A new player has entered the Australian beauty scene with the launch of Deia Cosmetics, founded by Melissa Haddad, a former Mecca staffer and now full-time commercial litigation lawyer.
After five years in development, Deia has unveiled two hero products: the Standstill Oil-Balancing Skincare Mist, a setting spray designed to regulate oil production and prevent makeup melt, and the LipCush Maximum Moisture Lip Plumping Oil, a moisturising treatment that enhances lip fullness. Both formulas are alcohol-free, feature Australian botanical ingredients, and are designed to boost skin health while delivering performance-level results.
“Our products literally took years and years to formulate,” said Haddad. “LipCush went through 21 different iterations before we landed on the final formula. StandStill was even worse—we binned the formula three times. It was expensive and excruciating, made even harder by the fact that there’s no one else in the beauty industry doing what we are doing—creating modern, purposeful and clean beauty formulations that celebrate the skincare benefits of Australian botanicals.”
Deia—derived from the Latin word for “goddess”—was created with a mission to unleash confidence through skin-enhancing, clean cosmetics. “We believe that beauty is more than skin deep,” Haddad said. “So, whatever your reason for swiping, spraying or blending, we make clean, results-driven beauty powered by skin-transforming Aussie botanicals to help you tap into your higher self: a more powerful, confident and glowier version of you.”
A former rhythmic gymnast who represented Australia in global competitions, Haddad is no stranger to discipline. She balanced the creation of Deia while working full-time in the commercial litigation team at a national top-tier law firm. “If you asked me how I manage the competing demands of Deia and law, I’d just say I try not to overthink things and just get on with it. Action is better than no action!”
The brand’s inspiration came while Haddad was living in Perth and travelling through Broome. “The raw, unfiltered beauty of the Australian outback made me realise there was an opportunity to celebrate that richness through skincare.”
Haddad, 30, previously worked for nearly a year on the shop floor at Mecca Myer Sydney—then the retailer’s busiest store. “I was often in the makeup section, which I loved. Mecca had an amazing training program and introduced us to global brand founders and deep product education. That experience really shaped my understanding of product and consumer expectations.”
Deia is focused on changing the narrative around makeup and skin. “We believe that makeup shouldn’t give you bad skin—that’s why Deia is the first kid on the beauty block to give Aussie natives the kudos they deserve,” Haddad said. “Our commitment to formulating clean products with a skin-loving focus on Australian botanicals is what sets us apart from the rest of the crowd.”
Entirely self-funded and available exclusively via deiacosmetics.com, Deia is made and formulated in Australia, with a clear mission to combine performance, purpose and homegrown botanicals in every product.
Read the AUTUMN ’25 issue of Retail Beauty below:
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