Mum of two reveals how she started a multimillion-dollar skincare business

Evette Hess spent her twenties cutting her hair to hide her bad skin — using big blackout bangs to hide the acne on her forehead.

Now, at age 36, she owns Esmi, a multi-million dollar skin and hair care company focused on getting to the bottom of problem skin.

Speaking to FEMAIL, the Gold Coast mother of two explained how she launched her first brand Poni, which she later incorporated into Esmi, to help restore women’s complexion.

It all started in 2015 with a foundation that included skin care and provided great coverage without blocking pores and causing more problems.

Now the enterprising mom has developed a hairline—working with the same principles that skincare is now known for—that tackles the root of the problem rather than simply masking the symptoms.

“I really believe in being kind to our skin, if you have an angry, inflamed person you don’t solve the problem by throwing acid on it, the same should be true for our skin,” she said.

“I wanted to make something that wouldn’t dry out the skin while cleaning.”

Esmi’s products contain vitamins, minerals and probiotics to help restore the skin’s balance.

Evette was on maternity leave when she started the business – her daughter was six months old and grew up alongside the beauty brand.

“I had worked in the beauty industry for years, at a specialist skin clinic, and my clients would always come in and complain that makeup was clogging their skin,” she said.

“They’d come in and we’d get on top of their skin problems, but then they’d go into cycle as soon as they went home.

“And I can’t blame them. Everyone would do the same. Bad skin can have a huge impact on our self-esteem, so it’s natural that we want to cover it up.”

Evette and her husband had put money on a plot of land and were going to build their dream house when ‘the deal didn’t come through’.

So instead of putting the money into another house, Evette decided to support her dreams and use it to start her business.

“I worked on formulas and the business in general for 18 months before we sold anything,” she said.

“There were definitely times when I wondered if I had done the right thing.”

Evette worked as a contractor in a clinic by day and built her empire by night.

Seven years later, she has the best-selling serum at Sephora and a loyal fan base eager to buy the latest products with every launch.

She says her hair care stretch seemed like a natural progression of skin care.

‘Hair and skin are made of the same material. That’s why we decided to create a range that focuses on scalp health, leading to healthy hair.”

But the 36-year-old is far from done; her team is working on a range of hair treatments and oils that complement the shampoos and conditioners and mirror the items available in the skin range.

Her team now consists of 40 full-time employees and about 40 contractors and is ‘solid’, meaning she is better able to set work-life boundaries.

“I haven’t quite found the balance yet,” she said.

“But I know when I need more family time, my team has it.”

Evette’s daughter enjoys coming to work with her, which she says is a blessing as she is often with her in the warehouse and office.

Her husband worked ‘free’ in the company for the first four years and then remained in paid employment for a few more years.

But as the company has grown, he has been able to leave Evette’s team to take up some of “his jobs” and now works in a private equity firm.

“I couldn’t have built Esmi without him, we’re opposites in many ways, which helps us get out of balance,” Evette said.

‘I am creative and he is analytical and logical; so I come up with the crazy ideas and then we go through them together to see what works,” she said.

All Esmi products are made and packaged on the Gold Coast – minutes from where Evette and her family live.