DAM: Hi Kris, thanks for being our guest today – please introduce yourself.
Kris: Thanks! Hi, my name is Kris, I am a construction worker by day and a skin care entrepreneur at night. I’m the founder of Skin Territory, a probiotic skin care brand. I’m also a born and bred the NT [Northern Territory] and I’m currently based between Darwin and Melbourne for work.
DAM: That’s awesome, I think you’re out first guest from the NT! What was your upbringing like there?
KR: Where I’m from, I grew up in a very multicultural community, my parents migrated here from the Philippines. There was a presence of different cultures in the playground and in the community so it’s what I’ve known growing up. I have a best friend who is half Malaysian and half Indigenous Australian.
DAM: That’s really cool!
Kris: Yeah! Australia is such a multicultural place and I think we should celebrate this as multiculturalism is an important hub that breeds innovation. But I’m really grateful for my upbringing, I don’t think I’d want to grow up anywhere else.
DAM: That’s really powerful. You said you worked in construction? What do you do?
Kris: I’m a safety advisor so I am an onsite ensuring compliance but I’ve also worked in rail projects, major infrastructure projects and the mines. My career in construction has been an exciting one, that’s where part of my passion for representation and diversity really came about. Many times I’ve been the only female, brown female for that matter, in an office room of construction managers and superintendents.
DAM: Which leads us to Skin Territory. Can you tell us a bit about your brand and why you started it?
Kris: Absolutely, Skin territory is a probiotic skin care brand. A probiotic skincare brand with a twist on ingredients that are from the Australian Outback. My mission was to create a safe space for skincare lovers alike and represent the underrepresented, whilst also championing transparency.
“My mission was to create a safe space for skincare lovers alike and represent the underrepresented, whilst also championing transparency.”
Personally, I don’t believe in the pink tax idea which is just the tendency for products marketed specifically toward women to be more expensive than those towards men. I wanted representation to be prominent as part of the brand which is a part of the reason why I started Skin Territory. Choosing the name was important as well because we are gender neutral, skin is genderless, it doesn’t adhere to one particular group or another. The branding colours of it as well are pretty much inspired by the NT flag, especially the red ochre colour.
DAM: What’s really great is that you made it so personal to yourself. We’re guessing you had your own experiences with skincare that sparked the brand?
Kris: I suffered a lot from adult acne which was pretty much the bane of my existence. It led me to do my own research as a lot of doctors told me to go on medication or the pill or different drugs. I just knew there had to be a better way so my approach was from a natural perspective, using science and different technologies available so that’s where Skin Territory came about. There’s so much research out there and it’s really crazy these days how we can be easily misinformed.
“There’s so much research out there and it’s really crazy these days how we can be easily misinformed.”
DAM: It seems like you learnt a lot. When you started out, was it more difficult than you expected in terms of launching your own brand?
Kris: I came up with the idea in 2020 and it’s been a long two and a half years especially from the conception of the idea to where I am now. It’s been a really long journey, especially for a startup owner as well. I went from researching to engaging a cosmetic chemist, working from there and then sourcing different ingredients. I’m very involved in the development of it even though I am a one woman show at the moment. There are the obvious struggles that come with the startup but I’ve received a lot of good feedback on the products, which is promising. We’ve also got some interest overseas as well, which is really exciting.
DAM: What’s the feedback been like?
Kris: It’s great to hear other people’s stories of how they’ve come off the contraceptive pill or haven’t had to rely on medication to treat their acne. For me it’s really about educating people about the skin microbiome because not many people know about it. The first thing that people usually go to is the Chemist Warehouse shelves or online and pick out the product that we think would suit them. I had a lot of people come up and tell me their stories how my product has helped them and that stuff really touches my heart. It’s really inspiring to hear because that’s exactly how my story started out.
DAM: What sort of ingredients do you use?
Kris: I really wanted to include homegrown ingredients and being Australian made was really important to me. Here in Australia we’re really lucky to grow an abundance of superfoods and super fruits that are rich in vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. In particular, I have have incorporated a fruit called Kakadu plum. The Kakadu plum is native to the Northern Territory and the Kimberley regions so it just made sense to put that in as it felt really close to home. I’ve collaborated with some really special and talented people who know their stuff in the Australian botanical native world. I’ve made it Halal-friendly and vegan Australia certified , which again is part of the representation and inclusivity pillar that is important to me. I’m definitely incorporating my upbringing into the products and to the story so I’m just about wanting to share that to the people in the world.
DAM: We really like what you are doing because your putting something so personal out there in the world. It’s special because that’s who you are and it feels like creators do their best work when it really means something to them.
Kris: Thank you for those beautiful words, I haven’t heard it like that. It’s just a testament to the amount of work that I’ve put in. Like I said earlier, I’m very much involved. It’s not a case of white labelling which is a concept where someone else will make the product for you and you can just slap on your brand your logo without being involved in the process. That’s one thing I’m really proud of, being involved with the process and it’s really fun.
DAM: In terms of the future, what are your long term goals for the brand?
Kris: We’ve received some interest from overseas countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, France and the UK, which is really exciting. Expanding particuluary in Asian markets because skincare is pretty important there. I’d love to do a probiotic supplement range and expanded skin care line in general. It’s also important to come back to the roots of educating people about their skin and the skin microbiomes so that they can make their own decisions as to what skincare products they want to buy. Also to continue being a transparent brand – as with a lot of brands we just see the marketing, the social media and that marketing stuff we all can fall for.
DAM: Do you have any words of advice to other diverse people out there who maybe want to start something like this?
KR: Do your research, find your niche and just start.
“Do your research, find your niche and just start.”
There where many times where I crippled myself with impostor syndrome where I would question myself, ‘why are you launching a probiotic skincare brand? That sounds so silly.’ You really have to pull yourself out of that negative thinking otherwise you’ll stay stuck. But for me, this genuinely doesn’t feel like work, and it’s something I am truly passionate about.
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Find more on Skin Territory on get the products here:
Website: https://skinterritory.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SkinTerritory/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkinTerritoryAu
Diversity Australia Magazine 