Skincare Founder Maria Enna-Cocciolone has made history as the only Australian woman to create and launch three Cosmedical brands with her latest launch of INSKIN.CO. She chats with Anita Quade about her milestone.

Maria congratulations on making history – you have become the only Australian woman to create and launch three Cosmedical brands with the launch of INSKIN.CO. Tell us what that means to you.

“Thank you. It means so much. It means, that anything is possible, that putting one foot in front of the other takes you to places you have never dreamed of and of course it means we can now offer the professional beauty industry a buffet of active ingredients that covers all price points, a diverse range of ingredients, different derivatives, varying potencies, consumer experiences and sophisticated skin solutions that all work synergistically or totally independent.”

This completes the trilogy of skincare products in your stable, adding to O COSMEDICS and GINGER&ME, with this new skincare range priced at $55 per product. How important was it to add this into your portfolio with an accessible price point?

“The goal for INSKIN.CO was to offer a premium, aspirational, and attainable range – an inclusive offer that put Cosmedical skincare in the hands of people of all ages and all budgets. So, two years ago we started to create and formulate a targeted masstige brand.”

What do you mean by masstige?

“Masstige is a category of goods produced by a luxury brand, but intended for the mass market. A good example is BMW. Whilst many aspire to drive a BMW the price point can be prohibitive. BMW (like INSKIN) recognised this by offering a Series 1, more people could drive a BMW; the same way more customers can now use professional and cosmedical skincare.”

Tell us about your ethos with this range and how is it different from your other ranges.

“It’s simple, but not basic. INSKIN.CO is aspirational, transparent, inclusive, and attainable. It focuses on botanical, functional actives that targets skin concerns, it educates consumers on the relationship between actives and skin science and invites a whole new audience to the world of professional skincare.”

Tell us about how important it is to keep the environment in mind.

“The INSKIN.CO range has been designed with sustainability in mind, prioritising recyclable packaging to minimise environmental impact and promote eco-conscious practices throughout the skincare journey. The collection is elegant, inclusive, and minimalist in its finish, making it not only a great environment choice, but a beautiful décor item in all bathrooms.”

Let’s rewind – Maria you founded INSKIN COSMEDICS in your garage – tell us what inspired you to launch the company?

“If I find the first Professional Beauty magazine INSKIN COSMEDICS featured in, the headlines will confirm my goal was to ‘bring back the heart and soul to the Professional Beauty Industry’. At the time the industry was seeing an influx of men entering, alongside the introduction of high-end capital equipment, it became all about the numbers and no longer about the people – an environment I did not love.”

How tricky was it to set up a company in 2007 and ‘be a jack of all trades’ with a family?

“Setting up a company with or without a family is tricky! On side I had my Italian family and husband to support me as well as being in a good place in my career. I was well known in the industry, I had worked in or at least was familiar with various departments, hence I had a good idea of what was ahead of me. Bottom line is when you’re doing it for yourself it’s next level and the hours are huge, the sacrifices too.”

Anything you wish you had had known when starting out?

“Nope! If I had known, I may never have gotten started! I could never have imagined the challenges in getting started, namely people that tried to stop me and stand in my way. Ultimately, they taught me to stay focused and not let anyone or anything derail my dreams, not to mention some of the hardest lessons were soon to become my biggest blessings.”

In 2009 you bottled your first range – tell us about that experience?

“AAAAAAA-mazing. Building a brand from nothing is so incredibly exciting. I was very lucky to appreciate the best place was to start with the end in mind. So many questions. Where are the gaps in the industry? What are clinics looking for? What is my point of difference? How do I stand out in an overcrowded market? What do I call my brand? What does the name stand for? Where do I position my brand? How active can this brand be? Do I have to be part of an already recognised skin category (cosmeceutical), or can I create my own (cosmedical)? Hundreds of questions that needed an answer before I could even get started. As for watching an idea come to life, it truly is like the experience of giving birth to a newborn.”

What were some of your important goals when formulating the range?

“I wanted a big piece of the market and so I had to identify a segment of the market most (all) people could relate to, I chose aging. I focused on the five major causes of aging and then researched the number one global antiaging treatment, then and still today injectables. I created a complex now known as the V8 Complex that was the topical equivalent, then got to work on the actives and delivery system. The range had to not only impress the professional skin experts, but it needed to offer next level skin transformations in-clinic and at home to support return customers and next level loyalty. Over and above the brand needed to be serious but fun, sexy yet professional and most importantly be internet protected.”

How hard was it to find your own niche in the skincare market?

“Not hard. I knew what was on offer, I was in tune with the gap and got to work on making the dream come to life. Sure, along the way I was always needing to convince someone that red was the way to go, Korean packaging whilst more expensive than Chinese was the only option, cosmedical would soon be a recognised category, we needed to support the professional industry and stay away from online …. One thing is for sure you learn to back yourself fast and stay true to your purpose.”

Any trials and tribulations you found when creating the range?

“Oh gosh, where to start? Trials were at every turn, budget being the first. The cost of everything, minimum order quantities on packaging, ingredients and manufacturing, compatibility of formulations and packaging, number of products needed to start a stand-alone brand, owning the formulations from the start, convincing a chemist to use multiple functional actives in one product, getting to market and consumers reacting to the product; I would need pages to keep listing the trials.

The tribulations are each milestone, the perfect results driven formulation, gorgeous packaging that works with the formulation, the launch of your range, the first partner (account), every new partner thereafter, the first order, the second order, the returning order, the before-and-afters, the clinics transforming skins. As I say, “it’s not easy, but it’s worth it!”

How long does it take to launch a new product?

“Nothing short of two years and a million dollars to do it right! You need to test formulations not just their effectiveness but long-term stability, you need to test formulations in their packaging for compatibility, creating brand stories take time, websites, social media content, getting the first ambassadors across the line, there are aspects you can’t speed up no matter what.”

In 2016 you launched GINGER&ME – what inspired this range?

“Every brand owner would like to think their brand is for everyone, but ultimately there are several factors that contribute to brand choices. O COSMEDICS is a very active range and not necessarily the first choice for compromised skins. It is affordable for the quality and efficacy, but if you don’t have $110 for a treatment hydrator, is it really an option? Most clinics have more than one brand on the shelf and given we understood how we could complement O and help clinics to build their business and skin solutions GINGER&ME was born.”

How does it differ from your first range?

“GINGER&ME is the first Australian NEUROCOSMEDICS Mindfulness brand. It focuses on neuron health, that ultimately supports cell-to-cell communication, Inflammaging, skin barrier repair and microbiome balance, the perfect ICU for the skin or skins coming into cosmedical skincare. It’s loaded with touch points, focuses on self-care and self-love and the professional treatments include a guided mediation to support skin, mind, and body health. The NEUROCOSMEDICCS skin collection extends into a decadent body care range and a stunning gifting collection.”

You started out as an aesthetician – what do you love most about the luxury skincare industry?

“Luxury skincare with the ability to transform skins and ultimately change lives, moods, confidence, and energy. I love that the industry offers choices in skin care, and its professional treatments can be strictly results driven or results driven with an unforgettable luxe journey to support a next level experience.”

How important has it been to give back and share your knowledge in the industry?

“I recognise and never forget that every ‘step-up’ I made, someone gave me the chance, the opportunity to think big and if I can give that back I see it as not only a privilege, but my duty. I am happy to help anyone that is ready to help themselves.”

How do you stay ahead of all the skincare trends?

“I stay relevant at the coal face. I am close to my team, my partners, and the consumer. I read, I am in tune with industry movement, I travel, I am immersed in ingredient launches and understand what science is based and what is a fad. Most of all I am a customer myself and I think like one, which allows me to identify a big-picture experience as opposed to focusing on a small piece of the opportunity.”

What would we find you doing if you were not in skincare?

“I often joke, writing Hallmark cards! People always comment on my heartfelt writing and my ability to connect heart to heart. If not Hallmark, something to do with human behaviour, it never ceases to fascinate me how people tick. I am easily distracted people watching and would love to know their real story.”

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2024 print issue of Professional Beauty.

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