“We worked incredibly hard to create a range of all-natural skincare products that were just that, as eco-friendly as possible and nothing short of aesthetically pleasing. Each product has been carefully thought out and curated with love.” Shanah, Co-Owner of Peggy Sue (the Aussie eco-friendly skincare label you’re about to fall in love with)
Planning a wedding isn’t, sadly, all swathes of embellished tulle, vintage champagne and cake tasting, it also comes equipped with high levels of stress, especially when you’re juggling multiple opinions, family requests, chasing RSVPs and meeting deadlines (not to mention, showing up for everyday life too). Annoyingly, this in turn may play havoc with your skin which, more often than not, will just add another layer to those already soaring stress levels! The answer? Slowing down. More specifically? Slowing down with Australian eco-friendly skincare brand, Peggy Sue.
For this luxury, eco-friendly skincare brand, the aim of “slowing things down with meaningful moments of self care” is the fuel that fires up their sustainable, self care brand engine. And, with a wealth of products available to assist brides in reaching that all-glowing, aisle-ready skin status, Peggy Sue is the name (and probably, the product too) on multiple Aussie lips right now. Your day caught up with the eco-friendly skincare brand’s co-owners, Shanah and Alysha to chat all things bridal beauty, brand direction and sustainability…
#1 How was Peggy Sue conceived? What prompted you to start the business?
“Well!! The start of the Peggy Sue journey began with me, Shanah, in October 2016, and was incredibly unglamorous. It actually only started out with the idea of making soap for some Christmas presents one year. These soaps were fun and pretty, and were palm oil free, and after posting a photo of the soaps online, a few people commented that they were keen to buy some as gifts too. I had a six month old daughter at the time, whose name is Peggy. Cue the new Instagram account that was created ‘Peggy Sue Soaps’, now @peggysue.co
In the lead up to Christmas I sold about 1000 soaps purely through Instagram, I didn’t even have a website at that stage. I was completely shocked to say the least. There was really no time to have any sort of business plan or goal here, it was purely just a hobby that started exploding into something that could be pretty great. I had grown up with a mum in the skincare industry so I was pretty familiar with the ins and outs of products and skincare routines, however with the rise in environmental awareness, I wanted to create a brand that was as eco-friendly as possible. But on top of that, as most women, I wanted products that were beautiful and aesthetically pleasing as well, instead of brown and generic like a lot of eco-friendly products can be.
Cue Alysha, one of my good friends and now co-owner of Peggy Sue. We worked incredibly hard to create a range of all-natural skincare products that were just that, as eco-friendly as possible and nothing short of aesthetically pleasing. Each product has been carefully thought out and curated with love. Our range is kind on the planet, is perfect for all skin types, including those with sensitive skin, and is designed to not only nourish and care for your skin, but we hope for our products to help us all slow down each day, and enjoy meaningful moments of self-care, where we can recenter our minds and show ourselves some love.”
#2 Talk us through what a typical working day consists of for you…
“As a small business owner a typical working day can change so frequently. I work closely with Alysha to research and develop new products and with our Marketing Manager to design all creative and keep a close eye on our tone of voice. But, you have to be prepared to be able to pivot at any moment and that might mean jumping in and helping pack orders in the warehouse, to organising stock levels, to helping customers find the perfect Peggy Sue goodie. Everyday is different to the next and that is what makes it so interesting and rewarding.”
#3 When starting the development and design journey for a new eco-friendly skincare product, how do you start the creative juices flowing?
“Over the last 12 months we have been surveying our customers to see what they are loving and what they feel is missing in the skincare industry. From this we start researching how we can make that happen and what ingredients we know work best for skin that thrives. We also love thinking outside the box and most of the time to do this Alysha and I will sit down, draw lists and diagrams and create samples in-house and trial and test them on ourselves before starting meetings with our manufacturers based in gorgeous Queensland, Australia.
If we don’t 100% LOVE a product we have sampled than it is back to the drawing board and to see what other creations we can create.”
#4 We love the looks of your beautifully designed Essential Oil Perfumes (and we can see they’re immensely popular!) where did the inspiration for this product stem from? What benefits do they bring to the skin?
“Oh, we are just so in love with our Essentials Oil Perfumes and the gorgeous packaging that they come in!
It has always been a dream for Alysha and I to branch into essential oil perfumes, as we know how important scent can be to relax and restore. We have three gorgeous perfumes to select from: Dawn, Oak and Vine. Each essential oil perfume has been carefully blended with its own unique characters. Whichever blend you choose, they are here to wrap you up in love, calming, grounding or uplifting you, allowing you to set the tone for every day. Simply apply to pulse points, smell and feel instantly soothed.”
#5 We love that Peggy Sue is all about ‘slowing things down with meaningful moments of self care’, why do you think it’s important for us (and brides in particular) to do this?
“We have often wrestled with the idea of ‘Self Care’, as we know that it can sometimes be seen as vanity, or can feel like a sugar coated way of being selfish, especially when you have kids. But for us, this idea was flipped on its head when I went through every parent’s worst nightmare. Alysha journeyed alongside me throughout my second pregnancy in 2019. My husband and I were over the moon when we went along to our 20 week scan and in the first 10 minutes had found out that we were having a little boy. Our first son, and Peggy’s first sibling, what a dream come true! But by the end of our scan our world had been completely tipped upside down. We found out during this scan that his heart hadn’t grown properly, and that he had no hope of survival after birth. Say what now!!? I will never forget walking out that day. I got into the car with Peggy and just burst into tears. Peggy asked ‘what’s wrong mummy?’. I was shaking, I couldn’t even talk. I never knew heartache like this existed. We decided we would still carry him to term, our sweet little boy who we named Tobias, meaning God is good. We met him, and we loved him endlessly, then we said goodbye when he was just 10 days old. The best 10 days of my life. For both myself, and for Alysha who walked closely beside me.
I noticed that one of the few moments where the weight of the world felt a tiny bit lighter, was that 10 minutes I would spend each morning and night doing my skincare ritual.
Self-care for us has had nothing to do with vanity.
After going through a tragedy like this, we have a deep conviction and understanding that a self-care routine can be such a beautiful moment where you stop and recenter yourself. Through all the stresses of life, your skin can often cop it the hardest, which is why forming a regular skincare ritual, using natural skin loving products, is so beneficial to not only your skin, but to your mind and overall well being.
So, we say, take a few extra minutes for yourself each day doing the things that help calm you and slow down to have gratitude for where you are right now. And, for all those gorgeous brides reading this right now, remember that self-care isn’t vanity, it is simply taking time for yourself and you’re ALWAYS worth it!”
#5 For brides looking to get their skin in tip top conditions for the big day – what products would you suggest they integrate into their beauty regime?
“I always encourage our beautiful customers to not feel pressured to do their skincare routine in a certain way, but rather have fun along the way.
In the lead up to your big day I would recommend using a facial exfoliant and face mask two days before and making sure you are following this with a hydrating facial oil and moisturiser.
Our Everything Skincare Bundle is perfect for all your skincare essentials leading up to your very special day. Simply, follow the below steps:
Step 1: Herbal Cleanser
Gently dissolve make-up, grime, and daily pollutants from the skin whilst infusing a powerful blend of herbs and extracts. Can be used morning and night on either wet or dry skin.
Step 2: AM Vitamin Serum
If it’s morning, our Vitamin Serum will come next, feeding your skin a concentrated hit of Vitamins A, B and C, blended with skin-plumping hyaluronic acid and bamboo extract for skin that thrives!
Step 2: PM Blue Tansy Oil
If it’s evening, your 2nd step will be our dreamy Blue Tansy Oil which provides your skin with powerful antioxidant support to help soften, renew and repair your skin as you sleep.
Step 3: Dawn To Dusk Facial Cream
Finish by massaging in our Dawn To Dusk Facial Cream over your face and neck allowing it to wrap you up in love as it hydrates, softens and nourishes your skin.
Twice A Week: At-Home Facial
Twice a week go forth and indulge in a pamper session that will cleanse, exfoliate and detox your skin, pulling out impurities and removing dead skin layers for skin that is soft and glowy.”
#6 We love the sustainable credentials of Peggy Sue. Talk us through these in further detail…
“Guided by our mission, we believe in working towards creating an inclusive, regenerative future, where people are always considered and welcome while we aim to have a positive impact on the environment. We are a small business, but we believe we can make a big difference.
Sustainability to Peggy Sue means acting where we can make the biggest impact today while always looking forward to tomorrow. We’re here to help our customers feel beautiful and loved while keeping people and our planet at the heart of all we do. We, like many other businesses have a long journey ahead, but we believe we can make a positive difference and help redefine clean beauty, together.
On our journey so far we have become partners of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and REDcycle to ensure that our packaging is compliant with industry standards and that all of our customers know where and how to recycle each component of our packaging. We also offer 88% of our range in refillable packaging to ensure we are making a positive step towards reducing every customer’s waste.
We hope in the future we are able to make more decisions that are good for people and the planet.”
#7 If you could name three brands that inspire you, be it for their sustainable credentials or for their aesthetic product design – who would choose?
“Frank & Dollys – an absolutely gorgeous Australian fashion label based in the Byron Hinterland. Each of their garments are so beautifully made and their unique patterns make you stand out from the crowd. MASSIVE love for both Joel and Rachel and the gorgeous business they have created!
We Are Mindful Store – this store is a curation of wellness and lifestyle gifts, homewares, accessories and clothing for the conscious consumer. They have a focus on natural based ingredients and natural fibres and, where possible, sustainable, fair trade and ethically produced products. We LOVE the location and its gorgeous vibe!
Lunch Lady Mag – I ADORE the aesthetic of this indie mag! It also has some wonderfully creative tips and tricks for children and some delicious recipes.”
#8 If you could choose a celebrity or specific person to be the face of Peggy Sue, who would it be and why?
“Ah, this is a hard one!
We genuinely enjoy using ‘real’ people across our campaigns and love that our content is easily relatable.
Perhaps we won’t tap into celebrity status just yet. ;)”
#9 For great looking skin the day of the wedding – do you have any top tips for brides for the night before/morning routine?
“Drink lots of water. Take a quick pamper-sesh with our At-Home Facial. Keep calm and have a good time.”
The Quickfire Round:
#1 Coffee or tea? “I need coffee to function, but I love a cup of tea, can I please say both?”
#2 Favourite way to relax? “Glass of wine.”
#3 Vibrant colour palette or pale neutrals? “Pale neutrals”
#4 Favourite book? “The Bible”
#5 Perfect getaway? “Camping trip in the middle of nowhere.”
#6 An industry name you’d like to work with? “Nourished Life.”
#7 Celebratory beverage of choice? “Aviation Gin.”
#8 The best thing about Instagram is… “Connecting with other people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet.”
#9 A brand you can’t live without… “The Lullaby Club.”
#10 Top film recommendation? “The Sound of Music.”
Falling hard for Peggie Sue? We hear you! Check out their eco-friendly skincare offering and beauty hero on their beautiful website!
Explore more bridal beauty tips with your day.
