For cousins Anna Gelasakis and Sophia Centofanti, a passion for haircare and a knack for business runs deep. Sophia’s parents, Mary and John Centofanti, are the owners of one of Australia’s largest and most successful haircare manufacturers, Dresslier, so it’s safe to say the pair have grown up immersed in the brand, and all its accomplished.
Tapping into their years of experience (and clear love for the brand), the two young entrepreneurs set their sights on a big project — giving loved haircare brand Daily Naturals a refresh, from the inside out.
The range is real hair care for real people, delivering a concise range of products that are all Australian-made and owned, salon professional quality and cruelty-free. From a selection of shampoos and conditioners to treatments and styling heroes, the Daily Naturals range focuses on natural formulas that use plant-based botanicals, all of which are also designed with no parabens and completely sulphate-free.
Months on from the rebrand, we chat to Anna and Sophia about their Daily Naturals journey, from where they found the inspiration to their absolute must-have products.
What was the inspiration and/or motivation behind the Daily Naturals rebrand?
“Daily Naturals had been on the market for 12 years with its current formulations, the brand was cutting edge at the time, but we felt it was time to re-launch the formulations and packaging with a modern twist. We wanted to make sure the range looked chic, modern and clean in consumers’ bathrooms, and fill the space in the market for salon professional Clean Hair Care.”
How did the refresh keep the brand's original mission in mind when creating the new products and designs?
“It was super important to us that we stayed true to Daily Naturals and that we only changed the products for the better. Keeping the products vegan, cruelty-free, sulphate and paraben free was an easy decision for us and it just felt natural to step into the clean beauty space.
"We worked closely with our lab to update formulations with a selection of curated ingredients and without ingredients we knew consumers may want to avoid, such as silicones, mineral oil, phthalates and more. Transparency is key to us and that’s why we created our own Clean Beauty Standard, which customers can find easily on our website to see which ingredients we do and don’t use.
"Naturally, we were inspired by the clean formulations, and wanted to create a range that looked bold and sophisticated, but not over complicated. We opted for strong colours and logos and modern shapes in our packaging to reinforce that identity.”
The new shampoos that have been reformulated as part of the rebrand have taken out silicone - why was this an important move for the brand?
“We chose to remove Silicones from our Shampoos and Conditioners because we knew these were ingredients consumers were often looking to avoid in their hair care routine.
“For DN, performance is key; some of our treatments require silicone to give you a silky smooth feel, to aid in damage-free detangling, or eliminating frizz for hours on end. Silicones aren’t bad ingredients, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around about them, when the truth is that so long as you are washing them off your hair, they won’t build up, and our shampoos easily wash away any silicones we use.
“While we are strong believers that silicone has its place in hair care, hence why we have kept it in some of our styling and treatments, we were able to remove these without compromising the feel and performance of the Shampoos and Conditioners – so it was a no brainer!”
Further from the brand's new look, there are also plans to add new products to the Daily Naturals range. What can we expect from those new products?
“We recently launched our Multi Use Styling Lotion which has basically been formulated to do it all. We truly believe it’s the ultimate go-to for any style; whether that be a smooth or bouncy blow dry, creating volume, effortless hold for heat styling, and, of course, a great base for creating a sleek style.”
“Many people don’t know that both DN, and our parent company, Dresslier, are family owned and operated. Dresslier has a long history as a family business; the company has passed through families since it was started 90 years ago.
"Our Director, Mary, (my mum and Anna’s aunty), started at Dresslier in 1984, as a receptionist. She worked through the ranks until taking on the company with her husband, John, in 2007.
"Since then, many family members have been lucky to work in the business, and it was through this that we came to be in the position that we were in, with the opportunity to spearhead the re-brand of DN.
"We are proud to come from a company that is independent, and with such a proud, long standing history, and this kept us grounded when it came to finding DN’s ethos, and what direction we wanted to take the brand into. Dresslier’s brand, Davroe, was the first Australian hair care brand to be Sulphate and Paraben free, and that inspired us to pave the way for clean hair care in Australia.”
What are your own personal favourites from the Daily Naturals range, which products do you task in your everyday haircare?
Sophia: “My wash essentials are the Full Bodied Volumising Shampoo & Conditioner, and the Detangler is an absolute must for me, whether I’m styling my hair or not. Our Detangler makes it SO easy to comb through that I haven’t gone without it since the first time I used it. My new favourite is our Multi-Use Styling Lotion, it’s a leave-in styling cream that has hold, adds volume, and smooths – it pretty much does everything! Following every wash, I apply it to damp/towel dried hair before a blow dry or sometimes I will let it dry naturally, it just gives me that flexibility if I want to heat style my hair another day. When the next wash day approaches, I tend to lather it on to get that super sleek slicked back look. It is the most versatile product!”
Anna: “I’ve got naturally curly hair so I always go for the Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner, and I typically use a Moisture Mask in between for an extra hit of hydration if times allows. I’m always heat styling my hair so Detangler with Thermal Protection is also my go-to every time I wash my hair. If I’m leaving my hair natural, I’ll rake and scrunch Curl Cream through my hair to really define my curls and give it some body before diffusing or air drying. Ends Sealer is my favorite to reduce frizz between washes too.”
What is the brand focusing on in 2023?
“Our first big focus for 2023 is the launch of our newest addition to the range - the Multi Use Styling Lotion. We are always looking to grow our DN community and build stronger relationships with like-minded brands and figures within and around the hair and fashion industry. This not only helps with the growth of the brand, but also Anna and I personally. Though we have been raised in the hair care industry and our parent company is well established in it, we are always looking to learn and grow from the people around us. It is truly priceless. DN has a long way to go but we are so excited for the journey ahead, 2023 is just the beginning!”
