Beth Levis is a businesswoman, fashion industry insider and mother of four. After experiencing the transformative benefits of collagen firsthand, Beth set out to launch an edible beauty brand on her own terms. A labour of love, By Beth is the considered result of months of research and development and the sort of serendipitous setbacks that lead to small moments of magic. Here, our founder and creative director shares her thoughts on holistic health and admiration for Australia.
When did your interest in wellness begin?
I’ve always been really interested in health. It started because I suffered from chronic skin conditions as a child, which I experienced from the age of six up until about 19 when I started seeing naturopaths who helped me clean up my diet and educated me around the science behind eating well and the effect it has on the body and skin. It slowly progressed from there.
Why did you want to launch your own line of beauty collagen powders?
I began using collagen powder about 12 months ago and tried quite a few different brands, but to be honest I couldn’t find one on the market which ticked all the boxes for me - so I decided to launch my own. I wanted to create a beauty brand that supported Australia: our local manufacturers, farmers and growers. My aim was to create a luxurious, premium product that not only benefits whoever is using it, but our community as a whole.
What benefits did you notice when you started incorporating collagen into your routine?
Very quickly I saw hydration and glow. My nails stopped breaking and my hair started growing rapidly. I’ve been through four pregnancies and in those four pregnancies my hair started falling out and my skin was flaking because I breast-fed. I just could not get any hydration into the skin. There was no ointment that would do the job. I’ve always had brittle nails. But very soon after collagen, within 2-3 weeks, there was a huge, huge change.
What is your personal approach to beauty?
I have a holistic approach to beauty. The impact that our gut health has on our overall wellbeing is truly amazing. I’ve been preaching this to my friends for a long time - and that’s before even being in the industry. For me, beauty is about simple luxury. Not overcomplicating things in life. You’ll see that in our products. There’s four ingredients: collagen and three native ingredients. There’s no chemicals, no numbers, it’s purely simple and proudly Australian.
Why was it important to you to use native ingredients?
I was born in the Northern Territory and raised on Magnetic Island in Queensland. I went to public schools and grew up in small towns, so I’ve always felt a strong connection to both those communities and the natural environment. I wanted By Beth to honour all that Australia has to offer and support local. Many brands on the market use imported collagen. It was imperative to me that By Beth use collagen sourced from domestically raised cattle. After a lot of deep-diving we finally found a way to do just that. This Australian bovine collagen appears alongside native ingredients which have been used for thousands of years for healing, medicinal and ceremonial purposes. They really are superfoods for the skin! Kakadu Plum and Quandong, for example, are some of the highest sources of Vitamin C in the world and can naturally reverse oxidative stress, which leads to signs of ageing.
What, to you, is so special and unique about Australia?
I think that we’re beginning to look inwards more than ever before. We have a massive pool of creative talent here and we’re recognised worldwide, yet we have a tradition of looking externally - for inspiration, travel and trends. Events of the last year have forced us to stop and reflect; we’re able to see what was right in front of us all along. There’s so much beauty here: the land, the flora and fauna, the people. It’s almost as though we’ve been ignoring what’s in our own backyard for decades and now we have a new opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the place we call home.
I have a holistic approach to beauty. The impact that our gut health has on our overall wellbeing is truly amazing. I’ve been preaching this to my friends for a long time - and that’s before even being in the industry. For me, beauty is about simple luxury. Not overcomplicating things in life. You’ll see that in our products. There’s four ingredients: collagen and three native ingredients. There’s no chemicals, no numbers, it’s purely simple and proudly Australian.
Why was it important to you to use native ingredients?
I was born in the Northern Territory and raised on Magnetic Island in Queensland. I went to public schools and grew up in small towns, so I’ve always felt a strong connection to both those communities and the natural environment. I wanted By Beth to honour all that Australia has to offer and support local. Many brands on the market use imported collagen. It was imperative to me that By Beth use collagen sourced from domestically raised cattle. After a lot of deep-diving we finally found a way to do just that. This Australian bovine collagen appears alongside native ingredients which have been used for thousands of years for healing, medicinal and ceremonial purposes. They really are superfoods for the skin! Kakadu Plum and Quandong, for example, are some of the highest sources of Vitamin C in the world and can naturally reverse oxidative stress, which leads to signs of ageing.
What, to you, is so special and unique about Australia?
I think that we’re beginning to look inwards more than ever before. We have a massive pool of creative talent here and we’re recognised worldwide, yet we have a tradition of looking externally - for inspiration, travel and trends. Events of the last year have forced us to stop and reflect; we’re able to see what was right in front of us all along. There’s so much beauty here: the land, the flora and fauna, the people. It’s almost as though we’ve been ignoring what’s in our own backyard for decades and now we have a new opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the place we call home.
