MODINC SKINCARE Brings Australian Luxury to Orange County
When MODINC SKINCARE’s founder, Donna Howlett, was 17, living in the countryside of Australia, she was a victim of a freak accident with an old fashioned gas stove that left her face with third-degree burns. The doctors didn’t think she would be able to recover without severe life-long scarring... but the young Howlett was determined to prove them wrong.
Skeptical of the chemical-heavy burn creams the hospital had prescribed, her father went to their family farm and cut a leaf from an Aloe Vera plant. The two then created a daily routine rubbing the fresh aloe along her scars, and just four weeks later, her doctors were shocked at how well the DIY home remedy had worked.
The averted tragedy left a lasting impression on Howlett and she made a conscious effort to keep her skin as healthy as possible, using only natural products and applying lots of sunscreen.
With her scars healed, Howlett knew she had big plans in store for her life outside of her small town. She put herself through toastmasters and finishing school and became the top earning berry producer agent in Sydney Markets.
It was a man’s world, but Howlett quickly adapted, learning the whole process from bottom to top. (Ever drive a forklift in heels? She has!)
After making it to the top of her career, and with her children grown and out of the house, she started brainstorming options on how to start a life in the US — a dream she had harbored since she was a child.
She loved skincare, was a pro at berries, and had a passion for helping people, so she decided to merge her areas of expertise together, creating a 100% vegan and cruelty-free skincare line with refreshing and natural flavors like Australian Luscious Berries, Australian Marine Minerals, and Australian Caviar Lime — because, why not?!
Howlett, as a business woman, is the type of person that pays close attention to every detail (she laughs when she says she won’t even abbreviate words via text) — so she wanted to give her brand the sense of luxury that she was accustomed to in her own skincare routines.
She chose to manufacture MODINC products in Orange County, making sure everything — from its packaging to its formulations — was locally sourced and using only natural, sustainable, and whole ingredients.
Very hands on with the whole process, Howlett is a regular fixture in the lab... signature heels and all.
Far from an easy process when you’re determined not to cut any corners, it was a 10 year journey of perfecting just the right formulas before the brand was ready to launch. But this past January, MODINC SKINCARE officially took on the beauty industry by storm with its body and hand line.
Full of healing properties, MODINC’s final products are just what Howlett had always dreamed of: natural, safe for the whole family, and affordable. It was important to her that MODINC be a luxury product that was available to the masses (each product comes in at under $25).
Today, the brand is sold on Modinc-Skincare.com and Amazon, with big moves in its future, including MODINC MEN, MODINC BABY, and an actual book Howlett wrote during quarantine about her inspiring story. (Stay tuned for more on that in our next Laguna Beach Living Podcast!)
Howlett’s is a story of perseverance, a story of determination, and ultimately, a story that inspires us to follow our dreams… with just the right amount of Caviar Lime.
Lindsay DeLong is the Editor-in-Chief of Laguna Beach Living. A brand strategist and web designer who specializes in a quick 2-week start-to-finish process, she is well-versed at building brands from the ground up, establishing online identity, and fan-girling over anything Aussie. Reach out to her at lindsay@lagunabeachliving.com or on her personal site, iLikeLindsay.com.
Photos by: Tiffany Perry Photography.