Liberty Belle Rx's Game Changer Pore Refining and Matifying Gel promises to reduce visible pores, shine, and redness. Melbourne based cosmeceutical brand Liberty Belle – created by Plastic Surgeon Dr Chris Moss and his partner Andrea Moss – was conceived in 2016 to fill a void for his own patients. Drawing upon his clinical expertise, international authority in skin rejuvenation, and industry knowledge, Chris spent three years in research and development, formulating active products that were not only safe, but also effective.
Here, Andrea sits down with T Australia to talk about the success of the brand’s skincare range – Liberty Belle Rx – to date, its new product range and making a mark in overseas markets.
On the genesis of the brand…
It all came from Chris. He sort of became this star in plastic surgery for doing facelifts and rhinoplasties, he’d do an amazing rhinoplasty on someone, and then he’d refer them out because they had little capillaries that were pre-existing on their nose, or capillaries on their hip or whatever. And they come back and whoever did the laser treatment had burnt a hole in their face. And so, then we decided, ‘Look, what we have to do is actually get the technology, where to get the lasers’, and things like that. This is going back 21 years ago.
We moved into cosmetic medicine, getting lasers, and then we were sort of there when the injectables started the Botox and fillers, so then we bought this big facility where we have incredible machines for pigmentation and vascular and hair removal and radiofrequency skin tightening, and we have nurse injectors. At the moment, we have seven dermal clinicians, three nurse injectors, and one GP. We see about 350 patients a week. If you look at the numbers, we’ve done over 250,000 appointments at Liberty Belle. We’ve got a very big team, and we’ve got a very loyal client base.
In 2016, Chris became concerned with what was in skincare. We’ve got this big business and people who trust us coming in and this was when all of the synthetic human growth factors were appearing in skincare. Chris didn’t feel comfortable with taking on the synthetic human growth factors in products. And he said, “I don’t want to be recommending skincare that’s got that in it. I want to know what’s in skincare. I want to do my own range.” So he embarked on this journey of wanting to provide skin care for his patients that delivers results and that is safe for long-term use.
On Liberty Belle’s position of radical transparency…
I can’t find another brand in the world that is using clinically taken before-and-after photographs to prove results. There’s certain guidelines that doctors must adhere to, so when you’re using before and after photographs, the lighting has to be the same. For example, with a facelift, the expression has to be the same, no makeup on before or after, things like that. Because we are so authentic and honest, we have this huge following of patients. The only way to prove a result is to prove it visually, and that’s with photographs that are taken according to our very strict protocols of lighting, facial expression, no makeup and only exclusively using our products.
On what’s on the horizon for Liberty Belle…
We’re doing a men’s range. The thing about who buys our products, 27% of our customers are men. There’ll be crossover, but it’s just going to be super simple, and I want the men’s range… I want teenage boys to start using our products. I want the tradies to start using our SPF. And I want men to actually start using high quality skincare.
On the brand’s overseas footprint…
We’ve got a lot of interest overseas, and our products have gone through compliance to be sold in bricks and mortar in the UK and USA. To be sold in bricks and mortar stores in the UK, you have to go through compliance. And our products have all gone through compliance, where an independent toxicologist goes through everything. And, of course, everything was given a huge big tick and is the highest possible standard you can get, and so that’s exciting. So, we’re just sitting back.
On sustainable packaging…
The bottles we’re doing for the UK and the USA are going to be 100% recyclable, to throw in your curbside rubbish. They are going to be different to the bottles in Australia, because they’re very strict. Australia has labelling laws, but in the UK and the USA, each country has their own labelling laws.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
