‘Skinscreen', anyone? Ultra Violette is revolutionising SPF protection with innovative and upmarket products that feel light on your face … but still have you covered
skincare routines . Ava Chandler-Matthews, who launched Australian beauty brand Ultra Violette with her business partner Bec Jefferd back in 2019, is on a mission to change that.
Their bestselling 'skinscreen' products – which purport to be a moisturiser, make-up primer and SPF product all in one – have proven to be a hit worldwide, making waves all the way from the sunny shores of their home country to the United States, where the brand recently launched in partnership with beauty retailer Sephora.
Chandler-Matthews tells Style more about this exciting next step into Ultra Violette's bright future and why no one does SPF products quite like the Australians.
Advertisement
What's so significant about expanding to the US market and what are your goals for this expansion? How does it feel to accomplish this milestone with Sephora?
Bec Jefferd (left) and Ava Chandler-Matthews want to take the 'grudge step' out of applying sunscreen by putting the focus on prestige skincare and quality products. Photo: Handout
It means a lot! We launched the brand to take the highest common denominator approach to formulating SPF. It's very complex because every region has different regulatory environments. We made a lot of assumptions when we were thinking about the US – obviously, it's the world's biggest beauty market. If you want to be considered a truly global brand in this space, you have to be in the US. You can't avoid it.
At one point a couple of years ago, we were in the process of raising money and potential investors kept asking about our plans. We thought maybe we should just test what the US formulation can look like, because we didn't want to dumb down our range for the sake of a market that hasn't had any SPF innovation approved in over 25 years.
In that process, we found out that the FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] was going to approve the first new UV filter in over 25 years in early 2026. So we've got a year to start building the brand – it's obviously not an overnight thing – and then we can come in with formulations that are consistent with the rest of the world, or better textures because of that new filter.
You can't go into a market like the US without a lot of preparation. We are far away and just because we've got successful international markets, it doesn't necessarily mean that's going to translate. You don't get that many chances to do the US so you have to get it right.
Despite the fact that we were familiar with working with Sephora in other parts of the world, it in no way mirrored what it was like to work with the US team. They're really hands-on, really committed. We had to do a bit of boot camp because everything is different, from the online pages [to] the testing that's required in terms of the clinical claims that the consumer likes to see.
The US is also a massive market with different consumer needs and climates, for that matter. How did that play a role in your plans for the US?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
19 hours ago
- HKFP
Australia probes Nauru-China business deal
Australia was Tuesday investigating whether Pacific microstate Nauru breached a security treaty by inking a lucrative business deal with a Chinese company. Nauru last week announced it had signed a US$650 million economic development agreement with the China Rural Revitilisation and Development Corporation. Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said officials were looking into whether that deal complied with a recent security pact between Canberra and Nauru. '(Australia) is engaging with the government of Nauru about whether it activates parts of our treaty,' Conroy told reporters. 'That is a really important treaty for us — that helps position us as a security partner of choice with Nauru.' Australia and Nauru announced a landmark security treaty in December last year, advancing Canberra's aim of blunting China's growing regional influence. Under the deal, Nauru must seek Australia's agreement before it signs any bilateral accords on maritime security, defence and policing. Nauru also agreed to consult Australia if other parties look to strike agreements granting them access to critical infrastructure such as ports and airfields or its banking sector. In return, Nauru receives tens of millions of dollars to prop up its government budget and bolster its stretched police force. Nauru last year surprised many Pacific watchers when it abruptly severed diplomatic links with Taiwan in favour of Beijing. Nauru's Foreign Affairs Minister Lionel Aingimea travelled to Beijing to sign the business deal last week. The China Rural Revitilisation and Development Corporation agreed to invest in key sectors such as agriculture and fisheries, according to a Nauru government release. Nauru, population 12,500, is one of the world's smallest countries with a mainland measuring just 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles). It is considered especially vulnerable to climate change.
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
Qantas fined A$90m for illegal Covid-crisis layoffs
Qantas fined A$90m for illegal Covid-crisis layoffs Qantas' fine is to be paid in two parts, with A$50 million going to the union and A$40 million for payments to the former workers. File photo: Reuters An Australian court fined Qantas A$90 million on Monday for illegally laying off 1,800 ground staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, ending a five-year legal battle over the workers' rights. Federal court justice Michael Lee said he wanted the penalty to be a "real deterrence" to firms that might be tempted by the financial rewards of breaching employment law. Qantas decided to sack the workers and outsource their jobs in August 2020, a period of lockdowns and border closures when no Covid-19 vaccine existed. Australia's federal court subsequently found that Qantas had acted illegally despite its stated "commercial imperatives" and later dismissed an appeal by the airline. It said the carrier had prevented staff from accessing their rights to collectively bargain or take industrial action. Long-dubbed the "Spirit of Australia", 104-year-old Qantas has been on a mission to repair its reputation, which was hit in recent years by the illegal sackings, soaring ticket prices, claims of sloppy service, and the selling of seats on already-cancelled flights. Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson took over in 2023, promising to improve customer satisfaction. She replaced Alan Joyce, who stepped down earlier than planned as Qantas endured heavy criticism over its treatment of workers and passengers, despite delivering bumper profits for shareholders. Qantas' fine is to be paid in two parts, the court said, with A$50 million going to the Transport Workers Union and A$40 million being held for future payments to the former workers. The penalty is in addition to a compensation payment of A$120 million for affected former employees that Qantas agreed to last year. "It has been five long years. Today is a victory, not just for our colleagues but for all Australian workers," said Anne Guirguis, who worked at Qantas for 27 years cleaning aircraft before being laid off. "We can close this chapter and move on now." Transport Workers' Union National Secretary Michael Kaine described Monday's decision as a "final win" for the Qantas workers. "Qantas was not sorry to workers when it illegally outsourced these workers, many finding out they'd lost their jobs over a loudspeaker in the lunch room," Kaine said. "Qantas is only sorry now that it has to pay the largest penalty fine of any employer in Australian corporate history." (AFP)
RTHK
11-08-2025
- RTHK
Trump extends China tariffs truce for 90 days: reports
Trump extends China tariffs truce for 90 days: reports Multiple reports from the US say Donald Trump has signed an executive order pushing back higher tariff rates for another 90 days. File photo: Reuters US President Donald Trump has reportedly signed an order delaying the reimposition of higher tariffs on Chinese goods, hours before a trade truce between Washington and Beijing was due to expire. The halt on steeper tariffs will be in place for another 90 days, the Wall Street Journal and CNBC reported, citing Trump administration officials. The White House did not respond to queries on the matter. While the United States and China slapped escalating tariffs on each other's products this year, reaching prohibitive triple-digit levels and snarling trade, both countries in May agreed to temporarily lower them. But their 90-day halt of steeper levies was due to expire on Tuesday. Asked about the deadline earlier, Trump said: "We'll see what happens. They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi (Jinping) and myself." Trump also touted the tariff revenue his country has collected since his return to the White House, saying "we've been dealing very nicely with China." "We hope that the US will work with China to follow the important consensus reached during the phone call between the two heads of state," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in a statement. He added that Beijing also hopes Washington will "strive for positive outcomes on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit." The full text of Trump's latest order has yet to be released. The 90-day extension means the truce is set to expire in early November, according to the Wall Street Journal. Even as both countries reached a pact to cool tensions after high level talks in Geneva in May, the de-escalation has been shaky. In June, key economic officials convened in London as disagreements emerged and US officials accused their counterparts of violating the pact. Policymakers met again in Stockholm last month. For now, the extension of a truce means that US tariffs on Chinese goods this year stand at 30 percent. Under their de-escalation, Beijing's corresponding levy on US products stood at 10 percent. Kelly Ann Shaw, a senior White House trade official during Trump's first term and now with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, said she had expected Trump to extend the tariffs truce. "It wouldn't be a Trump-style negotiation if it didn't go right down to the wire," she said. "The whole reason for the 90-day pause in the first place was to lay the groundwork for broader negotiations and there's been a lot of noise about everything from soybeans to export controls to excess capacity over the weekend," she said. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Washington has the makings of a deal with China and he was "optimistic" about the path forward. Trump had pushed for additional concessions on Sunday, urging China to quadruple its soybean purchases, although analysts questioned the feasibility of any such deal. (Agencies)
