Move over Founding Fathers - a beauty industry brand requires a woman’s touch, and at LaGaia UNEDITED, there are two.

Beauty and brains go hand-in-hand in the competitive world of skincare, and the team have literally made that their business. When it comes to perfecting a blend of scientific and holistic practices, they have a monopoly on the subject.

LaGaia UNEDITED (LUE) is a dynamic Mother and Daughter duo, with one half bringing three decades of experience and insights, and the half having their finger on the pulse of modern methods and needs. It’s a mindful, luxury skincare brand built upon real life knowledge and delivering one-of-a-kind results.

So, without further ado, let’s go beyond skin-deep and get to know LaGaia…

1. Who are the people behind LaGaia UNEDITED and how did the brand come about?

Founder Dr. Jean Laing D.C. has 30 years of health care and scientific practice to her name, and has earned her status as a leading voice in global holistic health, wellness and skincare. She has spanned continents and decades to understand what constitutes quality skincare performance to 21st century consumers, spending time at the top end luxury spas around the world.

Dr. Jean D. Laing D.C. founded the business after migrating with her husband from Detroit, USA to Melbourne, Australia in 1987. Instantly exposed to the harsh climate, Dr. Jean combined her medical experience and industry knowledge with a determination to pioneer skin protection and rejuvenation techniques for her patients. Patients whom were suffering with sensitivities due to health or lifestyle. Inspiration for LaGaia came from necessity and a requirement for her patients and clients needing non-irritating skincare they could use during the most sensitive life experiences.

Dubbed the 'Unedited Beauty Crusader', Managing Partner Kristen Laing-Herbert B.A. is Dr. Jean’s daughter, so was naturally born into LaGaia. With years of industry experience, a degree in Communications & PR and currently studying a degree in Health Sciences and Clinical Aesthetics. Kristen works closely with Dr. Jean in refining in formulations, treatment and spa menus, account management and development, creative branding and company administration. Together they have been bringing the ‘Unedited’ mission to the forefront of the company’s conversation, starting with a brand name change, from LaGaia to now, LaGaia UNEDITED.

2. What are the company values and what does ‘Unedited Beauty’ mean?

In an industry that is littered with photo editing and false promises, LaGaia UNEDITED wants to support the Unedited Beauty movement as the cornerstone of compassionate beauty ideals. LUE produces no fluff marketing, only pH balanced and scientifically formulated Australian skincare to help women and men attain filter free skin confidence and greater compassion for themselves.

Dr. Jean believes that modern luxury skincare is as much about character and personality, as it as about elegant natural beauty. “Skin that radiates au naturelle, is the most precious adornment any women could wear.” Kristen realised very early on that the skincare industry was clutching to archaic constructs of 'beauty' and that it needed redefining and a firm nudge in a modern direction. “LaGaia has always formulated and practiced with an eco-consciousness”, she says. “Time is the ultimate luxury, people want to be and feel as beautiful and healthy as they can be in this moment, for this day, for their age. Contemporary beauty is so much more than an aesthetic and customers will no longer be fooled with the marketing wizardry of magical serums and creams. LUE is unearthed, unedited, unforgettable - dermal results are just the beginning.”

3. What products and services does LUE offer?

LaGaia UNEDITED offers a full menu of face and body care products to treat everything from acne and anti-ageing, to sensitive or dry skin. Items include everything from Cleansers & Exfoliators, Treatment Serums, Treatment Moisturisers, Masks and Sun Repair, to Hand, Body and Hair washes. They even break it down for you into routines (Morning, Day, Night & Travel) so you will always know when the best time to use a certain product is.

Business professional services wise, LUE work with others on treatments, ingredient knowledge training, and bespoke product development. The brand is also stocked by / in the amenities of a range of luxury spas and hotels across the country that offer various relaxation and revitalisation experiences, including Qantas First-Class.

4. What makes LUE different or better than other brands?

All LaGaia UNEDITED formulations are pH balanced and clinically tested with proven results. LUE owns all their proprietary formulations. Ingredients used must have synergy with your skin, and bioavailable andbioactive. A formulation can take 3-5 years of testing, and all of LUE’s are permanent entities in the range, so instead of creating new products, they improve on what they have. They don’t work off fads or trends – they formulate based on skin science and biology. It’s best to keep it simple and effective; skin doesn’t require excessive products on bathroom shelves to be healthy! The final product has been years in the making, helped along by world-renowned beauticians, cosmetic scientists, haute couture mavericks, and state-of-the-art medical and lapidary laboratories.

Packaging wise, LUE has the edge too. The EPA (Environment Protection Authority) estimates that packaging makes up 65% of household trash. This is why LUE’s precious formulations are packaged in Violet Glass and their essentials are encased in airless HDPE recyclable packaging, which is soon moving into even more environmentally friendly options likes sugar cane. Their violet glass helps minimise preservatives needed within formulations while keeping the carbon footprint low. In their transition to glass, LUE have sourced a high quality, unique offering that fulfills their sustainability crusade, while ensuring the product formulation is kept healthy and potently results driven.

Another point of difference is the advice and services of an Expert Beauty Consultant. This is not an automated service, as the beauty experts on hand take your images and skin information in real time to develop a skincare regime that considers your lifestyle, favourite products, the way you like your skin to feel after applying skincare and ingredients best suited to your skin goals.

5. Who do you think the ideal LUE customer is and why?

The LaGaia UNEDITED consumer is discerning and stylish, or as the French say, BCBG (bon chic, bon genre, translated to ‘good class, good style’). No matter where they live – London, France, Shanghai, New York, Chicago or Melbourne – they consistently seek timeless beauty, originality, charm, craftsmanship and quality. Style & substance are always preferred over flashy and ostentatious, and this is represented in their choice of home, beauty and skincare products, spas, holiday destinations, wardrobe and decoration.

A LUE loving male or female loves fashion, but isn’t dictated by it. They consider traditional marketing approaches to be manipulative and contrived, so they refer more to community commentary, real world experiences and Word of Mouth. Perennially stylish experiences are cherished, rather than boasted about. When stylish people say something is so, they are followed. They are the trend.

6. What have been the best customer results and feedback to date?

“We are very lucky, as we receive positive feedback frequently from our online shoppers and in-spa guests,” Kristen says. “Our favourite responses are when the client has had an incredible spa and skin treatment experience and sets aside precious time to contact us and share it, we feel like the day couldn’t get any better. The whole reason why a lot of us take a holiday or visit a spa is to achieve that skin & soul soothing experience. So, when our guests have taken the time to give us and the therapist who treated them glowing feedback, we know that we have created a treatment/product that ticks all our desired post therapy results; client fulfillment.”

7. If LUE could be endorsed by a celebrity/public figure, who would it be, and why?

Kristen has picked Chris Hemsworth & wife Elsa Pataky.

“Chris has a wonderful Australian sense of humour and appreciation for the environment. His approach to family, lifestyle and health is admirable and he aligns himself with people that promote healthy choices that the LUE brand and customer can resonate with. He has a lovely balance between his feminine and masculine side which comes across effortlessly and without pretention or insecurity. As a hardworking and successful Australian, he still lives close to nature and isn’t showcasing his wealth in flashy and vain ways. Engaged in sustainability, he emulates our Australian cheekiness, masculinity and grit.”

“Elsa is incredibly sophisticated and cultured with a lovely rustic heart. She perfectly emulates the refined elemental luxury of our brand. She also lives a wonderfully balanced life between family, fun, food and fitness that we are always in awe of. She is a lioness, feminine and powerful. They are two people that are ageing gracefully and taking the right steps to ensure longevity in their health and beauty without obvious clinical intervention. Also…they are sexy as hell and if they invited us to a party, quiet dinner or workout, we would be the first to RSVP!”

8. What next for LUE? Can we have a taste of what’s on the horizon?

“We have a lot in the pipeline – launching several new spa locations,” Kristen reveals. “We have recently reformulation our Hydraceuticals Range with new and improved formulation activity and results. We are launching a new Vitamin A serum soon as well as a new professional thermal mask that warms as you massage it on to body and is further activated by water. We work closely with People4Ocean in all their formulating and are excited to be launching two new surf sticks this year as well as a BB cream - so lots to come!"