Women With GRITT: Mx Skincare’s Allison Pickering On Pushing Through Challenges And Embracing The Journey

Gritty Pretty (GP): Hi Allison! As the driving force behind the cosmeceutical skincare brand Mx Skincare, can you talk us through where your journey in beauty began? How did you come to be the founder of this beautiful brand

Allison Pickering (AP): Well, I guess for me, skin and beauty was basically in my DNA because of the people that I grew up with and who I was supported by. My grandmother was such a big influence in my life—she was a nurse, and she actually made her own skincare creams. She always spoke to me about looking after your skin and that’s where I learned about it so much. She’d say to me, “Allison, the skin is the largest organ of our body and we really need to look after it because it takes us from the beginning until the end.” She was very adamant about that. She passed away well into her 80s and she still had the most beautiful skin and beautiful integrity—you could see she really looked after her skin. Also my mum, for as long as I can remember, was very glamorous and she still is to this day. She’s almost 80 herself and she still does her makeup and is such a skincare fanatic from head to toe. I was very influenced by that as I was growing up and I just knew that I wanted to work in the beauty industry. 

I started working in the industry when I was about 15 years of age. I’m originally from the country and I did work experience in a very large pharmacy back in the ‘80s. There were major cosmetic houses at this pharmacy and I just loved it. I was offered work immediately after I finished school and so I started working in the cosmetic department of this massive pharmacy and was sent to Sydney for training. I just loved every aspect of the beauty industry—both skin and makeup. 

Then, when I moved to the Gold Coast, I continued my journey in the beauty industry and I began working for some of the big cosmetic houses like Estée Lauder and Guerlain of Paris. I worked for many years in that arena and loved every aspect of it. It was during that time that I was introduced to Franklin Challenor, a famous makeup artist—he was known as the man from New York and he worked for Helena Rubinstein at that time. He famously did Elizabeth Taylor’s makeup so he always had amazing stories that he would tell me. He did Marilyn Monroe’s makeup as well—his history was phenomenal. He had the Franklin International College of Beauty and I decided that I would do a Cosmetic Artistry Diploma and began training with him. He was absolutely brilliant and opened my world to the fact that skincare and makeup is not just for women, it’s for everybody. We were doing makeup for television, theatrical makeup and all different types of makeup and it truly gave me a love for working with all skin types, genders, ethnicities. I really loved it. So, I guess that’s where it all began for me. Sadly, he has passed, but he was a huge influence in my life and really opened me to a whole new world—that beauty is for everybody, not just a female world. 

GP: The vision that you had was this efficacious brand with beautiful luxury formulas containing no nasty ingredients. Can you tell us about what some of those are and why was that so important to you? 

AP: It was particularly important to me because of my own skin journey. I have extremely sensitive skin that is very reactive to nasty ingredients—things like parabens, SLSs and perfumes in particular. I wanted to use luxury skincare and so often it was the luxury skincare that would be heavily perfumed and often contained different ingredients that I never felt were necessary in a skincare formulation. I really wanted to seduce with results rather than a strong fragrance in the product. 

So, it was extremely important for me, number one, to have no nasties in the product, and to create a luxurious formulation that felt great on the skin and was also in beautiful vessels. Airless vessels in particular because, again, that was something that I struggled with regarding active ingredients—if you’re opening a jar or a bottle and those active ingredients become oxidised, they really become ineffective and they’re not as effective compared to if you keep the product completely airless. So, creating luxurious formulas in the right delivery vessel and minus those nasties was just absolutely everything to me. There’s lots of research into these nasty ingredients as well that is ongoing. And so, to create a product without them, I knew that we are just bringing the best active ingredients to the skin, minus the nasties and perfumes. 

GP: When you set out to use only clean cosmeceutical grade ingredients, how did you find the right ingredients that met your high standard of quality as well? 

AP: The first step was to go on the search for the right formulating chemist that could understand my vision and really wanted to deliver on that vision. That was, to find the best active ingredients, because not all active ingredients are created equal. Supporting an independent small Australian brand, I wasn’t wanting to create 10,000 of each product and so I needed someone that was more boutique, but believed in the vision—that creating pure cosmeceutical formulations with the best active ingredients on the planet in the right delivery system to penetrate the skin deeply at a cellular level and really get the results that we were looking to achieve.

GP: Where did the name Mx Skincare come from? 

AP: The name is so important to me and I’m going to refer back to when I was doing makeup artistry with Franklin Challenor and being introduced to working with all different skin types, genders and ethnicities. So, Mx. is the gender neutral honorific, so, it’s skincare that’s not for Mr. or Mrs.—it’s Mx. I felt that was a great name for encompassing all skin no matter ethnicity, gender, skin type or tone. It was really that Mx loves all skin. It’s also a little play on the periodic table, especially if you look at our website or on our email signature, because of the fact that Mx skincare is scientifically backed and uses ingredients that are scientifically researched, scientifically proven and results driven.

GP: For someone who wants to try Mx Skincare, where would you suggest they start? 

AP: It does depend on skin concerns of course. But, the products I would recommend for anyone doesn’t have any major skin concerns and just wants to try Mx Skincare are: 

• The beautiful cosmeceutical Foaming Cleanser +. It’s made for all skin, including sensitive skin types. With Mx Skincare’s focus on creating products that are suitable for all skin types, it was important to me, because of my own sensitivities, that we had sensitive skin covered. The foaming cleanser uses a coconut derivative for the foaming ingredient and so is very moisturising. It’s also anti-inflammatory, packed with antioxidants, brightening and really cleanses the skin without stripping it.
• The Moisture + as it contains beautiful ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides and vitamin E. It’s not heavy and is perfect to use day and night—it’s amazing underneath makeup and sits beautifully on the skin. 
• If you’re wanting to include a serum, you can’t go past the Serum Vitamin B3 +. It’s great for everybody and especially if you have any sensitivities as you’re going to be safe with vitamin B3. It’s a beautiful, beautiful serum—it’s my favourite.

GP: What advice would you give to someone that wants to start their own beauty brand like you have? 

AP: I think that a lot of people might perceive that it’s very easy to start a beauty brand—but there’s nothing easy about success. If you’re really passionate about the beauty business, or whatever field you’re looking at going into, and you really feel it in your heart, that is what is going to carry you through the bumps and the challenges along the way. It isn’t easy, but it’s very rewarding. If you’ve got that passion, it’s what keeps you going and it’s part of the road. I think it’s very much about the journey, not about the destination. Although the destination is such a reward, it’s the journey that continues on. If you’ve got that passion and the desire, it’s going to be enjoyable. 

GP: What role does beauty play in your life? Is it a way to show self love? Is it a bit more functional whereby you’re looking after your skin with a scientific mindset? 

AP: I think it’s all of that for me and so much more. Obviously, with creating a business around it, it’s most definitely self love. I love the skincare ritual. That five minutes every morning sets my day up and makes me feel confident about my skin. It’s such a beautiful feeling doing your skincare routine every morning, no matter how quick it is—believe me, my life is very busy and I’m not there for hours doing this amazing routine, it’s very efficient. Then, the reset at night—when you know your skin is about to go into that rejuvenation repair mode, washing the day away, resetting, I just love that skincare ritual. So, it’s very much about self love but definitely also functional, because we really need to protect the skin during the day and rejuvenate and repair at night. I think it’s all of that to me and so much more.

GP: What five beauty products are you loving right now? 

AP: My absolute go to is most definitely the Mx Skincare Foaming Cleanser +. I love washing my skin every morning, preparing it for everything that’s going to be happening in the day, whether that’s I’m going to be wearing makeup or simply getting my skin ready for the day and ready to  accept all the great products I’m going to be putting onto it. I can’t go anywhere without the cleanser. 

The three Mx Skincare serums are most definitely the superheroes—they’re the ones that really do the work, the powerhouses. I use the Serum Vitamin C + and the Serum Vitamin B3 + religiously in the daytime, depending on what my skin is feeling at the time. I love using the Serum Vitamin A + at nighttime. It’s amazing, I see it the next morning after I’ve used vitamin A at night. 

Those there’s three superheroes—the serums—and then the Mx Skincare Moisture + because sealing those serums feels so good on the skin.It’s lightweight, but it’s so hydrating—I still feel it on my skin even when I wake in the morning and wash my face. 

I’m also loving the Mx Skincare Exfoliate + at the moment, it’s my little secret weapon. I was always quite reactive to something that was a physical granular-type exfoliant, it often made my skin red or irritated. But, lactic acid is the best at dissolving the dead skin cells and cleaning the pores while remaining very gentle on the skin and attracting moisture. The Exfoliate + is a definite favourite in my routine, I use it once a week.

Although I love wearing fragrance, I generally only apply it to my clothes rather than onto my skin. I usually spray it, walk through it and spritz it onto my clothing, because if I put it onto my skin I can end up with a reaction. My go-to for so many years has been CHANEL Coco Mademoiselle. I just love it, it’s such a beautiful fragrance.  

In the shower I love using the L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil. I’ve used it for so many years, it’s so nurturing and I feel so comforted whenever I use it. I also love using the Aesop Shower Gel, it’s beautiful and has no nasties. I love the cardamom, black pepper and patchouli and tend to use it every morning and L’Occitane at night. 

Having spent years in the cosmetic industry, lipstick is just my absolute go-to In terms of makeup. I don’t really wear a lot of makeup during the day these days, my skin just feels so good and I want to keep that natural glow. I like using a tinted moisturiser and I always look for mineral-based as much as I can. But, if I’m going to wear foundation, I’m absolutely loving the Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops. I just apply it with my fingertips and you just get this really luminous glow. If I feel like I need a little bit of contour, I love using the brand’s Face Trace Contour Stick in the shade Biscuit too.  

GP: Lastly, is there anything you wish you knew before starting a skincare brand? 

AP: There is so much I wish I knew. I was determined that I was going to do everything properly and not make mistakes. And, well, you can’t help but make mistakes. That’s just part of the journey and you learn from that. As I said earlier, it’s very much about the journey and I think that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes I think about when we were originally launching Mx Skincare and COVID-19 hit. At the time, that was so frustrating because it meant delays with products, delays with the formulating chemist in his warehouse and all of those sorts of things. But, it actually worked out to be the best timing in the end. We launched at the end of that year and it was all meant to be. So, I think that the things that  you may not necessarily want to go through, you’re meant to go through and it makes you a better person for it. I think it’s like that with anything in life. As I said, there’s nothing easy about success and that’s in all parts of our life—in our relationships and the relationship we have with ourselves. If you ask anyone that is doing something they’ve really worked hard at, like an Olympian, a successful actress or singer, it doesn’t just happen. It’s a really long journey to get to that destination and it’s forever evolving.