Not only does 2020 mark the start of a new decade, but it also marks the beginning of Alpha-H’s 25th Anniversary year. We don’t know about you, but we think that 25 years of genius skincare that’s made with love right here in Australia is certainly something to celebrate!
Where it all began
Way back in 1995, Alpha-H was a one-woman crusade for former beauty therapist Michelle Doherty. Working out of her family garage in Monterey Keys on Australia’s Gold Coast, Michelle would carefully dispense her products from sauce bottles into their packaging, before lovingly wrapping them up and running to the post office to distribute the parcels to their eagerly awaiting recipients.
Back then acids in skincare was a scary thought for many, but Michelle had seen the difference Glycolic Acid had made to her own skin and knew it would change the beauty industry.
The year 2000 saw the creation of the now cult favourite resurfacing treatment Liquid Gold. Originally created as an at-home treatment to maintain the results of professional peels, this ground-breaking exfoliating treatment quickly gained traction and thrust Alpha-H and Glycolic Acid into the limelight. From there things really started to take off; suddenly Liquid Gold was splashed across cabs in London and big-name retailers around the world were asking to stock Michelle’s creations.
Rather than being the tiny, niche brand it had once been, suddenly Alpha-H and Liquid Gold had loyal fans and rave reviews from beauty editors right around the globe. A quick Google search will return thousands of adoring reviews for this product alone.
Today Alpha-H is stocked in more than 30 countries around the world at prestigious retailers including Sephora, Marks & Spencer, Selfridges and Myer, just to name a few. It’s the kind of thing Michelle barely even dared to dream of back in 1995.
Local connections
Unlike some other stories which shift away from their roots after success comes knocking, this one remains firmly planted on the sunny Gold Coast. Today Alpha-H’s global headquarters, flagship skin clinic and manufacturing facility is located at Helensvale, just a few short kilometres from the home where it all began for Michelle. The company now employs a team of more than 60 and produces more than 60 products across both our retail and professional-only ranges.
Besides employing an ever-growing team of locals, we also like to use local ingredients and source them from local suppliers where it’s possible; our Lime Pearl, Caffeine, Aloe Vera and essential oils are locally sourced, just to name a few.
The Clear Skin range is particularly emblematic of our Australian heritage, harnessing the well-known antibacterial properties of iconic Australian ingredients Eucalyptus and Tea Tree to help calm and clear the skin of teenagers and adults right around the world who are suffering from the effects of breakouts.
The local connection doesn’t end with ingredients though; we also work with local manufacturers for our packaging.
Making the most of our location
Probably one of the most important local “ingredients” we use here at Alpha-H is the abundant sunshine Mother Nature has blessed us with. While it obviously isn’t added to our formulations, it plays an imperative part in each and every one as the roof of our factory and head office is now covered in some 352m2 of solar panels. This reduces our CO2 emissions by as much as 67,000kg each year.
Sustaining our future
In 2019 we were so proud and humbled to have our sustainability efforts (you can read more about them here) recognised when we were a finalist in the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards sustainability category. But we’ve never rested on our laurels here at Alpha-H, so we can assure you that in the future we’ll be making even more moves to make our processes and products as sustainable as possible.
Where to from here?
As we begin our 25th Anniversary year, it’s very much a time of reflection and celebration for the brand, but also a time when we’re very much looking to the future.
While we can’t give too much away just yet, we can tell you that it’s a year filled with special celebrations that we cannot wait to share with you. Stay tuned!