for the beauty industry, that’s what I’d be going for.”

Is there a huge demand from clients for one of your highly sought after Chanel manicures/pedicures?

“This type of high service nail care treatment just doesn’t really exist in the beauty landscape in Australia. So, we see clients that value the whole experience and the quality, beyond our excellent results and beautiful nails.”

What do clients love most about this luxury service?

“At Jocelyn Petroni, we don’t offer just a manicure or pedicure. We’re really optimising nail health – protecting the integrity of the nail and ensuring the nails look, feel and function in the best possible state. It truly is a manicure or a pedicure experience. That we paint on a gorgeous colour in a beautiful way that just lasts so much longer than your average manicure is really just a bonus.”

To me, luxury is really in the attention to detail. That’s what makes anything luxurious. We’re not just about a manicure or a facial, we’re about the manicure experience and the facial experience.

Tell us the most popular service on your skincare menu?

“The Signature Heart Chakra Facial is so popular because it’s a really thorough facial offering that has phenomenal results. Lots of different techniques are utilised throughout the facial and it’s a great opportunity for a detailed skin analysis, so it makes it a great starting point for all clients. It is also the treatment that really highlights how highly trained our therapists are. Each Jocelyn Petroni skin therapist is also a trained reiki master (which can take a few years to attain). It means the results of the treatment aren’t only about the skin, but about the holistic wellbeing of the client.”

How often is the menu changed?

“Typically, we introduce a new treatment based around the season (to treat skin specifically for summer and then for winter, for example), but we’re not frequently adding and deleting experiences, as a general rule. My priority is around a results-based offering, so unless it gives results, you won’t find it here. We’ve recently added some machines and devices, which is an evolution for the business, but it’s really because technology has come so far in recent times, that I felt like it could fit with the rest of what we do.”

Why is being in the luxe end ofthe market important to you?

“Personally, I am a perfectionist. I love really, really good customer service, and I’m passionate about the part of beauty which is being tactile and intimate and loving. I think all of those things have just come together to create a really high-performance salon.”

Plans for the future?

“I will never be looking for world domination, and more and more salons and doors and spaces. That’s never been my ambition. I like things to be special and bespoke and tailored, so I am content with having the beautiful space that I do, and just continue to push the boundaries of what a client can expect out of a beauty service. Of course, the future plans are always to continuously evolve and improve the service we offer to clients, so right now, that has resulted in our website launching ecommerce, so clients can purchase a curated edit of premium care products directly from us.”

How do you choose the brands that are stocked in your salon- it must be super competitive to be housed in your space, any criteria you can share?

“I am forever on the hunt for results-driven products and brands, and there are a tonne of different ways that I find them. I have always been a seeker of information and passionate about research, so I’m constantly talking to a global network of industry experts. Every time I travel, I try to experience new products and treatments too. It’s excellent for inspiration. My criteria is really just to try things myself. I have to personally love it and believe in its performance in order to bring it in to our space.”