Maria Hatzistefanis, founder of Rodial Group, remains a beauty vanguard at the forefront of the beauty industry. We discuss her journey of building a multi-million-dollar beauty powerhouse with a honed vision from the outset.
What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine?
I like to find the calm when I wake up, it sets me up for the day ahead. I sometimes meditate, read a few pages from a book, have herbal tea, and just embrace the quiet. I work out in the morning then head to the office, so my day is always crazy from the moment I leave the house, and that’s why I like the first 30 minutes to be calm!
What pillars of DNA define Rodial as a visionary brand? And how do you incorporate these values down to your team and company culture?
I started Rodial 25 years ago with zero investment, and I still own the brand 100 per cent today. Although this means that we may not have the big budgets of the huge corporate brands, it means that we can be nimbler and work with a more entrepreneurial spirit. This is what I inject into my team, I challenge them to think outside of the box, be solution driven, and find ways to make an impact. We need to work harder to keep up with the competition, however it is extremely rewarding when our efforts work, and we make it happen.
How did you find yourself entering the skincare space?
I explore this in my book, How to Make It Happen, which shows my journey of starting Rodial. I was actually working in banking, and I was a bad employee! I wasn’t passionate about the job, and I became complacent, resulting in being fired. Although at the time this was devastating, it forced me to decide what I wanted to actually do with my life. I had an interest in skincare and at the time all of the products on the market were super simple for cleansing and toning, I saw a gap in the market for a more results driven product using rare and effective ingredients for fast results. This was how I came up with Rodial.
In refining formulations, how do you cultivate maximum efficacy?
I am always looking for new and unique ingredients that really offer a point of difference for our products. For example, Dragons Blood is actually a sap found in a tree in the Amazon with incredible healing and protection qualities. I came across the ingredient and was obsessed with it from the start – it is actually bright coral, and the locals use it on cuts and burns. This is where I start when creating products, I find something rare and amazing as the core, and then build the other actives around it.
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What are Rodial’s hero products and how do they work?
From skincare, our hero products are Dragons Blood Sculpting Gel, which works to lift and sculpt the skin through extreme plumping and hydration, we sell one a minute globally! Our Bee Venom Moisturiser and Eye Cream are our most luxurious anti-ageing products packed with peptides to smooth and firm the skin. From complexion, our Banana Lowlighter is a cult essential, designed to brighten and enhance the complexion. We sell out all the time and it is one of our best-selling products ever!
The beauty market is broad – how do you stay relevant?
We do not follow the crowd; we stay true to who we are and what our customer uses. For example, lots of brands nowadays launch lots of new products constantly which is against our strategy. Fast beauty and over consumption is a problem at the moment, it is wasteful, unsustainable and results in customer fatigue. We keep our new launches tight, with only a few launches a year and keep focusing on our hero products.
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Rodial is celebrating its 25 years in the beauty business. Why do you think the brand has remained a cult favourite over the years?
I think that we keep our customer top of mind, and focus our products on what the Rodial woman really wants and uses. Our products have been copied over and over again by other brands, but we offer products like Dragons Blood and Bee Venom that stand above the rest. Also, I think the addition of our capsule complexion collection has really helped us to access a new audience who love that products such as Banana Lowlighter and Lip Oil contain skincare benefits too.
What’s one non-beauty thing everyone can do to improve their health, and have it show in their skin?
Nutrition is really important and something I am really passionate about and has such an effect on your overall well-being, not just your skin. Really look at your diet and ensure you are eating enough vegetables, greens, proteins, and take vitamins. This is something that really does contribute to skin health.
Summer’s over – what skincare products should we be adding to our routine?
Hot weather can be drying on the skin, so I like to ramp up my hydration products. I use the Dragons Blood Sculpting Gel which is packed full of Hyaluronic Acid for extreme hydration and plumping. I also find that my skin can be a little congested after using a lot of SPF, so the VIT C Pads are great for de-clogging the pores with low level acids, along with brightening with Vitamin C even any pigmentation or sunspots.
As a visionary beauty entrepreneur, how do you deal with being told no?
I have been told no my whole career! At the beginning I would take it really personally and it would affect my confidence. As time has gone on, I have developed a thick skin and I take it in my stride now. I accept the feedback, make some changes and then I go back and ask again in six months or one year, a no is never a no forever.
Knowing what you know now, what would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs looking to make a similar move?
If you are looking to start a business in beauty, I would be really careful with the core idea of your collection. The beauty industry is really over saturated right now, you need to have a firm grip on creating something really different as there is so much out there, the competition is fierce.
“My prediction is that the consumer will go back to heritage brands they love and trust.”
The Visionary Issue – how do you view the future of beauty?
My honest answer is that there are too many brands, more launching every single day. The reality of running a beauty brand is actually very hard, and it takes a long time to stabilise and turn a profit. My prediction is that the consumer will go back to heritage brands they love and trust.
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