It’s not every day you get to meet the woman behind an international success story like Kiwi Michelle Doherty, the inspirational powerhouse and founder of skincare brand Alpha H. At a beauty media breakfast at Sofitel Auckland hosted by their stockist TVSN, Michelle Doherty told us the remarkable journey she has been on in creating and developing Alpha H to the acclaimed phenomenon it is today. “Kiwis need to be genius to stand out” Doherty says, and we quite agree with her and think she is quite genius.
How Liquid Gold Was Born
I used to sell Elizabeth Arden when I was 15 years old at an Auckland pharmacy; Mary Quant, and Helena Rubenstein. Her Dad dropped her in town with her schoolbag when she got kicked out of school and said she had to get a job. She started the very next day. She had the worst skin, she had polycystic ovaries for 11 years on meds for it until Glycolic acid changed her life. Within four days she had seen such an improvement in her own skin from the Glycolic acid.
Michelle Doherty left New Zealand 26 years ago for Australia and had two AlphaH products; now the range has 70 and is sold internationally. The first products were a cleanser and a moisturiser. Her girl friend tried it and said, “This stuff’s liquid bloody gold.” And the name was born.
Twenty Years on TVSN
She has been with TVSN for 20 years. It’s such a humbling experience being in someone’s living room” she says, “sharing your experience with them. We can reach 100 million living rooms through this.”
“TVSN really launched AlphaH. Now QVC picked us up, we’re in Sephora, and prestige department stores.”
“We go up against the multinationals. AlphaH has a staff now of 70 on the Gold Coast, ranging from “kids who were unemployed, to older staff who don’t want to retire”, including a 70-year-old woman, Joy – who is on Tinder and keeps them all entertained! Their office is also entirely run on solar power.
She’s the only SPF brand sold on TVSN. Salons get too uppity when you’re on TVSN. People say, “What are you doing on Home Shopping Networks?” but it’s the best platform for educating people over a whole hour of talking to people.
Affordable and Desirable
People ask me. “Why is it only $60?” Doherty lived with 3 kids under 3 and wanted to make it affordable to others.
“On QVC we are up against big brands but we have the highest re-purchase rate. Customers are extremely loyal.”
She stood in Marks & Spencer 7 years ago and wanted to be in there. Now, she’s in M&S.
Celebrity Endorsements
Niall Horen of boy-band 1 Direction wrote on Twitter; ‘Thank goodness for Liquid Gold’ and sales went crazy. You can’t buy that sort of endorsement. Sarah from reality TV show ‘Married At First Sight’ put Liquid Gold on her Instagram and AlphaH didn’t know about it and sales blew up overnight.
Golden Tips
A hero product comes from Paeroa New Zealand, isogenol, from NZ pine tree bark. Isogenol steam-extracted and gives the SPF its lovely tint.
Every person’s skin from age 15/16 should use some form of exfoliation. Plus they’re wearing makeup these days so the young teens need to really cleanse the skin.
Blue light from screens is going deeper into our subcutaneous layers of skin and causing ageing. Vitamin Mist is designed to combat blue screen ageing using bilberry extract.
How To Best Use Liquid Gold
Use a non-foaming cleanser while using acids. Use a cream cleanser only, or you’re stripping skin’s natural acids and lipid barrier then putting acid on and it burns.
Use Liquid Gold up o 3 nights a week, with a non-foaming cleanser.
The irritation creates collagen. But don’t OVERDO it or our skin gets used to it. It does contain alcohol, to remove surface oil. It has Vitamin C Ethyl Ascorbic Acid at 3% as it converts to L-ascorbic Acid when it gets into lower levels of skin. The Clear Skin range is $35 for 3 pieces, with Salicylic Acid and anti-inflammatory “oil to solve oil.”
Buy Alpha H at TVSN here. Liquid Gold 100mls retails for $59.95.
Photos Megan Robinson
1st June 2018
Not a sponsored post. Products gifted for review. All opinions my own.