Bellarine business women finalists in the Australian Small Business Awards

Two local Bellarine nurses and sisters have been named as finalists in the Australian Small Business Awards for their innovative cosmetic injectables aftercare products — the first of its kind in the Australian market.

Sisters Samantha Pomeranz and Ashleigh Robinson launched their aftercare range, Arnicare, in October 2020, to meet an unmet need they saw in the cosmetic injectables market.

Pomeranz, who works as an operating services manager at Barwon Health, and Robinson, who works at her own business as a nurse practitioner in Geelong, said they saw patients were in need of postprocedural product that would accelerate the healing process, and leave them feeling confident after injectable treatments.

Together, the sisters set out to design a product range of natural arnica-based products that would focus on maintaining hydration without impacting the skins barrier.

“We essentially created Arnicare back in 2020 to focus on cosmetic injectables aftercare. At the time there was nothing else like it on the market, it’s really aimed at procedures like lip filler where bruising is quite common,” Pomeranz said.

Pomeranz said at the time, patients were being referred to formulas that weren’t designed for the face.

“The products were really drying on the skin because they contain a lot of menthol and they’re not really designed for your face.

“So, we created something specific to cosmetic procedures.”

Because of this, Pomeranz said their initial Arnicare range, and their innovative signature product, Arnica Healing Balm for use after lip filler, took off like wildfire in clinics locally as well as across Victoria.

“Initially when we created the product we had done it just to stock locally in Geelong, but then we have had so many contacts from clinics across Australia that I think we are now up to 75 clinics, that we stock nationally, and that’s been a great achievement and a real highlight.”

Arnica Healing boasts the hydrating properties of hyaluronic acid, and the properties of arnica extract which reduce bruising.

Pomeranz said it has been a highlight receiving so much support and appreciation for the range, making all the difficulties of starting a business in the middle of a global pandemic worth it.

The Arnicare range also includes Arnica Healing Cream for use after PDO threads, jaw filler and non-surgical rhinoplasty, and uses Curcuma longa extract and niacinamide to minimise swelling, inflammation and the appearance of bruising after cosmetic injectable treatments.

“We were nominated for Australian Small Business Awards because we were an industry first in our field, it is a niche product and subsequently there have been a couple of other companies start and that was attractive for the awards, but when we launched in 2020 it was an innovation.”

Following this, the business-savvy sisters have also designs a range of custom lip shaped ice packs and post-procedure recovery packs tailored to suit the marketing and aftercare needs of individual clinics or franchises.

Looking forward, Pomeranz said she and Robinson plant to continue to develop new products that will leave patients feeling confident after cosmetic procedures.

“We’ve got a couple of research projects under way in relation to those products… that really highlights the results for those having these cosmetic procedures to highlight that they can have a natural result and reduce the downtime after these procedures.

“It just increases people’s confidence if you’re not coming out of those procedures with bruising all over your face.”

“We also have another new product launching soon… and that’s again another first to market, that is an antiseptic cream that is specifically designed to be used after cosmetic injectables.

Arnicare can be found in clinics across Australia and New Zealand or online at arnicareaus.com