To mark International Women’s Day 2026, Bondi Beauty speaks with Australia’s leading female beauty entrepreneurs about mentorship, collaboration, resilience and how giving back fuels long-term brand growth.
International Women’s Day 2026 shines a spotlight on the theme Give to Gain — a movement encouraging women to invest in one another to create lasting success. In Australia’s thriving beauty industry, female beauty, wellness and lifestyle founders are proving that generosity, mentorship and collaboration are not just values — they are strategic advantages.
Bondi Beauty speaks to some of the country’s most influential women in the beauty and wellness industry about leadership, risk-taking and how supporting other women has strengthened their businesses.
Jodie Phillips – Managing Director – Chemcorp International (1000Hr)
For Jodie Phillips, Managing Director of Chemcorp International, “Give to Gain,” speaks directly to leadership that creates tangible opportunity. “To me, it means creating real opportunities for women to lead, be innovate and make decisions — not just talking about representation,” she says.
“In beauty, women drive so much of the industry, yet leadership and investment don’t always reflect that. We need to move faster in backing female-led innovation and giving women a stronger voice at the strategic table.” A defining moment in her leadership journey came when she made the bold decision to rebrand 1000HOUR after more than three decades in market — a move that required both conviction and clarity.
“Rebranding 1000HOUR after more than 30 years was a moment where I had to really back our vision for the brand’s future,” Phillips explains. “Refreshing an iconic brand and significantly expanding the range required confidence that we could honour its heritage while making it relevant for a new generation of beauty consumers. That decision has helped reposition 1000HOUR as a modern, salon-quality DIY beauty brand while building on the trust it has earned over decades.”
Operating within an increasingly global and competitive landscape, Phillips credits disciplined brand curation as Chemcorp’s strategic advantage.
“Our most strategic decision has been being very deliberate about the brands we bring under the Chemcorp portfolio, whether they are our own brands or those we distribute locally,” she says.
“Every brand must align with our commitment to high-quality, DIY beauty solutions that deliver real results at home at an affordable price. By staying focused on empowering consumers to achieve salon-quality outcomes themselves, we’ve built long-term trust and a clear point of difference.”
When asked about misconceptions surrounding female leadership in beauty, Phillips is direct. “One misconception is that beauty businesses led by women are passion projects rather than serious commercial enterprises,” she says. “In reality, many female founders are building highly strategic, resilient businesses. What needs to change is access to capital and recognition of the scale and professionalism women bring to the industry.”
Her advice for the next generation reflects the heart of Give to Gain — that self-belief is both a gift to yourself and an investment in your future. “The biggest shift is learning to trust your judgement earlier and not waiting for external validation,” she says.
“Many women underestimate their readiness to lead or build something meaningful. Backing yourself sooner can accelerate growth and open opportunities you might otherwise hesitate to pursue.”
And as her own career has evolved, so too has her definition of success. “Early on, success was about building strong brands and seeing products reach more customers,” Phillips reflects. “Today it’s broader — it’s about longevity, creating opportunities for others and maintaining the values our business was built on.”
Priscilla Hajiantoni, CEO & Founder of Bangn Body
Launching in March 2019, after three years of meticulous conceptualisation and development, Bangn Body has become one of Australia’s most recognisable body care brands — known affectionately by customers as “the yellow tube of goodness.”
For Hajiantoni, the ultimate act of giving was betting on her own idea. To launch Bangn Body, she used her house deposit — savings built over four years with her now husband Jake while living at her mum’s home. The business began on her mum’s living room floor.
Five years later, Bangn Body remains 100% bootstrapped. In the spirit of Give to Gain, Hajiantoni’s story is a reminder that sometimes the greatest investment you can make is in yourself. By backing her vision without external funding, she retained control, clarity and conviction — setting the tone for the brand’s rapid growth.
Since launch, Hajiantoni and her team have sold over 600,000 firming lotions — the product that put Bangn Body on the map. But the momentum didn’t stop there.
The brand’s Illuminating Lotion generated a waitlist of 50,000 customers before launch, selling one unit every second during launch week. In 2025, Bangn Body introduced its Firming Oil — now the brand’s global bestseller — which has sold out four times in four months, moving over 60,000 units. It, too, sold one unit every second at launch.
That same year, the Gradual Firming Tan Lotion — 2.5 years in development — sold 10,000 units during launch week, again hitting the benchmark of one unit per second on launch night. Behind those numbers is patience, precision and persistence — a willingness to spend years refining a formula before bringing it to market.
While overnight success is often the narrative assigned to viral beauty brands, Hajiantoni’s journey tells a different story. Bangn Body was three years in the making before its official launch. Products are developed over years, not months.
This measured approach reflects a deeper understanding of Give to Gain: invest the time, do the work thoroughly, and deliver products that genuinely perform. The return is trust — and loyalty at scale. As a female founder in a competitive global beauty market, Hajiantoni has proven that scale does not require outside capital — it requires clarity, resilience and belief.
Bootstrapping the business has meant calculated risk, long hours and relentless focus. But it has also meant independence and the ability to grow sustainably.
In 2026, Give to Gain is about more than mentorship — it’s about courage. It’s about giving your dream a real chance. It’s about sacrificing comfort today for opportunity tomorrow. From her mum’s living room floor to global bestseller status, Priscilla Hajiantoni’s story is proof that when women invest in themselves boldly, the returns can be extraordinary.
Nedahl Stelio – Founder of Recreation Beauty
Having previously worked in large corporations, Stelio understands the friction that can stall progress. In contrast, she believes small businesses have a unique advantage — agility.
“As a small business it’s much easier to move faster than in a large corporation,” she explains. “You can get stuck with too many meetings and too many departments for approvals in bigger businesses, and that can hinder your ability to move quickly. ”That nimbleness, she says, allows independent beauty brands to adopt new trends, technology and practices quickly — and, crucially, to share insights and collaborate without red tape. In an industry where speed matters, giving knowledge freely can be a competitive advantage. For Stelio, the act of “giving” began with backing herself — financially and emotionally.
“From the absolute very beginning,” she says. “You have to make the decision to invest money in yourself and your idea. You have to believe in yourself enough that you’re willing to part with your own hard-earned cash for it.”
That leap of faith — before external validation or funding — set the trajectory for Recreation Beauty. It’s a reminder that sometimes the first person you must give belief to is yourself. Strategically, anchoring Recreation Beauty in Bondi was instinctive. “Building a Bondi-based brand seemed like a no-brainer to me,” Stelio says. “I’ve lived in Bondi for more than 20 years so it has validity to the claim and that branding just comes naturally to us.”
But beyond the lifestyle-led identity, one of her most significant commercial decisions was expanding internationally with warehouses in multiple markets. “It took approximately a year to get those sorted and deal with all of the compliance and tax requirements that come with each different market,” she explains. “But now we are set to build out globally.” In the spirit of Give to Gain, global expansion isn’t just about revenue — it’s about creating broader access, new partnerships and opportunities for growth that extend beyond borders.
When asked about misconceptions facing women in business, Stelio is direct. “That women take too long to make a decision — which is just not a thing at all,” she says. “I work in a female-dominant industry and know many other female founders and work with agencies run by women, and everyone is much more efficient. There’s no time wasted in unnecessarily long meetings and things just get done. As they should!” Her experience challenges outdated stereotypes and reinforces a powerful truth: when women lead, they often lead decisively — and collaboratively.
For the next generation of Australian women wanting to build something of their own, Stelio’s advice is refreshingly simple.
“Stop dreaming, start doing. Put one foot in front of the other, one step at a time… a thousand steps down the line and hey presto! You have a business. ”It’s a philosophy grounded in action — but also in consistency. Success, she suggests, isn’t one giant leap; it’s the cumulative effect of many small steps.
Today, Stelio’s definition of success looks different from when she first launched. “Success to me is having the time to spend with my children, husband and family and friends while also growing my business,” she says. “Having work-life balance is the definition of success. There’s no point in building a fabulous life if you don’t have time to enjoy it.”
In 2026, Give to Gain is about more than mentorship or collaboration — it’s about giving time, energy and presence to what matters most. For Nedahl Stelio, building a global brand and building a meaningful life are not mutually exclusive. They are the ultimate return on investment.
Emma Peters – Founder & CEO, Aleph Beauty
Emma Peters says Give to Gain” isn’t a marketing strategy — it’s a philosophy that has quietly helped shape her brand’s growth. In an industry often framed as competitive, Peters has consciously chosen collaboration over scarcity. “Operating from scarcity is exhausting,” she explains.
“There’s room for multiple values-led brands to succeed. When your identity is clear, collaboration strengthens you — it doesn’t dilute you.”
“One of the most meaningful things we’ve given is our time and expertise,” she says, referencing Aleph’s ongoing support of Breast Cancer Cure and Dress for Success. “Those decisions weren’t commercial strategies. They were aligned choices. What I didn’t anticipate was how much that would shape the business.”
Peters describes the outcome as “values-aligned visibility” — credibility built not through noise, but consistency. “When people see you show up for causes that matter, it builds trust. Not the loud kind — the steady kind. Giving created depth. It attracted customers who share our values. And that kind of growth is far more durable than a short-term campaign.”
That clarity has also shaped the advice she now shares with other women in beauty: build for longevity, not trends. “It’s tempting to chase momentum,” she says. “But trends are loud and short-lived. Longevity is quieter and far more powerful. Slow and aligned will outlast fast and reactive.”
As a leader, Peters defines giving as openness — whether that’s mentoring emerging founders or being transparent about the realities of business.
“When we normalise complexity — the restructures, the supply chain pressures, the lessons learned — we reduce fear for others,” she says. “Leadership shapes more than outcomes; it shapes people. When you lead with generosity, you build trust. And trust allows businesses and the people within them to grow sustainably.”
Her advice to the next generation is grounded and practical: focus on foundations before visibility. “Understand your numbers. Protect your margins. Be clear on your values before you’re pressured to compromise them,” she says. “When your foundations are strong, you make decisions from alignment — not panic. That changes everything.”
Stacey Hollands – CEO & Founder of Lust Minerals
Before launching her own brand, Hollands worked as a beauty therapist for eight years. But in 2011, when her father David Cook was diagnosed with cancer, her understanding of health — and the role toxins may play in it — shifted profoundly.
That moment planted the seed for what would become one of Australia’s most successful clean beauty brands.
Lust Minerals now enters its eleventh year in business with a loyal, cult-like following for its clean makeup and skincare. But the brand’s foundation is rooted in something far more personal than market opportunity.
Hollands’ mission was clear from the beginning: create high-performance products without compromising on ingredient integrity. In the spirit of Give to Gain, her approach has always been about offering women safer alternatives — giving customers transparency, education and confidence in what they put on their skin
What started as a purpose-driven idea has grown into a global success story. Today, Lust Minerals sells one product every two minutes across the globe. Since transitioning to ecommerce in 2019, the business has turned over more than $40 million — a milestone that reflects both demand and disciplined growth. The brand’s Pro Finish Liquid Foundation has sold more than 130,000 tubes in the last six months alone, while the Firming Peptide Moisturiser has sold out six times in four months.
During the 2024 Black Friday sales, the Gradual Tanning Moisturiser sold out in less than two hours — reinforcing the strength of its community and customer loyalty. Behind these numbers is consistency: products that perform, formulas that align with values, and a founder who understands her audience intimately.
Hollands’ background as a beauty therapist remains central to how she leads. Her years in treatment rooms gave her direct insight into real customer concerns — from skin sensitivities to ingredient awareness — long before “clean beauty” became mainstream. That hands-on experience shaped a brand that prioritises education as much as aesthetics.
In many ways, Give to Gain reflects her journey: giving her customers safer choices, giving her team clear direction, and giving her business the patience required to scale sustainably. More than a decade on, Lust Minerals is proof that purpose and profit are not mutually exclusive. Hollands has demonstrated that building a brand grounded in values can generate both commercial success and meaningful change.
In 2026, Give to Gain is about long-term thinking. It’s about building businesses that serve communities, not just markets. And for Stacey Hollands, the return on investment isn’t measured solely in revenue — it’s in trust, loyalty and the knowledge that her brand was built to make a difference.
Georgia Gazal – Founder of First Thing
For Gazal, meaningful progress begins with integrity.
“What Give to Gain means to me, is doing what you say you will,” she explains. “When it comes to women in the workplace, there can be a lot of noise and conversation but not always followed with action.”
As the founder of a brand that markets to women, she believes businesses must lead by example. At First Thing, that commitment shows up structurally. “We embody this by working with an all-female team and building real flexibility into how we work, so that careers and life can grow side by side.”
In the spirit of Give to Gain, Gazal sees flexibility not as a perk, but as a form of investment — creating workplaces where women don’t have to choose between ambition and wellbeing. Like many founders, Gazal says the first act of leadership was believing in her own idea. “When starting your own brand, you have no choice but to back yourself. If you don’t believe in your idea then no one else will.”
Even as the brand has grown and more stakeholders have come on board, that inner resolve remains essential. “As the brand grows and more people are involved, I still face this challenge. But seeing the payoff that comes from backing yourself and your persistence is what keeps me going.” It’s a reminder that self-belief isn’t a one-time decision — it’s a practice.
In an increasingly crowded and global Australian beauty market, differentiation matters. For Gazal, that edge comes from clarity. “Building a brand with clear values, a strong point of view and a distinct tone of voice is what sets us apart,” she says. “There are a lot of competitors out there and it’s important to remain true to your vision and what you set out to achieve.”
Rather than chasing trends, she has focused on consistency — a strategy that reinforces trust and longevity. In the Give to Gain framework, staying true to your values allows customers and collaborators alike to align with something meaningful. When asked about misconceptions facing female founders, Gazal challenges the stereotype that success requires aggression.
“I feel there is a stereotype that to succeed in business you need to be ruthless, loud and dominant. As a female, that’s never been me.” She admits that earlier in her career, her more measured and thoughtful decision-making style sometimes led to being underestimated. But experience has shifted her perspective. “Leadership doesn’t have one personality type. There’s room for different temperaments and for both men and women to lead in ways that feel authentic to them.”
In 2026, Give to Gain also means expanding the definition of power — making room for leaders who are collaborative, considered and values-driven. For the next generation of Australian women building something of their own, Gazal’s advice is practical and empowering. “The biggest shift is that you can start, wherever you are. There are so many resources out there to help you along the way. Keep learning and grow from the momentum that you are seeing. Momentum creates clarity, and clarity builds confidence.”
It’s a mindset rooted in action — and in trusting the process. While growth metrics and expansion matter, Gazal’s definition of success has remained steady. “My mission has always been to help women feel comfortable and confident in their first layer. As long as I’m delivering to that, then that is success to me.”
For Georgia Gazal, Give to Gain isn’t about scale alone. It’s about impact — creating products, workplaces and conversations that give women confidence, flexibility and support. And in return, building a brand that grows with integrity.
Shelley Sher – Co-founder of LaCorium Health (Dermal Therapy)
For Shelley Sher, founder of Lacorium Health, progress starts behind the scenes. While beauty is often perceived as a female-dominated industry, Sher believes there is still work to be done when it comes to showcasing women in roles that fall outside traditional expectations.
“As with all business, the beauty industry can definitely accelerate action when it comes to female employees,” she says. “We need to showcase women working in areas that aren’t typically seen as female roles — like manufacturing, data collection and other technical positions.” She also believes brands should continue challenging outdated beauty norms in the way they communicate with consumers.
“Beauty businesses are starting to lean into marketing that represents an array of skin tones and types and a more diverse age range,” she says. “We’re also seeing brands challenge traditional beauty standards by using models and creators of different sizes and body shapes. But this is an area that should absolutely keep accelerating.”
One of the most defining moments in Sher’s own leadership journey came when she realised she needed to step forward publicly as the founder behind the brand. “For a very long time, I didn’t feel comfortable stepping into the light and being the face of the story of our brand,” she explains.
“But consumers increasingly want to see the people behind the brand, so I had to be willing to share my story, my name and my image globally in order to push the brand forward.”
For Sher, that shift ultimately strengthened the brand’s authenticity and connection with customers. Reflecting on her journey, she says the biggest mindset shift for aspiring founders is understanding that success takes time.
“Believe in yourself,” she says. “But also understand that there are no overnight success stories. Running a business is hard work and you need to be able to weather the storms.” Today, her definition of success has evolved far beyond the early days of the brand. “Success now looks like having an incredible team of dedicated staff who are motivated by our brand pillars — trust, efficacy and quality,” she says. But she still remembers the small milestones that once felt enormous.
“When we first launched from the second bedroom of our apartment, success was a $200 order from a Tasmanian wholesaler,” she recalls. “At the time we celebrated it as our biggest order.”
