PART 3 — Inside the Brands: What Founders and Distributors Want the Industry to Know

If Part One cracked open the conversatio, and Part Two reflected the industry’s feelings…

Part Three is where we finally hear from the people who sit at the centre of this shift — the formulators, founders and brand leaders themselves.

Because if we’re going to evolve as an industry, it can’t just be clinics talking to clinics, or therapists venting to therapists. We need clarity from the people who:

• develop the formulations

• protect intellectual property

• manage global distribution

• monitor diversion

• navigate Australian Consumer Law

• invest in education and R&D

• and carry the commercial responsibility of keeping a brand alive

  
  

Brands aren’t just responders to this conversation. They are stakeholders, decision-makers, innovators, and real humans balancing passion with pressure.

The questions we posed to them were shaped directly from your feedback — from your fears, your frustrations, and your hopes. And the responses they provided reveal something deeper than simple “B2B vs D2C” positioning.

They reveal a landscape where:

• consumer behaviour has changed,

• digital reach matters,

• pricing laws restrict control,

• therapists need more support,

• loyalty isn’t what it used to be,

• and B2B-only models are becoming harder to sustain — even for founders who desperately want to keep them.

Here is what the brands had to say.

INSIGHT 1 — The Emotional Reality of Holding the B2B Line

Iola Ciavarra, Reveal

“I’m not surprised by this feedback… and really, it’s not a lot to ask. As one of the few wholesalers still committed to a professional-only model, it’s getting harder to hold that line.

I redirect every consumer enquiry back to stockists, but too often the client returns saying the clinic had no stock, recommended something else, or never replied. After all the work that goes into generating that demand, losing them at the final step is heartbreaking.

I built Reveal to support aesthetic small business — it’s my happy place. But I can see why so many brands have pivoted. I’m feeling that pressure too.”

Translation: B2B-only isn’t always commercially sustainable — not because brands don’t care, but because the chain breaks on both ends.

INSIGHT 2 — Digital Reach Isn’t Competition. It’s Protection.

Maria Enna-Cocciolone, Founder — INSKIN Cosmedics

“In 2025, it’s not rocket science that visibility and demand must come from the digital world.

Fifteen years ago I built O COSMEDICS one clinic at a time, face to face.The world has changed — thankfully.

Digital reach allows a brand to reach billions of skins that will never visit a clinic. Here lies the professional opportunity: you can’t lead someone into a clinic if they don’t know the brand exists.

But we must overcome the sticking point: an even playing field — and yes, I’m talking about price.

INSKIN never competes with our clinic partners. But once price becomes the battleground, the model becomes a race to the bottom, where the skin expert does the work and the lowest price wins.”

Translation: Pricing integrity is the real battleground — and legally, brands can’t control it the way the industry assumes they can.

INSIGHT 3 — Omni-Channel Wasn’t Betrayal. It Was Sustainability.

Suzanne Smedley, Founder — Bare Roots

“Bare Roots launched with both B2B and B2C, though B2B grew faster at first. Over time, it naturally balanced out to around 50/50.

Before Bare Roots, I stocked brands that didn’t allow online sales. It caused unnecessary inconvenience for both clients and me as a clinic owner.

The reality is: people buy from whoever is easiest to buy from.

There was even a time I considered going D2C-only. The pro landscape has shifted — expectations can be high while returns don’t always reflect the investment required.

Strengthening omni-channel wasn’t about abandoning professionals… it spread risk and supported long-term growth.

Loyalty and long-term partnerships are less common now.Instead of pivoting away from B2B, it pushed me deeper into our values: simplicity, authenticity and quality.”

Translation:The professional channel has changed too — not just the brands.

INSIGHT 4 — “If we don’t occupy online, diversion and discounting will.”

Vivien Gardiner, Managing Director — JMSR Australia

“Sellers must occupy the online space. Most purchases happen outside office hours via phone. If brands leave that space empty, diverted product and savvy online retailers will fill it.

We aren’t competing with clinics — we are branding for them.

Australian Consumer Law prevents fixed retail pricing. Private equity–backed e-comm can discount aggressively. The only protective measure is: don’t supply those platforms.

We fight diversion constantly — legal teams, buybacks, surveillance. Clinics don’t always see how much work goes into protecting their market.

We don’t discount beyond seasonal promos, and clinics always get advance notice and marketing support.

Clinics should embrace omni-channel too — many do extraordinarily well.The barrier is often burnout or fear, not ability.”

Translation: Online presence is protection (not competition) and the legal system shapes far more than the industry realises.

INSIGHT 5 — “Professional-only still matters — but requires structure, separation and systems.”

Brittany Vescio, General Manager — Derma Aesthetics (Dermaviduals & SIMKA)

“At derma aesthetics, a professional brand is defined by integrity, advanced education, science-led formulations and individualised care.

dermaviduals will remain strictly professional-only. SIMKA, our predominantly SPF-focused line, serves a different purpose — a consumer-facing range that allows us to fund rigorous testing and product development that ultimately supports our clinics.

SIMKA does not compete with clinics. It reaches consumers outside their natural sphere, building brand awareness that drives traffic back into professional settings.

To prevent channel conflict, we’ve clearly separated roles:

• dermaviduals = professional-only

• SIMKA = consumer range supporting a niche category clinics rely on

We honour our clinics by maintaining exclusivity for professional products, offering advanced education, celebrating our partners, and upholding the standards that defined us from the beginning.”

Translation: Dual-brand strategies can support (not dilute) the professional space when structured ethically.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

We’ve now heard from the therapists. We’ve heard from the clinic owners. And today, we’ve heard from the brand leaders — the people juggling commercial reality, regulatory constraints, digital visibility, stockist loyalty, and the evolving definition of “professional.”

Next Monday, we take this conversation one level deeper.

Because if brands are going to move into D2C, omni-channel (or hybrid distribution models) they also need to understand:

• how product claims will need to evolve

• how ingredient positioning changes when the consumer is the primary reader

• what can (and can’t) be said legally in a digital space

• how professional-only SKUs should be structured

• how to build a product mix that supports both D2C and clinical recommendations

• how to maintain integrity and avoid overstepping into “prescriptive” language

• what formulators really think about “professional strength,” “clinical grade,” and the marketing language that simply won’t hold in D2C

  
  

Part 4 will be written entirely from the perspective of a formulator. Someone who understands regulatory language, cosmetic chemistry, TGA boundaries, claim substantiation, and what needs to change before a brand takes the leap into D2C.

This will be the most technical (and the most clarifying) part of the whole series.

See you next Monday for the piece the brands have been waiting for.