When Anna Lahey discovered natural marine collagen as the source of Japanese youthful radiance she set about creating her own brand called Vida Glow. She tells Anita Quade about her holistic journey from creating supplements to a new skincare range.
I was inspired to a launch the Vida Glow concept because…
“I discovered marine collagen in Japan. Collagen supplements are readily available there in pharmacies and supermarkets. I noticed collagen drinks available at the gym, and was even asked at a restaurant if I wanted my soup infused with collagen. At the time I really didn’t understand what a collagen supplement was so I decided to speak to a qualified pharmacist who detailed some of the benefits to me. She explained that Japanese women have been using marine collagen for its health benefits for over 300 years. Her skin was glowing, although Japanese women in general seemed to have amazing skin, so I took it with a grain of salt. I was intrigued enough to purchase some of this so called miracle collagen. My lifestyle habits hadn’t changed, and within three weeks, I began seeing results. The very first noticeable difference I personally experienced was a dramatic decrease in my hair loss. Within four weeks I had noticed an improvement in my skin – it had cleared and felt significantly more hydrated and my complexion looked plumped. I was hooked and there really wasn’t anything like it in Australia, so this sparked an idea.”
Natural beauty has always inspired me…
“This is largely thanks to my mum, who is such a glamorous woman. I loved watching her get ready, we would have girly days doing our hair and nails and I loved going through her makeup and products. I’ve always done my friends’ hair and makeup for events, and advised them on which products to buy. I love all things beauty. I think beauty is all about being confident in your own skin. I also have a very “less is more” approach to beauty. I’m not into contouring or heavy makeup. So an inside out approach is key. Our skin is our largest organ, so if you’re healthy on the inside this will portray on the skin.”
I believe marine collagen supplements are key to getting a glow…
“These are very effective! They work very differently to most hair, skin and nail supplements or skincare. Once ingested it passes through the lining of the stomach and is absorbed by the bloodstream. Travelling through blood vessels to the collagen matrix underneath the dermis, the inner layer of the skin. Here it stimulates fibroblast proliferation, the cells that produce collagen. So it does two things; increases collagen levels by the extra collagen being ingested and most importantly stimulates the body’s natural production of collagen.”
I discovered it was hard to get the right ingredient levels needed to be effective…
“Vida Glow’s marine collagen is hydrolysed. The hydrolysation process ensures a low molecular weight, the lower the molecular weight the higher the absorption rate. The molecule weight of our collagen is 4000 Daltons, which is very low, meaning it is extremely bioavailable, with an absorption rate above 90 percent. We are very particular about sourcing, and our ingredients. Quality is our number one priority. Vida Glow’s philosophy is “offering products of exceptional quality that delivers visible results”. The success of Vida Glow has simply been because our products work, and they do so in a short frame of time. Our customers see results in two to three weeks, so our repeat customer rate is high, as is word of mouth.”
There is now such a big movement towards ingestible beauty …
“So it goes to show that there are no quick fixes. Beauty is about health and health begins within. The growing trend of ingestible beauty highlights that consumers are becoming more health conscious and aware of what they’re putting in their bodies. People are reading the nutritional information panels on the back of labels, and taking a greater interest in how they “feel” not just on how they look. I congratulate consumers on that.”
I believe education is key and I enjoy this as part of my role…
“I love the area of education and I love the opportunity to talk to customers, PR, distributors, buyers etc. and educate them on what Vida Glow products are, how they work and how positively they can impact their health.”
We launched a collagen beauty bar also as part of our range…
“This is a healthy, nutritious snack that is filling and good for you. Adding collagen differentiated our bars from others, this is a Beauty Bar!”
Our latest addition is the Marine Collagen Skincare range …
“It’s been a major passion of mine for well over 12 months now from formulation to packaging design. I have overseen every detail.”
All of our Vida Glow products are made in Australia…
“Our beauty powders use local Australian ingredients where possible, and all of them are Australian Certified Organic, vegan, with no added sugars or artificial ingredients, Non GMO, No soy, No Fillers and highly bio-available. One of the largest challenge in sourcing quality ingredients is the cost, we use plant based pre and probiotics, and specific ingredients such as Sea Buckthorn and Digestive Enzymes (to mention two) which are hard to source and expensive to acquire.
Our collagen is hydrolysed in France, as they’re the world leaders in this technology, one that Australia doesn’t have yet.”
My beauty inspiration is…
“My mum is my beauty inspiration. She is effortlessly beautiful, in a natural and sophisticated way. Her nails are always done, her hair always groomed. She dresses elegantly, but never over the top. Her makeup is natural and her skin glows. She’s also my stylist.”
My favourite item in the new skincare collection is…
“The Vitamin C Serum and I cannot live without Marine Collagen.”
The advice I’d offer to budding beauty entrepreneurs is…
“Build a village. Your business’s success depends on a lot of people, like your business partners, and very importantly, your staff. Recognise and acknowledge work well done by staff. These are the people that are imperative to building your business. Treat them well, be approachable, have a relationship with these people outside of telling them what to do or being their boss.
On another note, success takes time. Vida Glow was not built overnight; it has taken a lot of hard work. We believed in what we were offering so that got us through the hard times. The time of “fad” products is over in my opinion.”
Australians are so far advanced in healthy, beauty and wellness when it comes to overseas markets…
“Maybe it’s our weather, but Australia is a strong market for us. We are actively engaged in improving ourselves and for us, in this industry, this Australian trend, it serves us well.”
My beauty mantra is…
“Simplicity is key.”
This year I plan to…
“2019 is going to be bigger than ever for Vida Glow. We will be launching our hair and body ranges along with a number of innovative and first of their kind ingestible beauty products as we strive to be at the forefront of the ingestible beauty category.”