Have you ever wanted to find a skincare brand that didn't blind you with science, is ingredient-focused, affordable, and addresses specific complexion concerns? Well, here it is - Q+A skincare. Meet the brains behind the brand and the products in the range by Editor Trudi Brewer.
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When Freddy Furber founded Q+A, he had one goal, to survive. But life for Furber was not all about skincare. His passion for music, studying and performing in various bands, was his first love, but once that wanned as a career hope; plan B was to start his own company. "I set up business as a sole trader trading products online (eBay and Amazon) with one goal, to simply survive," says Furber. Fast forward a decade, and business is thriving. "It has become something a lot bigger than ever planned or anticipated; it's still totally bootstrapped and independent." Today, Furber focuses on creating practical, easy to use, and affordable skincare. "I have an immense passion and obsession for Q+A and product development. I enjoy the business's scientific, research and development side and spending time with our amazing team," Find out why Q+A is a cult beauty buy.
Q & A founder UK-based Freddy Furber.
What made you create Q+A?
The often fanciful or unclear marketing message with skincare has always been about selling a miracle or dream. I think this has led people to either feel they don't need it or they're chasing something that is simply unattainable. Q+A aims to educate with a simple, clear message through specific skincare ingredients. To help break down the barriers in understanding how ingredients work best for your skin, which could not be more transparent than in our skincare checklists, which offer simple guidance on skin concerns and skin types and the products you need. We also want to bring premium yet affordable, natural formulations to the masses, and we are very proud of our 98 per cent natural range.
How did you choose that name for the brand?
We'd been working on the Q+A brand concept for two years but only decided on the name at launch. We originally intended to call it Ellipsis Labs as our label for our group of brands Ellipsis. However, we wanted a name that was easy to remember and catchy, that tied in with the brand message. We love the name Q+A because it relates entirely to the 'questions' people may have about skincare and how we as a brand hope to provide the answers.
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What's the philosophy behind the brand?
We've invested in our people, infrastructure and sustainability credentials. For example, our vertical integration in-house development and manufacturing model allows us to deliver a higher quality product at a lower cost. In addition, we try to do our best from a sustainability perspective by being close to our supply chain, using renewable energy, and growing our extracts for ingredients used in the formulations.
What does sustainability mean to you, and how do you incorporate it into your life?
When you work in product creation, sustainability is essential. I'm amazed by how many people do not understand how processes like recycling work, including what plastics can be recycled and which can't. The most important aspect is education, how we can gently inform people to make more sustainable choices and think carefully about their impact on the environment. I believe small changes will add up.
What product would you recommend to anyone wanting to try Q&A for the first time?
The Vitamin C Brightening Serum it's a serum-moisturiser hybrid and a personal favourite. The ascorbic acid is stabilised using a unique encapsulation, unlike any other vitamin C product (at our price point, which starts at $15). It's a unique and exciting formula that showcases what we do well.
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What is the best-selling product and why?
The Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum. It was part of the original 12 products we launched as a brand, so it slightly benefits from being around a bit longer. Also, people enjoy the texture and skin feel (a common complaint among hyaluronic acid-based formulations is that they don't feel great), which we worked pretty hard on.
Discover our favourites from the Q & A skincare collection
Choosing skincare is daunting but what you need to know is that this new collection is a clean beauty buy, with each formula os 98 per cent natural. Each product is named after the main ingredient inside the 100 per cent recyclable bottles, tubes or jars, which are priced from $15. Read on to see our favourites in the collection, which is available exclusively at Life Pharmacy and Unichem.
Here are my favourites from the Q+A range
Q+A Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum, $20.
It would be remiss not to start the star serum. One sells every three minutes, and I am not surprised. If your skin could do with an instant moisture hit, this serum leaves skin feeling soft and instantly hydrated. Use day and night, the brand says applying this serum to damp skin offers the best results.
Q+A Collagen Face Cream, $28.
Another bestseller this cream was made to encourage skin firmness and hydration, with the blend of collagen peptide (protein) from seaweed a natural alternative to the collagen protein from animals. The superpower of magnesium PCA energises the skin, while ultra-nourishing Shea Butter gives this cream its luxurious, addictive feel.
Q+A Skincare Caffeine Eye Serum, $15.
Caffeine boosts circulation helping to de-puff those bags. Green tea and pomegranate extracts are also potent antioxidants that strengthen the skin against environmental stressors. Together these ingredients make this eye cream with the clever rollerball applicator glide on, delivering those skin-loving ingredients to your delicate eye area.
Q+A Vitamin C Serum, $20.
Along with the brightening, powerhouse vitamin C, volcanic soil, makes the vitamin C highly stable. It does this by creating a barrier to protect the ingredient from being exposed and turning yellow so every last drop is fresh. Hyaluronic acid is that brilliant moisture magnet, I would agree with the brand this is a brilliant brightening- hydrating hybrid serum.
Q+A Grapefruit Cleansing Balm, $20.
This cleansing balm instantly melts away makeup and grime, with very little effort which is unique. Furber says, “Most cleansing balms are either water-based or wax-based. The water-based formulations break down very quickly, so are not as effective as clinging to the makeup on your skin. While the wax-based products will be too thick, so you may find them taking too long to break down and the result is excessive rubbing of your eye area. Our formulation technology breaks down with any movement, allowing for the perfect melting of your makeup, it’s like no other.”
A designer scent laced with vanilla.