With more and more celebrities lending their names to skincare ranges and a raft of new brands hitting the shelves, consumers are looking for effective, science-backed skincare more than ever. No one knows this better than Sonia Amoroso, the founder of freezeframe, Australia’s number one clinical skincare brand. “freezeframe is all about helping women to solve their beauty problems and we are the leading skin innovator in Australia,” she says.

Amoroso has been one of the beauty industry’s most dynamic entrepreneurs for over 20 years and is responsible for developing some of the best-selling products on the market. While studying at the University of Technology in Sydney, she took a deep dive into skincare research as part of a research project. “My first startup began whilst I was at Uni and brought to market two of Australia’s most iconic health and beauty brands – Naturopathica with its hero Fatblaster – which reached number one weight loss supplement status within a year, and Skin Doctors Cosmeceuticals,” she says.

Following the sale of the two brands in 2006, Amoroso founded Self Care Corporation. After identifying a gap in the market for clinical-grade skincare, she launched freezeframe in 2009 with a single SKU – INHIBOX – the breakthrough instant freeze and lift product which became a global sensation. “The freezeframe brand became the number one selling brand in its category in 2016. Another hero product REVITALEYES also became the number one eye cream in Australia for four years in a row, which is an incredible feat for an Australian brand,” notes Amoroso.

High Growth Rate/ Omnichannel Approach

I have loved every brand I have launched but freezeframe is a true powerhouse, she adds. “We initially started with Myer and then moved strongly into pharmacy. The brand has debuted numerous category-leading products and won multiple awards. The innovative range targets an array of beauty problems across the eyes, face, body, lips and eyelashes providing alternatives to professional services which are clinically proven and can be used by women in the comfort of their own homes.

“freezeframe is still growing strongly in Australia and we have achieved growth rates of 60 per cent YOY in some of our channels and significant gains of 15 per cent in our lowest channel.” People also love transforming body products such as freezeframe’s non-surgical BREAST ENHANCER and TUMMY TUCK, which became number one and number two in body products at Priceline.”

freezeframe has long had a global focus. “The brand has been very popular in China and enjoyed enormous success when the daigou market was at its peak, and we still work with the larger daigous,” says Amoroso. “We have a strong consumer base in China and are in the process of appointing a new distributor. We also launched into the UK with our e-commerce store in late May.

Retail has changed so much since I started and although pharmacy is one of the best channels for freezeframe, we are looking at an omnichannel approach. I love what the specialist beauty chains like Ulta in the US, Sephora and Mecca are doing, both in-store and online. More and more, the key to ongoing success is to establish solid relationships with select retailers, who back the brand and offer new environments to attract new customers and serve existing ones.”

A Clean Beauty Brand with Skin-Changing Results/ Personalised Routine for Sensitive Skin

The global clean beauty market is booming. According to ResearchandMarkets, the world’s largest market research store, global sales hit US$7.22 billion in 2022 and are expected to reach US$14.36 billion by 2028.

As one of Australia’s foremost skin innovators, Amoroso keenly tracks trends but also adds a point-of-difference. Her latest brand to launch is KEEP IT SIMPLE SKIN – a clean beauty brand with a conscience.

“KEEP IT SIMPLE SKIN is a true passion project as it was built on my personal skin and health struggles,” says Amoroso. “Armed with the knowledge of over 20 years researching and developing clinically effective skincare, and knowing which ingredients deliver results, I went to work to formulate products which I could use without fear of triggering a reaction as I suffer from debilitating chemical sensitivities. I was used to checking the safety of every ingredient I put on my skin, so I put this knowledge to work and painstakingly formulated a range that would be safe for even the most sensitive among us. My vision was to develop a range that was safe for people and the planet, but never compromises on delivering skin changing results.

“Formulated for sensitive skin but made for everyone, KEEP IT SIMPLE SKIN delivers a curated selection of products that allows consumers to simplify their skincare routine without sacrificing results. Only essential ingredients made the cut, so that customers can reduce the overload of chemicals from multi-step routines. The range also allows people to personalise their skincare routine by adding a few drops of a serum targeting their individual needs, to a moisturiser or eye cream.”

KEEP IT SIMPLE SKIN targets younger consumers and has only six SKUs – SECRET AGENT probiotic moisture defence, WHIPPED CREAM powder to cream 2 in 1 cleanser & exfoliator, SHUT EYE anti-dark circle eye defence balm, IT’S ONLY FAIR get even anti-pigment brightening serum, THE WRINKLE IRON deep wrinkle repair serum and QUINOA FACE LIFT instant face lifting and firming serum.

The brand allows you to mix-and-match your skincare essentials with a treatment serum based on your own personal needs. It incorporates multiple proven, yet gentle ingredients like peptides and probiotics into a skincare routine to achieve amazing results, says Amoroso. “As a new brand, It has been a slower burn but has done very well online. We are looking for new retail partners to help us build KEEP IT SIMPLE SKIN into a strong brand in the clean beauty category which has so much potential.”

That same vision also drives Amoroso’s oral care brand alfree, a flavour-free toothpaste which allows people with chemical sensitivities and allergies to clean their teeth without exposing themselves to harmful chemicals. Apart from the original, alfree also has a natural pear and a whitening toothpaste made with bamboo charcoal, as opposed to coconut as people with sensitivities tend to react to coconut’s high acid content. The range has done very well in pharmacy, adds Amoroso.

Exciting New Launches/ Multiple Awards

There’s plenty in the freezeframe pipeline as well. “We recently boosted our BB BLUR blurring skin tint with probiotics,” she adds. “It’s a four-in-one product that acts as a tinted moisturiser, air brush perfector, anti-aging serum, and now feeds the skin’s microbiome to repair barrier function. Vitamin C rich kakadu plum helps to prevent signs of ageing and brightening beads offer an instant glow.”

freezeframe also has a very exciting product launching in September. “The new product uses advanced technology for hydrating and wrinkle-smoothing,” she says. “The effects are instant but last for two days and it’s very different from anything else on the market. It’s also a first for an Australian brand.”

Amoroso’s guiding philosophy is – be bold and fearless – and she has lived it to the hilt. During her career she has been recognised by numerous industry awards including the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Business Woman of the Year Award and Sydney Graduate School of Management MBA Scholarship. Her ground-breaking products have also won multiple awards, both in Australia and internationally and she has appeared on numerous television shows over the past 20 years.

Health and beauty remain Amoroso’s central passions, but she has also found the time to run a fashion label, debut a range of designer shoes and even produced a movie. In 2020, she was the executive producer of the inspirational film, Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts and there is a second film in the works. “I love being creative, whether it’s transformational skincare, fashion or films,” she adds. “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to run your own race but the rewards are truly amazing.”

This article was first published in the Winter issue of Retail Beauty:

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