al.ive body is the winner of the Rising Star Award at The Smart50 Awards 2023. The thriving Adelaide-based startup has rapidly made its mark in the personal and home care product segment.
Founders Alisa and Lysandra Fraser started with a vision to create premium, ethically produced personal care items that also champion sustainability. This determination spawned al.ive body, which, three years post-launch, boasts more than 50 product lines, 750 stockists and an estimated $22 million turnover in FY24.
“In our research, we found many ‘natural’ brands were lacking – some making environmentally conscious claims but using palm oil, while others leaned heavily on natural ingredients but failed to deliver on formula performance,” said Alisa. “It was these insights into the competitive market that became the catalyst for al.ive body.”
The company has had to overcome some formidable challenges since its inception, especially given it launched amid 2020 COVID lockdowns. However, with al.ive body being an agile enterprise, it was able to seize upon the sanitiser trend with its hand wash products.
Both co-founders said managing the rapid growth of their business was another big hurdle. “To overcome this, we internalised everything we could about how to best navigate business growth and scalability, sought advice and employed caution with decision-making. We recognised the importance of hiring the right people and providing ongoing training and development opportunities to support staff in their roles, and this is a key lesson that we would pass on to fellow business owners.”
Looking forward, al.ive body expects to venture into new categories and markets, positioning itself as the premier brand within its segment.
“Innovation will remain a key part of al.ive body’s strategy and we will invest in research and development to identify new product opportunities, analysing customer feedback to improve existing products and staying up-to-date with emerging trends,” said Alisa. “We will differentiate our product lines by creating further innovative, forward-thinking products that align with our brand values and that will sit perfectly in places and spaces in every home across Australia.”
Christina Gerakiteys, CEO at UtopiaX and a Rising Star category guest judge for The Smart50 Awards, said “What incredible growth in such a short amount of time. Congratulations on the continuous innovation and the relentless pursuit of excellence in product, ethics, sustainability and aesthetic. The experienced growth can only happen with intense attention to all detail. I’m Looking forward to watching the international expansion to come.”
Smart Company is a sister publication to The Mandarin, catering to Australia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers.
