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It was the year 1993 when a stay-at-home mum of three began dabbling in homemade face masks. Having always enjoyed making her own skincare concoctions using natural ingredients like avocado, brewer’s yeast, yoghurt and herbs, founder Marie Kapetanakis stumbled across a recipe featuring rosehip… and that’s when things set in motion.
While visiting her local rose garden to source rosehip, Kapetanakis was given an article about rosehip’s nourishing and healing qualities. After witnessing the ingredient’s impressive results on herself, Kapetanakis was hooked.
“I was impressed with the results that rosehip had on my skin. I couldn't think of any other product that was completely natural and affordable, and could be used for a baby's nappy rash, a teenager's pimples, sun-damaged skin of any age, or a grandmother's dry, sensitive skin. Surely other people would share my enthusiasm when they tried it and saw the results for themselves,” says Kapetanakis.
Her interest sparked, Kapetanakis was determined to be the first to bring rosehip oil to the Australian market. “I was driven by my vision to create the leading natural skincare company in the world. I would do this by changing the way people thought about skincare. Instead of using chemicals as a band-aid solution to skin problems, I wanted people to start questioning the ingredients in their skincare products and to start caring for their skin by bringing it back into balance,” she explains.
This “entrepreneur seizure” put Kapetanakis on a mission to source the oil. After finding a supplier in Chile, she sold the family car in order to be able to afford one drum of rosehip oil and 4000 bottles to fill with the oil. She then put her family to work - with all members assigned a task. “My family and I sat around the kitchen table for many long days and nights, filling the bottles with oil and labelling them,” says Kapetanakis. But that was the easy part. The next step was getting the rosehip into stockists’ hands.
Purchasing an old beat-up car to replace the one she had to sell, Kapetanakis packed up her 4000 bottles of rosehip oil and began personally driving around to every health food store in South Australia. “I knew that once people had the chance to try the oil for themselves, they would be hooked, so I gave each store owner a bottle to try. Everyone who tried the oil was convinced and I was able to sell a tray of bottles into each store I visited. Within six months, I had sold all 4000 bottles,” reveals Kapetanakis.
With this first milestone under her belt, Kapetanakis was keen to capitalise on the initial success and grow her business. “Through sheer determination, I was able to secure a bank loan to buy more drums of rosehip oil to develop new skincare products in the range. I never stopped believing in my vision or in myself. Giving up wasn't an option.”
Within a few years, had begun to expand across the globe - exporting to Hong Kong, the UK, Canada and New Zealand.
And it hasn’t stopped gaining momentum. While rosehip oil is now a highly sought-after ingredient, Kosmea continues to stand out from its competitors thanks to its sourcing and extraction processes. Fourteen years ago, Kosmea found a supplier in the Malulti Mountains of Lesotho, Africa, which hand picked the rosehip buds rather than providing just the seed.
“We buy the whole rosehips from communities in Africa, we dry them, and then we use the whole fruit,” explains Kapetanakis. Because Kosmea source their own rosehip fruit (as opposed to just the oil), they are able to extract the oil from the skin of the fruit, which has different benefits to the rosehip seed. Using the rosehip skin delivers up to eight times more vitamin A than the seed alone.
Kosmea’s supercritical extraction process also benefits the rosehip oil itself. The brand extracts the rosehip oil without heat or solvents, retaining all its anti-ageing vitamins, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants that the skin soaks up.
Though it is renowned for its rosehip oil, has grown and expanded to the point where it now delivers a whole skincare line that includes over 15 products. Free from harmful chemicals, colourants, fragrances, mineral oils, and animal products, Kosmea is a natural powerhouse that is only set to reach new heights.
“I am dedicated to changing the way people treat their skin. Kosmea was one of the first skincare companies to challenge conventional skincare manufacturing by avoiding the use of harmful synthetic ingredients, and I will never compromise on that principle,” reveals Kapetanakis.