Natural Cover was founded in 2015 by Sharon Maley, a descendant of the Wadjigan, or Bulgul, people of the Northern Territory.
Maley, a trained esthetician, has used the traditional knowledge passed down from her mother and grandmother to develop a line of skin care products that contain indigenous ingredients such as frangipani and aloe vera in their formulations.
For the past five years, Natural Cover has been largely a local business operating in Darwin.
“Darwin is a very small city of only 200,000 people. I knew that in order to grow the business, we had to expand across Australia â€, Maley said.
Six months ago, the company partnered with BuyNatural, an online e-commerce platform and brand incubator with a network in Australia, China, Vietnam and the Middle East.
Since joining the platform, the company has seen sales increase by 50%, validating Maley’s belief that Australian consumers are increasingly resonating with natural indigenous remedies.
“Today we see how all of Aboriginal culture is becoming more and more popular. It’s not just in cosmetics, you see it in everything from cultural experiences to art and even food. In supermarkets these days you can find products like native jams and spreads, †Maley said.
She believes this fits with the growing trend of interest in MÄori, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine.
“I think people are interested in these traditional remedies and recipes today because they believe they have been tried and tested for so many years.”
BuyNatural founder and CEO Dr Mathew McDougall has attributed attention to the rising tide of nationalism in Australia.
“There are some dynamics happening in Australia. The first is that Australian buyers are increasingly interested in the history of their products. They are also much more nationalistic, which means they increasingly want to buy and support Australian brands. “
As such, McDougall believes the brand has a lot of potential.
“Not only is it a good product, it’s also developed and formulated right here in Australia. In addition, products from an indigenous heritage arouse great interest. With Natural Cover and Sharon’s story it’s going to really pass and I think we’re going to sell a lot of it.
Global interest?
Maley believes Australian Aboriginal cosmetics will resonate with consumers overseas as well.
“Here in the Northern Territories, you will find that most sales of Aboriginal products are made by international visitors. I think it would be great if Natural Cover could expand into overseas markets.
She added that the market she sees as the one with the most potential is China, given Chinese consumers’ interest in natural products and ingredients made in Australia.
Additionally, the two countries share a historic bond that Maley hopes to share with the Chinese market.
“A lot of people don’t know that there is a strong bond between the Chinese and the indigenous peoples. In the past, the Chinese would travel to the Northern Territories and end up marrying the locals. This is why there are many indigenous people of Chinese descent.
Maley explained that these marriages resulted in a mixture of cultures. For example, the processes of harvesting and drying sea cucumbers were shared between the groups.
Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, Maley’s ‘big wish’to develop in China will have to be suspended.
“It was my original intention to focus on the Chinese market, but it has been difficult because of COVID-19 and its impact on logistics. ”
ÂMcDougall added: “Getting small packages into China has been slow because there is less air freight and we are struggling because the costs are higher and the clearances are slower than they were last year. “
Instead, this year the company will focus on strengthening its position in its domestic market before tackling any plans for overseas expansion.
“We will establish the brand and strengthen its credibility here first in Australia to facilitate export. Then we can turn to China, as well as to the other export markets in which we are â€,said McDougall
Supply issues
In addition to these challenges, brands like Natural Cover also face issues of sourcing indigenous ingredients.
“One of my goals is to expand my range beyond the eight products. I have lots of ideas on what I want to do. For example, I hope to launch a lip enhancer that uses native natural ingredients. The problem is finding the ingredients. You can have a good idea for a product but cannot find the ingredients easily â€, Maley said.
However, she is optimistic that will change soon.
“Now that people have realized that a lot of people source indigenous ingredients, they are looking at it. More recently, a Kakadu plum factory just opened near us – and that’s just the start. The owner said he intends to introduce more indigenous ingredients. If I could more easily get the ingredients I need, that would be just fantastic for us.
