Vanilla Moji, the Australian brand known for its innovative approach to protecting outdoor gear, is set to debut in the U.S. market this summer. Founded in 2006 by Lee Ann Crawford, Vanilla Moji stands out in the competitive personal care industry by offering a unique combination of clean beauty and effective insect repellent solutions.
Inspired by her background in applied science and her passion for creating safe, chemical-free products for families, Crawford developed a line of products that combine natural ingredients with scientific principles to protect against mosquitoes and other pests. CosmeticsDesign interviewed Crawford and the brand’s co-owner, Krista Ferguson, to learn about Vanilla Moji’s product development process, the brand’s commitment to sustainability, and their plans for successfully entering the U.S. market.
CDU: What inspired Lee Ann Crawford to develop Vanilla Moji, and how is it different from traditional outdoor protection products?
Christa Ferguson (KF): Leigh Ann Crawford has a degree in Applied Science in Human Movement and combining this with her love of cooking and passion for the outdoors, the birth of Vanilla Moji was a very natural progression. The first seeds were planted when she began creating custom beauty formulas and soaps.
She was inspired to develop clean beauty products for her family of six that would avoid exposure to traditional chemicals found in many household products, and she created many valuable products for them, but it was when the family moved to an area of Australia’s south coast where mosquitoes were particularly aggressive that her unique skills truly came into play.
She had four children to protect, ranging in age from eight years to six months, so the formula had to be gentle enough for use on babies – and effective against Australian mosquitoes. [mosquitoes] It hit them every afternoon!
When her young daughter suffered a large mosquito bite on her forehead, she began her journey to find a solution. Not only were traditional repellents full of chemicals like DEET, but LeAnne had tried all sorts of natural alternatives that she felt were too harsh for children, especially babies.
Common natural products include citronella, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and lemongrass essential oil. One night, she accidentally spilled lemongrass oil on her work bench and it burned a hole in the varnish. She was reluctant to apply it regularly to her baby’s face.
She was determined to create a product that would keep her children safe from chemical exposure, including their precious little faces. However, her love of clean beauty products meant she was incredibly passionate about developing a natural bug repellent alternative that would completely revolutionize the bug repellent category with beauty products that felt and smelled like something you’d want to use every day.
CDU: Can you tell us more about the unique formula of Vanilla Moji Bug Repellent Body Cream and how it protects users from bugs?
Leanne Crawford (LAC): Vanilla Moji uses an innovative blend of spearmint and vanilla to send clear signals to insects and release a pleasant scent. Vanilla Moji’s concept is based on biomimicry, mimicking Mother Nature’s process: using the scent of flowers to communicate with insects, effectively hiding them instead of fighting them.
We believe that the way to live in harmony with the insect world is to blend into their environment and speak their language, rather than simply repelling them with toxic chemicals. The latest scientific research reinforces the methodology behind Vanilla Moji insect repellent body cream, which shows that bugs and mosquitoes are particularly attracted to human scent.
Research shows that mosquitoes are apparently attracted to carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids are an important part of the skin’s natural moisturizing layer and also help form human body odor. Mosquitoes are attracted to humans because humans emit carboxylic acids at much higher levels than most animals. Some people emit more carboxylic acids than others, which is why some people attract mosquitoes.
Vanilla Moji is unique in that it is the only insect repellent product designed to work within the skin’s moisturizing layer, masking human body odor with plant scents that mosquitoes are accustomed to and instinctively avoid. But the best part is that it doesn’t do this through a synthetic chemical process. Vanilla Moji harnesses a beautiful, healthy process created naturally by Mother Nature, using organic waxes and butters that are healthy and nourishing for the skin.
CDU: How does Vanilla Moj ensure the safety and effectiveness of its products, especially for families and young children?
Kef: Our products have been thoroughly tested for preservatives and stability to ensure safety. Our manufacturers are modern, quality-accredited manufacturing facilities that are ISO 22716 GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified to international standards. Australian families have been using Vanilla Moji for over 15 years and have never experienced any adverse reactions.
CDU: Can you talk about how Vanilla Mozi made its way into the U.S. market and what consumers can expect from its debut?
Kef: We already have a wide customer base in the US through our online store, so we knew they were excited to have Vanilla Mozi on store shelves in the country. Vanilla Mozi will be launching through our national distribution network and will be available this spring in natural health and wellbeing chains like Natural Grocers, Healthy Edge Retail Group, and many other local health and organic supermarkets. We are excited to bring our great products to American families.
CDU: How does Vanilla Mojji prioritize sustainability and ethical sourcing in its production and packaging?
Kef: We are very proud to be a Certified B-Corp company, which means we are officially recognized as a leader in decisions that contribute to creating a more regenerative economy.
As part of this, we decided to use a combination of 50% recycled plastic and 50% sugarcane in our packaging, which reduces our impact on the environment, which is very important to us. We also use a lot of organic ingredients in our creams. The production of pesticides creates toxicity, and by not using these ingredients we are contributing to a more sustainable future.
CDU: How does Vanilla Moj address concerns about the effectiveness of natural insect repellents compared to traditional options?
LAC: Vanilla Mozi is proven and has been trusted by health-conscious customers for over 15 years. We believe that the best way to protect your skin is to give it the healthiest care. We also believe that you should enjoy using the products you love, so you can use them every day.
If you avoid using bug repellents because you don’t like their smell or feel, or because they have an adverse effect on your skin, they won’t protect you from them for the long term. Just because a repellent is organic, safe for all skin types, and feels great doesn’t mean it won’t provide adequate protection.
What makes our product so effective and completely different from traditional bug repellents is Vanilla Mozi’s unique blend of botanical scents. These scents send a clear message to bugs in a “language” they clearly understand – plants. While traditional bug repellents focus on chemically blocking bugs’ senses, Vanilla Mozi’s innovation is to hide you from bugs with plants.
Scientific studies have shown that insects are sensitive to extremely complex plant scents, as nectar is their main food source. Insects are more attracted to some people than others because each of us has a unique human scent that may be more attractive to insects.
CDU: What are Vanilla Mozi’s plans and initiatives for future product development and expansion into new markets?
Kef: We will be launching Bite-Proof Candles in the US market later this year. These candles will provide a “bite-proof” zone with the same exclusive vanilla Mozi scent as our body cream.
They are based on Vanilla Moji’s innovation of creating a floral scented zone that insects instinctively avoid. These candles have been selling well in Australia for over 10 years and are hugely popular in combination with our Bite-Proof body cream.
It also plans to expand into Europe within the next 12 months.
