All great heroes have to start somewhere. Be they caped crusaders, environmental warriors or social justice superstars, it’s forever fascinating to dive deep into what brings a truly remarkable person – or product range – to life.
One brand that has persevered in its fearless approach to concepts, technology and planet friendly possibilities for haircare, is Davroe. Trailblazers in formulating sulphate free, paraben free and vegan hair care within Australia, the innovative brand is certainly one to watch as it continues to make its mark on haircare and how we think about it.
Here, Davroe Owner/Director Mary Centofanti takes us through the 38+ year journey of bringing the brand to life and how it came to be such a force to be reckoned with.
TJ: Why do you love the world of hair?
MD: I just love all of it. This industry found me all those years ago, and from the very first day that I started work as a receptionist at haircare manufacturer Dresslier in 1984 at the age of 15, it just felt like home. I can’t explain how I felt when I walked in. I just knew that I was going to love everything I did there. Being 15 years of age when I started it was all so new and exciting, talking to hairdressers on the phone and forming relationships, meeting them in person at shows. It was just such a great vibe.
Our world is full of creatives and gives everyone the opportunity to grow into so many different pathways, owning your own salon, editorial work, runway backstage, entering awards etc.
TJ: What is the vision for Dresslier?
MD: We’ve been manufacturing and selling professional haircare products since 1930, we are Australia’s oldest manufacturer of professional haircare products and we manufacture and dispatch everything out of our laboratory in the foothills of Adelaide. I think it’s important that you know we also manufacture for other brands under our private label. The vision for Dresslier is to become and to be known as a boutique manufacturer of premium haircare products that can comfortably compete with any brand in the world.
TJ: Tell us a little more about Davroe.
MD: Davroe is our brand that was formulated in 1985, and then went to market in 1987. It’s really important for people to understand that brands don’t just come to be on the shelf in a space of 6-12 months. The process usually takes about two years. When we came onto the market in 1987, it was a small and concise range of just 11 products that we have continued to grow slowly.
When (my husband) John and I took over Dresslier in 2006, we reformulated Davroe to be sulphate and paraben free, as well as being vegan. It was launched in 2008 and at the time there was no other Australian brand that was doing that for the professional haircare market … and some people thought we were crazy for wanting to go down that path. For us, we knew it was the future.
As we now know, a lot of brands are now sulphate free, paraben free and vegan, so we like to think we were trailblazers in that area of manufacturing haircare products.
TJ: What is your vision for Davroe?
MD: Our vision has never really changed. We are focused on continuously sourcing the best possible ingredients to ensure that Davroe remains the best formulated haircare range available.
The natural next step for Davroe is Clean Beauty; this is something at the forefront of our mind with each new product and range we have formulated since 2019. We are also reviewing our existing cult favourites, to keep them progressing with the latest available ingredients and technologies, while still maintaining the high level of professional performance that our customers expect from the brand.
For more information on the Davroe range, visit www.davroe.com.