If you head to South East Asia, the USA or the UK, Pure Paw Paw is a household – and handbag – name.
Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and even Russia are huge fans, the latter of which has a dedicated, loyal Instagram following of almost 70,000.
Closer to home, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are all aboard the paw paw train too.
But what about actually at home? In our own backyards, and back pockets, in the very country where Pure Paw Paw is from? Well that is where the best is yet to come.
Pure Paw Paw was born in 2013, the creation of respected Australian skincare company, Core Metrics (of The Goat Skincare and The Bronzer fame).
Devised with the intention to reimagine the cult papaya ointment category, their version was specifically designed with a new breed of paw paw users in mind: one who had never known of its benefits before.
Tapping into the heart of the much-desired Millenial and Gen Z market, Pure Paw Paw took all soothing benefits of papaya ointment and gave it a modern makeover.
Unique to the market at the time, Pure Paw Paw was created in four flavours, including watermelon, grape, passionfruit, and the runaway favourite, strawberry.
With bright, bold packaging and contrasting caps, each flavour was also given a fun, quirky persona, reminiscent of K-beauty products – except before the world was obsessed with K-beauty.
To further capture the zeitgeist of this caring, woke generation, the packaging is also 100% recyclable, and of course is not tested on animals.
It’s easy to see why the international success was meteoric, especially with the global appreciation of Australian products.
The all- natural, all-Aussie formulation uses 100% pure papaya sourced from far north Queensland, and is fermented locally in Melbourne.
It also uses the natural humectant, beeswax (instead of the pharmaceutical wax favoured by other brands) which helps retain moisture in the skin and aids in its soothing qualities.
Since launch it’s seen rapid expansion with distribution in 15 countries worldwide. This epic distribution all happened within a mere three years. It’s clear that the world has got the Pure Paw Paw memo.
Yet, like the tale of many great Aussie success stories, you first need to conquer the overseas market before Australia will take notice.
And this is the year to take notice. With a focus on bringing the brand back home and expanding that following into our own backyards, Core Metrics has big plans for the tubes in 2020.
This includes three new flavours, a lip scrub SKU, and the recent launch of 15g lip applicator tubes.
Traditionally Paw Paw ointments have only been available in tubes or pots, cementing its appeal as a multi-use product. But, the introduction of lip applicators guides consumers to redefine their idea of the product, and introduces a new generation to the product via the common gateway into beauty: a lip balm.
And with a predominantly female 16-25 year old demographic we can already sense success.