Activeskin.com.au - The Story So Far!

The Journey of Activeskin From Salon to Online

It’s midnight on 19th April 2006. I wake Ben up, “I think it’s happening!” He springs out of bed and dials up an internet connection.

After a few minutes, a connection is established and he checks the pending orders. Knowing that today it’s pretty likely he won’t be able to make it to work, he decides to “pop” into the office now to get through as many orders as possible. So there I am, 9 months pregnant, roaming around my lounge room, occasionally keeling over with a crippling contraction. By 4am I called Ben “Come home now and get me to the hospital!” Beautiful Holly was born at 11am - and I think Ben snuck back to work that arvo ;)

Yup, so goes the life of a business owner!

Holly is born (conceived at the Dermalogica Barcelona Congress in 2005!)

The Early Years: Activeskin Salon

We had already had the salon side of the business for quite a few years, but it was only 2 weeks prior to this life changing event that we launched online with Activeskin.com.au.

I opened the salon in 1999 with a $32K loan from the bank, guaranteed by mum and dad and with a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Yvette’s first salon in 1999 - come on up!

How the Business Evolved Into the Online Space

I had worked in a couple of salons before and learnt ‘what NOT to do’, so the timing was right and I was ready for my own thing.

My husband (then boyfriend) and I walked the streets delivering pamphlets promoting my new salon. I sat at my new reception desk on opening day and waited for the phone to ring - and it did!

By 2005 my salon business was booming and I had a great team of 7 therapists. We had invested heavily in the salon with time, training, resources and money BUT then that “www” thing started to really emerge.

We were seeing competition from realms we had never dreamt of. A good solid chat with my hubby included words like “we must keep evolving”... “if you can’t beat them join them”... “we must get involved in this channel”. So with this in mind, Ben set off on the path of research and development, and a year later, Activeskin.com.au was born!

Yvette on the drill in 2004 for one of our third expansions of the salon

Activeskin.com.au Milestones

Over the last 18 years online we have grown quite a bit. From working out of a back room of our salon, handwriting Australia Post bags and running down the road to the Post Office every afternoon, to today, our most recent Activeskin HQ which ecompasses our entire operation. We proudly employ over 23 staff from our amazing WWW’s (Warehouse Wonder Women) to our 8 qualified Skin Therapists, a Marketing team, Buying team, Graphic team and Accounts.

Many of our amazing team at our Christmas party 2018

Over that time we have built and rebuilt about 8 versions of our salon and expanded our warehouse 3 times. A lot of blood, sweat and tears, but every evolution allowing us to grow and improve.

We have been blessed to work with a wonderful abundance of team members over the years, a fair few who have been with us for over 15 years!

We rebrand our salon to Activeskin Salon in 2015

Buying Team Angels 2009 - Sim and Kathryn still with us!

Dee and Kris meet Jane at the Dermalogica Malaysian Symposium - the amazing Kris with us since 2005!

The Perks of Running Your Own Business

Over the years we have enjoyed some amazing times at industry congresses, symposiums, training days, product launches and long ‘business’ lunches! We have traveled abroad to Los Angeles, Vegas, Paris, New Zealand and have forged many great friendships with product company personnel, brand owners and fellow industry peeps. It is a very special and really, a very small industry that I feel very blessed to be a part of.

Lunching with Bernard Sirop at Thalgo France HQ to celebrate 50 years of Thalgo

Yvette dancing with Jane Wurwand in Vegas 2007

Jane Iredale pops into Activeskin Salon for a staff lunch

At the AFL with Mark and Carley from Asap - we didn’t watch much footy!

A knockout room with a stunning view - thank you Dermalogica, Vegas 2015

Our beautiful therapists get some tips from Jane at a training day

Some Activettes enjoy a session with Pauline Youngblood

With Matt and Philip from Youngblood - Activeskin awarded Stockist of the Year Australia 

Activeskin Salon 25 Years On

After 25 years with my salon and 18 years online, there is no sign of us slowing down (just try and stop me!). A recent growth in our upper level management team has spurred on a whole new level of energy and commitment, to further cement Activeskin as Australia’s skin and beauty experts. 

Led by Ben, our EComm and Marketing Teams have been working on an amazing realm of IT improvements and new platform roll-outs to keep enhancing and improving our customer experience. I am super proud of these achievements and we love seeing the growth and reward from the effort put into these ventures. 

This week we launch the final step of our 12 month warehouse digitisation project which has been a labor of love for Ben and myself (as well as the awesome weekend help over the 12 months from our 3 daughters). This upgrade to our warehouse systems puts us ahead of the curve and will allow us to grow exponentially. 

All hands on deck as some of the family chips in

An invitation to be backstage at Fashion Week with our exceptional Skin Therapist Clair

The Best Treatments at Activeskin Salon

Our beautiful salon team continue to deliver amazing, world class professional facial treatments in our super serene and private, park-at-the-door salon including Relaxing facials, Skin Needling, Peels and Healite LED light therapy as well as our ever popular Doctor Sarah Freilich cosmetic injection treatments for a 360 degree approach to facial rejuvenation. We take our clients on a personalised skincare journey that is results driven and decadent. I love being in the salon reception and catching up for a chat with the same (beautiful) faces that I treated 25 years ago… and often, it is their teenage kids coming in for our popular Teen Facials!

Celebrating our INSKIN award with some of the team at the Ivy

Thank YOU For Your Support

I pinch myself at how far things have come in 25 years. We couldn’t have done it without the support of our families, our sensational Activeskin team, our amazing loyal customer and client base and our 3 very hands-on daughters who are extremely passionate about the business too. 

So it is with a tear in my eye and heart full of gratitude that I say “Cheers to 25 Years”.

Hip-hip-hooray as Activeskin celebrates 18 years online

Yvette enjoys a spritz at a Jane Iredale launch in the gorgeous ‘Penthouse at the Ivy’

Loving a makeover from Napoleon

All loved up at the PBS Gala

Filming clips for YouTube

Hanging out with Carley from Asap at the Professional Beauty Round Table Filming

A pro shot for our 10 year online celebrations