Podcast
Glow Journal
Hosted by Gemma Dimond · ENGLISH
Join beauty writer Gemma Dimond (neé Watts) in conversation with the world’s biggest beauty pioneers. We’re picking the brains behind the beauty products that fill your bathroom cupboards- the CEOs, founders and creative minds heading the brands that shape the beauty industry. From cult favourites to the products you reach for every day, from young entrepreneurs to companies steeped in history, these are the stories behind the most successful beauty businesses on the planet.
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200episodes
Episodes
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Shai Eisenman | Founder & CEO of Bubble Skincare
1w ago00:42:25Tap to summarizeIn episode 155 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder and CEO of Bubble, Shai Eisenman.Shai Eisenman approached building a beauty brand like a tech company. Bubble, the Gen Z focused skincare brand which had clocked up over $100 million USD in sales by late last year, a mere 5 years post-launch, is built around a consumer driven feedback loop. Where most founders will start the development process with a small focus group, then go away to build the business, then touch back in with a cursory “Hope you like it!”, Shai essentially co-created the brand with her consumers. One of Shai’s biggest challenges has been learning to trust data over intuition. This might seem pretty simple for someone with a background in tech and gaming, but it’s easier said than done when the data often contradicts your own ideas. As Shai tells me, “You can’t ever assume that you know best.” Shai’s consumer-led, ego-absent approach is clearly working. Bubble is in over 19,000 retail locations globally, has scaled its product offering beyond 20 SKUs, and to this day remains driven by the feedback of their community- which has now grown considerably beyond that initial 5000. In this conversation, Shai shares what the tech and gaming worlds taught her about user behaviour, why Leighton Meester was the perfect choice as the brand’s first global ambassador, and gives us a first look at the brand’s latest launch. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Bubble on Instagram @bubbleStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Rebecca Maddern & Rebecca Gregson | Co-Founders of Cheat Beauty
3w ago00:51:44Tap to summarizeIn episode 154 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to co-founders of Cheat Beauty, Rebecca Maddern and Rebecca Gregson. Cheat Beauty launched in February of this year and completely sold out its first drop in less than a fortnight. The product is a dual ended lipstick and lip liner, in three nude shades with different undertones. It sounds so simple, and that’s the point- Cheat Beauty launched with a goal of making great makeup easier. There’s no guesswork, there’s no confusion, it’s just two ends of a product that work together.Something both Bec Maddern and Bec Gregson mentioned in this conversation that stuck with me is that just about everyone who was advising them financially on this endeavour had pointed out that a double ended product would more or less cannibalise their earning potential- why launch a product that does two things, when you can launch two products and sell more units? But that’s not how we shop. Yes, launching multiple SKUs might mean the potential for more sales- that might be a way to start a business, but it’s not a way to really appeal to your consumers in a meaningful way. As Bec Gregson told me when I asked her how she knows if an idea is actually strong enough to build a business around, “It’s great to have an idea, but it has to be rooted in problem solving.” In this conversation, Bec Maddern and Bec Gregson share what happens when you have an idea that feels almost too obvious to not already exist, how they’ve balanced luxury with efficiency, and why Aussie consumers have a higher bullshit radar when it comes to new brands.Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Cheat Beauty on Instagram @cheatbeautyclubStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Jun Lim | Founder of BORNTOSTANDOUT
Apr 1400:45:03Tap to summarizeIn episode 153 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to BORNTOSTANDOUT founder Jun Lim in another Australian podcast exclusive.BORNTOSTANDOUT is unquestionably one of the most interesting, and in my opinion industry-defining, brands in not just the fragrance space, but the beauty sphere at large right now. What’s so fascinating to me about BTSO is that it’s built on this idea of rebellion, but the brand is based in South Korea. Now you hear Korea and you think “Well, that makes sense, it’s the global capital of beauty innovation,” but as Jun puts it- “Korea is simultaneously one of the most innovative beauty markets in the world, but also the most conformist in terms of taste.” He explained to me that K Beauty is, at its core, built on the idea of perfecting a standard, not breaking one. That in mind, I had a lot of questions for Jun about how he’s gone about launching into a relatively conservative market, given so much of the brand’s iconography is tied to sex, to excess, to gluttony- it’s super sexy, which to me feels really natural, but evidently this is a brand that was never formed with solely its local market in mind. In this conversation, Jun shares how he’s managed to expand the brand to over 75 countries without diluting its DNA, why he believes specificity is what creates resonance, and how he keeps creating perfumes when he only has so many love stories to tell…Read more at glowjournal.comFollow BTSO on Instagram @borntostandout.officialStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Fara Homidi | Founder & CEO of Fara Homidi Beauty
Mar 3100:53:58Tap to summarizeIn episode 152 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to Fara Homidi in an Australian podcast exclusive.You know Fara Homidi’s work, regardless of if that name is familiar to you or not. Whether you’re invested in beauty and had been counting down to her namesake brand’s arrival on Australian shelves, or if you’ve had a peripheral scroll through Instagram and seen a Miu Miu campaign or an i-D cover- based on the extent to which she’s shaped 21st century beauty, I can just about guarantee you’ve seen her work. I’ve always been visually very drawn to the way Fara applies makeup and approaches beauty overall, but it’s been so interesting to listen to the way she speaks about that approach. I’d read a quote from her, years ago, in which she said she’s more interested in makeup looking “alive” than “pretty,” so I pushed her on this a bit as I wanted to hear more. She explained that, for her, it’s more about creating something for the female gaze. When Fara talks about sexy, she’s acutely aware of what women find sexy- that’s who she’s creating for. In the early 2000s, for example, when she was finding a lot of her work for magazines was being airbrushed to oblivion, her way of rebelling was to seek out teams of women- female photographers, stylists, creative directors, women who were more interested in something that looked “lived in” as opposed to this idea of “perfection.” That’s how Fara rebelled, and it’s something she’s taken through the decades with her and has since woven through Fara Homidi Beauty. While Fara was in Australia to launch the brand into Mecca, she shared what she thinks some founders miss by never having worked in consumer-facing beauty, how she strikes the fine line between artistry and consumer understanding, and how she convinced Kendall Jenner to bleach her eyebrows for the most recent cover of Vogue Paris. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Fara Homidi Beauty on Instagram @farahomidibeautyStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →We're Back Baby. Season 8 Begins April 1.
Mar 3000:00:35Tap to summarizeDid you miss me?Season 8 of the Glow Journal podcast returns this Wednesday, April 1. We can't wait to share this season's lineup of some of the world's best beauty entrepreneurs- starting with an Australian podcast exclusive. If you love beauty, business, and the sound of my voice- you know what to do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Cici Stefanova | Founder of Supernova Body
Dec 1601:00:06Tap to summarizeIn episode 151 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the founder of Supernova Body, Cici Stefanova.By virtue of my job, I’m asked pretty often which beauty brands I’m genuinely excited by or who I think both the industry and consumers should be keeping an eye on, and for the last 18 months my first answer has been Supernova Body without a second of hesitation. This brand is everything I love in a new brand- the products are genuinely innovative and fill a legitimate market gap, it’s making beauty fun and sexy and that’s what beauty is to me, and it’s led by a founder who is only in this for the right reasons. Cici actually reminds me a lot of Deciem and The Ordinary’s Nicola Kilner, who I often cite as one of my all time favourite guests, as they’re both really beautiful examples of female founders leading with kindness. Supernova Body is an active, high performance body care brand, formulated specifically to target and treat body acne, that Cici launched in 2024 following four years of product development and, in this episode, Cici very kindly gave me an exclusive on the brand’s next launch coming in early 2026… In this conversation, Cici shares how she landed Sephora UK as Supernova’s very first retailer, some of the unexpected benefits of remaining D2C and self funded for the first year, and why her exit interview from British Vogue didn’t go quite as expected.Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Supernova Body on Instagram @supernova.bodyStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Natassia Nicolao (Returns) | Founder & CEO of Conserving Beauty
Dec 200:52:33Tap to summarizeIn episode 150 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks once again to the founder and CEO of Conserving Beauty, Natassia Nicolao. I mentioned earlier this season that, given we’re now 7 seasons in, I wanted to go back and revisit some of my favourite beauty brand stories- I wanted to bring back previous guests from earlier seasons and look at how their brands and the beauty industry at large has evolved since we last recorded. For the uninitiated, Conserving Beauty is Australia’s first ever waterless beauty brand, the first beauty brand globally to be part of the Water Footprint network, the first Australian beauty brand to be backed by both government and impact investment funds, and the brand behind the world’s first dissolving facial wipes. Natassia launched the brand when she was just 27 years old. Since we last spoke the brand has launched into Mecca and Priceline locally as well as expanding into the UK and US markets, the latter of which is now responsible for a whopping 70% of the brand’s revenue. What I found the most interesting, however, is that the data that Natassia and her team have gathered over the last 3 and a half years has shown them that their customer is actually not who they initially thought it was, and how they’ve changed tack to make sure they’re formulating for and marketing to the right consumers. In this conversation, Natassia shares exactly how they’ve pivoted for an audience they didn’t realise was theirs’, how she’s approaching Conserving Beauty’s US launch differently from their UK launch, and why the pharmacy customer has proven surprisingly lucrative. Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Conserving Beauty on Instagram @conservingbeautyStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Gem's 2025 Beauty Favourites
Nov 1100:38:14Tap to summarizeIf you've been on the Insta for some time, this is essentially a 40 minute #notsponsoredjustgood. Another solo episode this week, wrapping up the year (almost- still a few guest episodes left in Season 7) with my favourite new beauty launches of 2025.We'll add the full list in these shownotes eventually but, for now, enjoy. Stay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Gem on PR Packages, Prescription Retinol, and Project Management
Oct 2800:34:01Tap to summarizeI almost ran out of P words and alliteration is important here. I promised you more solo episodes last year, and in absolutely no way have I delivered. Here's one!A little life update, then answering your questions on work, my studies, how I got into MCing, and whether or not I think PR sendouts actually move product... then into some beauty chat about prescription actives and wedding perfumes. As always, thank you to everyone who submitted questions! Stay up to date on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Susan Yara | Founder of Naturium
Oct 1400:46:04Tap to summarizeIn episode 149 of the Glow Journal podcast, host Gemma Dimond talks to the Naturium, Susan Yara.Two years before Hailey Bieber sold Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty, Susan Yara and her team sold Naturium to the beauty juggernaut for $355 million USD. The Naturium growth story is the kind of story you hear and think “This could be a Netflix doco.” Susan, naturally, tells it better than I do, but this may be one of the biggest beauty comebacks in recent history. Susan Yara, then a popular YouTuber, joined Naturium in a founder and CEO role in the year 2020. There was a controversy, the internet called for her to be cancelled, but against the odds the brand achieved a whopping 80% compound annual growth rate and were acquired by e.l.f. for that eye watering $355 million in 2023- just three years post-launch. This week, Naturium launches into Sephora Australia (into physical stores TODAY), with Susan still very much fronting the brand and, as she tells me, “getting to do all the fun stuff.” So. How did she do it?In this conversation, Susan shares a timeline of that 2020 controversy, whether “clean” means anything in 2025, and why your customer’s return rate is the most important stat to be looking at . Read more at glowjournal.comFollow Naturium on Instagram @naturiumStay up to date with Gemma on Instagram at @gemdimond and @glow.journal, or get in touch at hello@gemkwatts.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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