A Skincare Revolutionary
Ella Baché has been providing skin care solutions in Australia for the past 54 years but it was just ten years ago that the first Ella Baché skin care salon opened in Western Australia. Now operating in five Perth suburbs, the chain continues to promote its philosophy of personalised individual skincare needs.
Originating in Paris in 1936, Madame Baché was already a cosmetic chemist and determined businesswoman. She believed in improving the ‘canvas of the skin’, rather than creating a marketable product. Her philosophy of ‘no two skins are alike’ epitomises the Ella Baché method of skin diagnosis and customised skincare. Madame Ella Baché was not interested in creating a false face cream. Her interest lay in the quality of the ingredients, the strength of the formula and knowing the right skin to apply it to. Madame Baché firstly created a range of ‘classic’ moisturisers, each one perfect for the range of different skin conditions regardless of ethnicity or gender.
"Madame Bach believed in improving the canvas of the skin, rather than a marketable product."
It was Ella Baché’s cousin George’s Hungarian-born wife, Edith Hallas, a beauty therapist, who went on to be the woman to introduce the Ella Baché skincare range to Australia. She brought the products from France to Sydney in 1954 and walked straight into David Jones with the first cold epil wax in the world. The beauty buyer was uncertain; who had ever heard of cold wax? But she put her leg on the chair and Edith Hallas gave her a wax treatment then and there. She loved it and so did Sydney’s customers. Ella Baché, as a retail business, was born! First introduced to the David Jones Elizabeth Street store, Ella Baché is now available in David Jones stores nationally and in many professional salons around the country.
Sadly, Mrs Hallas passed away on June 24, 2003, leaving behind this wonderful legacy and a brand that cares for and celebrates the individual, being one of the only skincare companies in Australia that dedicates a team of researchers to creating products for the Australian skin condition.
"No two skins are alike"
Ella Baché is renowned as the skincare expert for some pretty significant reasons, one being it is the oldest family-owned company in Australia. It was the first renowned skincare producer to introduce fruit-acid (tomatoes) and halibut (cod liver) into formulas for skin. The emphasis on lanolin as a skin nourisher was also a first by Ella Baché.
The Ella Baché – Ella Express salon chain realised many years ago that they needed to take the business of brilliant product and service delivery very seriously. With consumers rightly demanding first class, hygienic and professionally run salons it was simply not good enough any more to have a bed and a sticky old wax pot behind a curtained doorway with open-topped cubicles. Treatments needed be relaxed and enjoyable, rather than a ‘have to do’ exercise. As a result, the company is now one of the largest employers of qualified therapists in Australia.
"World class standards of quality and excellence in skin care"
In the last 12 months the company has progressively transformed its salons to the Ella Baché concept design and has committed over $1.2 million to new salons and re-fits of existing outlets. The style and facilities provided are industry leading with the latest IPL & Microdermabrasion equipment being progressively installed. Training is the key to the success of the business, with General Manager Emma Ford devoting the lion’s share of her time to training and retraining staff. Emma, together with Karly Miller, Jenelle Tobin, Emma Smith, Georgina Flemming and Nicole Hazell form the management team of the group. They are all passionate beauty therapists and experts in their chosen field. Emma Ford said “Our clients are our total focus and we work tirelessly to see that we are equipped to be simply the best we can be. Compromise is out of the question these days.”
The latest store opening is the new 20sqm concept design salon at Lakeside Joondalup. It boasts seven cubicles, shower and full Napoleon Perdis makeup area (Australia’s leading makeup brand). At a cost of almost $500,000, the salon is an amazing example of what can be achieved in terms of class and practicality.
So the next time you feel like a touch of pampering and relaxation accompanied by world class standards of quality and excellence in skin care, keep Ella Baché – Ella Express salons in mind.
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