One of the things I love most is discovering amazing success stories from people who made their business dreams a reality – like Kelly Ferguson, founder of cosmetics brand Kooki U.
Kooki U is a new Australian made cosmetics and body products range created for the kids to tweens market that’s making play and experimentation fun and affordable.
Suitable for young skin, the mineral-based make up collection is providing a range of bright and funky products that kids will love – and so will parents.
From mascara, to lip gloss, liners and pit sticks, as well as body shimmers, pop-colour nail polishes, and aromatherapy products, Kooki U has a product for every child to have fun!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kelly to talk all things makeup, business and filling a gap in the market.
How did the idea of Kooki U come about?
The idea came about from my daughters love and use of makeup via performance in the dance area.
The girls have been performing in concerts from the age of three so now being 10 & 11 years old, they are in love with makeup, YouTube and makeovers!
How did you come up with the name?
I wanted the name to be different, short, easy to remember and also potentially be acceptable in the Asian markets.
We also wanted the brand positioning to be a little left of centre and reflect that users of Kooki U could embrace difference whilst playing with makeup.
It was ok for them to be a little different, a little Kooki, have fun and be themselves! Kids are a lot more expressive and free.
What sets Kooki U apart from other brands?
Our brand is created with kids and teens in mind. Our makeup is Mineral based makeup, it’s a quality product and our philosophy is that if it goes on your body or face, it should be Made in Australia.
We have colour palettes that suit young kids if they want to play and wear makeup, and gentle cream-based products that won’t smash if they are dropped.
We also cater to the performers with a range of stronger, more highly pigmented makeup for the stage.
Our accessories are all about fun, and our bath bombs were included in the range totally with kids in mind.
We wanted Aussie mums to be comfortable with an Australian based and family-owned brand.
As a mum I would imagine you are very selective of the ingredients that go into the products? Tell me a bit about how you ensure the products are a safe option for children…
Makeup and cosmetics made in Australia go through strict guidelines on how they are made and what can be included in them. By choosing only Mineral Makeup we are not adding a lot of fillers to the makeup that is often included in non-mineral based makeup.
Mineral make up is based on natural products including Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Juice, Vitamin E, Beeswax, Oils (Almond, Avocado, Rosehip, Pumpkin, Apricot Kernel), Green Tea and Kakadu Plum Extract.
What are your 3 favourite products?
Highlighter Mineral Dust in Gold
Rose Petal Mineral Lipstick
Golden Apricot Cream Blush
What are your hopes for the future?
My initial hope is that everyone involved in the performance community nationally knows about Kooki U and has heard of us in the not too distant future.
We want Kooki U and Performance to go hand in hand!
We also want all the young girls who like to play with makeup, to know about and use Kooki U instead of using and ruining mum’s expensive makeup!
