One thing immediately came to mind when the brand name Kosmea popped up in my inbox: certified organic rosehip oil. The nourishing elixir has been a best-seller for yonks, and I couldn’t want to find out more about the brains of the brand.
She’s worked hard at building her empire for 21 years and was the receiver of an InStyle Women Of Style 2015 nomination – and boy, did she deserve it. We spoke to founder Marie Jenkins about her business and more.
What’s the meaning behind the name Kosmea?
When I started Kosmea 21 years ago, I was reading through one of my recipe books for skincare products, and the name Kosmea came up – it’s an Ancient Greek word and it means to harmonise and to bring into balance. It’s also universal; I find that when I travel overseas, people already know the meaning of Kosmea.
What’s your average day like?
My children are very old now (the eldest is 32, and the youngest is 23) so they’re well and truly off my hands. My day ranges from managing the warehouse, talking about product development, looking at the social media, marketing strategies, and chatting to our sales reps on the road. No two days are the same.
A day in my life… I do work in the office, and we have a really small and boutique team. My day ranges from No two days are the same. I’m very hands on with my business. Twelve months ago we went through a total restructure, and that went from quite a lot of people employed, to a much smaller team. The reason I did that was because I believe more in project-managing, it’s streamlining.
We just started using a new financial software package which we’re all learning, which is a bit stressful but we know there’s a great picture at the end of this road. It’s quite humbling to going back to learning, but it really will make the business so much better as it links in with all the digital side of the business as well.
What’s your favourite Kosmea product, and why?
Of course it has to be the signature product – the rosehip oil. It’s 100% certified organic. It’s like a multivitamin pill for the skin, as it can address any sort of skin condition you can think of. It doesn’t really matter what age or skin type you have; it will just heal and repair and bring it back into balance.
I use it twice a day – morning and night – it’s the first thing I put on my face in the morning after I cleanse it, and the last thing I put on my skin before I retire for the evening.
I know that you took a gamble at the start of your business to buy that first drum of rosehip oil to sell. What was that experience like?
I didn’t even think about it. I guess I’m like less than 1% of the population, I love change and to take risks. Much to my then husband’s disgust, I decided to sell the family car to buy that first drum of rosehip oil.
Twenty-two years ago, no one knew what the ingredient was or what it did. Now, it’s on everyone’s lips. Every natural skincare company uses it, and even some of the bigger brands are starting to use them.
I guess I’m a little bit gifted in that way… I always think of things before they come out in fashion. I do a lot of that with my clothes – I travel a lot and pick up things, and think “oh, two years later they’re a big thing!”. Like look at capes for winter, I had mine since 2010 and I had everyone look at me sideways.
What’s the best thing you’ve learnt since starting the brand 21 years ago?
I think I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve made every mistake under the sun, I’ve been humbled, I’ve been brought to my knees financially and I’ve made bad decisions. I’ve learned.
Every action has a reaction. It’s important to think with good intentions and make the right decisions for the company and for myself. I always need to make sure the company is growing, and that I am growing myself personally. I think a business is a true reflection of yourself.
How do you think skincare has changed over the last couple of decades?
I just came back from training 10 ladies who are about to become pharmacy assistants, and it was interesting to talk to them. They were so hungry for information, like about natural skincare and the brand, and how to make their skin better. So I think women are starting to think beyond moisturising and cleansing; it’s about how to make your skin more healthy-looking and making it glow. Oils are here to stay… Cleopatra knew that hundreds of years ago.
What’s your best piece of skincare advice?
I know it’s a little bit of a cliche but even today… a lady came up to me in her forties and confessed that she never took her makeup off her skin at night, and I was mortified! I say, and I keep on repeating this, it’s really important to clean our skin at night. In order for you to have your “beauty sleep”, your skin needs to be able to breathe.
It really shocks me that people still do it. I expected that from someone younger, but not someone in their forties! Her skin looked fine, but I wouldn’t say it was glowy or healthy. I guess it can only get better if she started cleansing properly!
But who knows what would happen to her skin if she started cleansing. She would probably break out. Especially if you start using natural skincare, you always find that nine out of ten times your skin will break out first as it’s a natural detox.
What’s your best advice for women juggling family, work and their personal life?
In the past I would say… you are going to say no to your family a lot of the time, but yes to your business as that’s the natural progression. But you should never feel guilty about it, because us women love to make excuses to feel guilty about something. If it’s not what we’re eating, we’re feeling guilty about not being a good mum or friend. I think that’s my best advice – do what you do, and do it with passion. There are going to be times where you say no to your children or family and yes to your business, but that’s part and parcel of it. You can’t everything, you have to make a sacrifice at some point. It’s not easy to juggle everything, I don’t think you can do everything at 100%.
How do you think your InStyle nomination will impact Australian women?
I hope to be a testimonial for the fact that I’ve been looking after my skin for 22 years with Kosmea, and even before that. I hope I can be an example in a very small way, and show women that your skin can be looked after, and that you can have healthy glowy skin if you worked at it.
How do you use rosehip oil at home? Tell us in the comments below.
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