Retail News CRM

Tag: sun

  • Aussie sunscreen brand Ultra Violette debuts in the Middle East

    Aussie sunscreen brand Ultra Violette debuts in the Middle East

    Australian sunscreen brand Ultra Violette is set to expand its global presence with a launch in the Middle East through retail giant Sephora.

    The expansion marks a significant milestone for the brand, reaching 25 countries and more than 250 stores worldwide, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, and now the Middle East.

    Ultra Violette’s debut in the Middle East will see its full range available in 89 brick-and-mortar Sephora stores across five countries, including a brand fixture in the retailer’s highest-volume store, the Dubai Mall.

    Founded by Ava Mathews and Bec Jefferd in 2019, the brand aims to redefine sunscreens with a collection designed for those who dislike using traditional SPF products.

    Its Skinscreens range combines innovative textures, skin-enhancing ingredients, and compatibility with other skincare and makeup products, which, in turn, garnered the brand a “cult following”.

    Earlier this year, the company expanded its presence in Europe and with products available in more than 450 Sephora stores across multiple countries, including France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, Germany, and Switzerland.

    Ultra Violette initially partnered with Sephora ANZ in 2020, and the collaboration has helped grow the brand significantly since.

    “Our ultimate goal is to bring Ultra Violette to as many faces in as many countries as possible worldwide,” said Mathews.

    “The Sephora global team has been incredibly supportive in championing an Australian brand, and we are thrilled to expand within their network in the Middle East, with Sephora being the number one prestige beauty retailer globally.”

    In addition to Sephora, Ultra Violette’s products are available in major beauty and luxury retailers worldwide, including SpaceNK, Harrods, Liberty, Cult Beauty, and David Jones.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Sunbutter Skincare becomes world’s first certified palm oil-free sunscreen

    Sunbutter Skincare becomes world’s first certified palm oil-free sunscreen

    The innovators behind Australia’s first reef safe sunscreen is packaged in reusable and recyclable tins and Australia’s first vegan surf zinc, SunButter Skincare, have announced they will become the first sunscreen company in the world to be certified palm oil free.

    Working closely with International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP) SunButter has removed palm oil from its supply chain ensuring none of the ingredients used in any of its sunscreen or skincare products is derived from palm oil.

    “At SunButter we’re all about protecting people and the planet and if we’re including palm oil as an ingredient then we’re not protecting the planet, we wanted to make sure we live up to our ethos and mantra,” said SunButter Skincare Founders Sacha Guggenheimer and Tom Hiney.

    Typically, consumers won’t see ‘palm oil’ listed as an ingredient on the back of their sunscreen bottle, it’s usually hidden behind the name caprylic/capric triglyceride, cetostearyl alcohol, glycerin and glyceryl caprylate.

    “Sadly, it’s super complicated, because palm oil and palm oil derivatives are disguised under hundreds of different names,” said Hiney.

    To complicate things further, finding transparency when it comes to supply chains is difficult and this might partly explain why no Australian company is currently able to say that their sunscreen is certified as free of palm oil.

    “It’s really about encouraging brands to go palm oil free and support other palm oil free brands, we’ve been fortunate enough to go to Sumatra and see the devastating effects palm oil plantations have on the planet from deforestation and the disruption of soil carbon to the decimation of local animal populations, so talking about this certification is a great exercise in raising awareness about the use of palm oil in the cosmetic industry,” said Guggenheimer

    SunButter encourages consumers to do their research, looking for items with a ‘palm oil free’ logo from the POFCAP, Orangutan Alliance, Go Palm Oil Free or POI Approved, which means they’re certified (rather than just labelled as ‘palm oil free’ by the company, which can be inaccurate and misleading).

    “While the palm oil issue is a big one, there is a string of organisations doing really good work to get us back on the right path, and it’s important that we take personal responsibility and become more conscious in our buying habits as the less demand there is for products containing palm oil, the fewer products “While the palm oil issue is a big one, there is a string of organisations doing really good work to get us back on the right path, and it’s important that we take personal responsibility and become more conscious in our buying habits as the less demand there is for products containing palm oil, the fewer products containing palm oil there’ll be on the market.” said Hiney.

    Lees ook:

  • SunRice’s $4.5 million factory upgrade boosts rice quality

    SunRice’s $4.5 million factory upgrade boosts rice quality

    SunRice has upgraded its classic microwave pouch range, seeking to offer consumers more “fluffier, softer, and tastier” rice than before.

    The improved product is the result of a $4.5 million investment to improve its factory in Leeton to enhance product quality and reduce energy and water consumption.

    According to the company, the upgrade is part of a broader commitment to continuous improvement and offering consumers the highest quality rice possible, especially during the cooler months where rice becomes a staple in Australian households.

    “SunRice continuously reviews opportunities to improve our much-loved products, and the new production technique for our microwave pouches will impart a finer eating experience of softer, fluffier, and tastier rice for all rice lovers than we have ever provided – endorsed through consumer testing and research,” said Andrew Jeffrey, head of marketing, SunRice.

    New packaging designs have been unveiled to reflect the innovation. The brand’s standard microwave cups and SuperGrains microwave cups have been upgraded so that customers can easily identify the variants across the range.

    SunRice’s classic microwave pouch range is available in Brown Rice, Brown & Quinoa, Basmati, Long Grain, and Jasmine at Coles, Woolworths, and independent supermarkets nationwide.

  • Owndays partners with Wagyumafia to launch new eyewear range

    Owndays partners with Wagyumafia to launch new eyewear range

    Eyewear retailer Owndays has launched a new sunglass range branded Chateaubriand in collaboration with restaurant brand Wagyumafia.

    The collaboration model is all about portraying the theme handmade in Japan with simple and basic in mind, the company says.

    The Chateaubriand collection has two types of sunglasses, both with a bold “Chateaubriand” logo on the temple. The normal type features a heavy- duty acetate black frame made from thick fabric and transparent green lens. The sporty type has a light gray frame and a polarised lens.

    Meanwhile, the restaurant has created a special VIP set menu where customers can “enjoy this collaboration of sunglasses and a gorgeous meal” with Wagyumafia and Owndays.

    Wagyumafia is an exclusive restaurant brand set up by Takafumi Horie and Hisato Hamada. Wagyumafia operates eight restaurants around the world with its mission to educate consumers and the restaurant industry on the appropriate application of high-end Japanese Wagyu beef.

    Bookings are strictly limited.

    Lees ook:

  • Sunglass Hut underpaid employees

    Sunglass Hut underpaid employees

    Sunglass Hut underpaid hundreds of its part-time workers by about $2.3 million over more than five years.

    Luxottica Retail Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Sunglass Hut, has avoided prosecution by the Fair Work Ombudsman after entering a court-enforceable undertaking to repay the cash and agreeing to a $50,000 “contrition” payment.

    Between 2010 and 2016, Sunglass Hut failed to reach an agreement with part-time workers as required by the General Retail Industry Award.

    As a result, the company failed to pay $2,294,496 in overtime rates for work performed outside regular hours, to 620 employees at 253 stores across the country.

    Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker said the undertaking was appropriate as the company had committed to overhauling workplace practices and rectifying all underpayments.

    “Sunglass Hut breached workplace laws and their conduct falls short of lawful obligations to their employees, and community expectations,” Ms Parker said.

    Sunglass Hut has already back-paid $1,485,590 to 457 staff, with $815,391 outstanding.

    As a gesture of contrition, Sunglass Hut must also hand over $50,000 to the National Association of Community Legal Centres.

    “This matter highlights that if employers incorrectly apply award conditions, it can have extensive and expensive consequences across the business for years to come,” Ms Parker said in a statement.

    “This outcome should also serve as a warning to all businesses that they need to actively check that they are paying their staff correctly.”

    Sunglass Hut must call in external auditors to check pay and conditions for workers every year until the undertaking ends in 2022.

    Luxottica must also issue a letter of apology to each of the affected workers.

    The company has been contacted for comment.