Melissa Haddad is the kind of founder who rewrites the rulebook while building the brand. With a background that spans high-end beauty retail and a career in corporate law, she brings a uniquely analytical yet deeply intuitive approach to DEIA, her bold new cosmetics line championing native Australian botanicals and unapologetic self-confidence.

We sat down with Melissa to unpack the story behind DEIA: from the deeply considered rebrands before launch to the years-long formulation process behind her cult-favourite products. Here, she shares how law shaped her obsession with detail, why Australiana is more than a branding choice, and how clean beauty doesn’t have to mean minimalist beige.

Why was this local focus on ingredients and formulation so important to you, and what do you think it adds to your brand ethos?

When I was working at Mecca, I always thought how cool it would be for a quintessentially Aussie beauty brand to be on the shelves because Mecca is the epicentre of beauty in Australia. The “Australiana” focus of DEIA is really just a celebration of the raw, unfiltered beauty and richness of the Australian landscape. Australian botanicals survive in some of the most harsh and diverse environments in the world, so it makes sense that they have remarkable properties that work wonders for your skin.

This is no secret and brands have dabbled in formulating with Australian botanicals but there is no beauty brand that is committed to developing a skincare-driven cosmetic range where the vocal point in each product is Australian botanicals. I saw a gap for DEIA to be that brand in the market and just went for it. It’s meant that I have been able to craft a strong brand identity for DEIA in the beauty market – I know why DEIA exists and what I want it to mean to people. 

In terms of formulation, I thought it wouldn’t make sense to be a brand with such a strong Australian ingredient focus to be formulated offshore. That’s why all of our products are made in Australia. Our lab is based just outside of Melbourne and DEIA is supporting other Australian businesses. There’s something very grounding and communal about that – which I am very proud of – particularly because it has been challenging from a financial perspective. DEIA is bootstrapped by me and it’s no secret that manufacturing in Australia is more expensive that taking it offshore.

The packaging instantly adds joy to the experience of using the products (I love them!)—what inspired the colours and mood for the brand?

Fun fact, I rebranded DEIA twice before I even launched the brand! But the aesthetic for DEIA was always bold, bright and unmissable even with the previous branding iterations. It’s exactly how I wanted people to feel using our products. 

The bright branding has also had some really cool benefits that I didn’t really turn my mind to when developing DEIA. Some people have told me how great it is to have a neon yellow bottle for the lip oil because it’s easy to find it their handbag. And every is talking about our bright pink bottle of goodness! I really just think people want beauty to be a fun, sensory and experimental experience and even if you are a clean beauty brand it doesn’t mean you have to follow the status quo of minimalist packaging and a neutral colour palette.

What was the biggest challenge in developing clean formulations like LipCush and StandStill that are both high-performing and skincare-forward?

Cosmetic and skincare formulation is an intense process. It takes a long time and it costs a lot of money. StandStill took almost 3 years to develop. We developed two different versions of that formula which we binned until we landed on the third and final version. Within each version there are several rounds of iteration that you do to try and nail the formula. I almost gave up on this product! 

I was also adamant about keeping our formulations as clean as possible, which meant we had to avoid all the ingredients on our Clean Beauty Filter (a list of 35+ ingredients known to be harmful or irritating). So, when a shortcut felt like it was needed, we couldn’t take it because I didn’t want to compromise on health for the sake of finding a quick fix to product functionality, texture and composition issues. I am glad we persevered because we’ve landed on products where the ingredient homework has already been done and that’s important because people are more educated these days with ingredients and expect more from their products.

The beauty industry can be saturated and overwhelming for consumers. How does DEIA cut through the noise and help customers ‘face the future’ with more clarity and confidence?

Our products StandStill and LipCush have targeted skincare benefits. We’ve kept those benefits in mind when formulating so that our products don’t just pay lip service to those benefits but actually do what they say. Our formulations are purposeful and results-driven because I want people to think of DEIA as a reliable and trustworthy brand in the heavily saturated beauty industry.

What can we expect to see next from DEIA? Can you give us any hints or insights?

StandStill and LipCush are both transparent and very much “base” products. Our next product drop will include some colour which is super exciting because that also introduces a level of fun and playfulness into the formulation process.