Verla is an independent brand offering luxurious hand and body solutions.

Created by the team behind True Blue, Verla’s range of liquid, foam, gel and lotion have been carefully formulated for optimal skin care.

Developed and designed by Verla’s Innovation and Product Development team, the range is 100 per cent Australian owned and made.

“Prior to COVID, we identified a clear gap in the hand hygiene market between the large corporate multi nationals and the next tier down,” explains Brad Macdougall, Managing Director of Verla and True Blue.

“Most of the leading brands are now sold by almost anyone and everyone and independent distributors are looking for quality brands that provide them with a level of exclusivity and loyalty. Our products are premium, luxury quality and are arguably the most cost-effective products available in use.”

Verla’s ingredients are naturally sourced making them suitable for all skin types, while the botanical fragrances of the soaps, gels, and foams feature luscious red pear with warm earthy ginger, fresh apricot with crisp cotton flower blossom, and refreshing lemon grass.

Products include Red Pear & Ginger Hand Wash, Apricot & Cotton Flower Hair & Body Wash, Fragrance Free Hand Wash, Verla Care Moisturiser, Verla Blue Hand Sanitiser (70 per cent Ethanol), Cedarwood & Rose Antibacterial Hand Wash and Verla Blue+ Fragrance Free Hand Sanitiser (70 per cent Ethanol).

“The briefing we gave our innovation team and on-site chemists was that we wanted to create luxury, premium skincare products at an affordable price. A lot of time and effort has gone into developing a complementary range of fragrances which have a great feel when they are in use – whether that’s body, hair, or handwash – and even extending to our sanitisers. “

Simplicity in design

Verla’s range also includes two easy to use, proprietary dispensers. Innovative, cost-efficient, and low in maintenance, the dispensers are available in two convenient sizes: Verla Mini (500ml) and Standard (one litre).

Developed in partnership with a leading Dutch engineering company who manufacture state of the art proprietary dispensers, Verla’s dispensers are designed to make hand care simple, and in colours of black, white, and blue.

Macdougall says there has been a lot of innovation in the hand hygiene space, particularly around dispensing, but many of these systems are becoming too complex and costly for the end user.

“Some customers are looking for touch free dispensing but the more complex the dispenser, the more likely it will be problematic in terms of reliability. Whilst there is a place for touch-free, it is not without its complexities, and the more complexity built into a dispenser the more expensive the product can become for the end user.”

He says there has been a proliferation of dispensing systems and pods to suit, however, based on Verla’s extensive market research, he believes Verla has “arguably the most cost-effective products on the market.”

Designed for aged care, education, childcare, Health and fitness, commercial property and office space, and hospitality, Macdougall says feedback on the range has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We launched Verla to the market in late 2019, and already we have put 50,000 in the marketplace. We have received an overwhelming positive response from both distributors and end use customers regarding the quality of the products and how cost effective they are. They also love the simplicity of the dispensing system.”

Proudly Australian made

While COVID has placed hand hygiene in the spotlight, it has also placed greater emphasis on the need for locally made products.

“COVID has certainly made people aware of the importance of good hand hygiene and as such I believe we are practising this more than ever. We all need to ensure this trend continues and important to note that use of soap and water can be just as effective as using alcohol-based sanitisers.

“The main negative was a number of inferior products (both locally made and imported) with poor labelling and packaging but I think customers will move back to quality, premium products, provided they are cost effective.”

The team has recently launched new products, including Green Tea and Sage Moisturising Cream and Cedarwood & Rose Anti-Bacterial hand wash to the range, with several other products in development, according to Macdougall, who is encouraging the industry to buy more Australian made and owned products.

“There is no doubt the demand for soaps and sanitisers is here to stay but there is arguably more product on the market now more than ever. Over time we believe customers will preference quality, but these also need to be cost effective for the end user.

“There are lots of good products available to the consumer, but I would love to see preference towards Australian owned and manufactured brands. Sadly, the majority of products used currently in Australia are overseas brands.

“COVID has highlighted how reliant we have become on imported products and how vulnerable our supply chains are.

“As an Australian manufacturer we did not have too many disruptions in our supply chain during the pandemic. However, people need to take heed from the lessons of COVID. The Australian economy is important to us all. The more people in the industry can support Australian made, the better for everyone.

Verla’s range of products are available across Australia and New Zealand from Verla’s independent distributor partners, which can be found via the Verla website: www.verla.com.au

This article first appeared in the May/June issue of INCLEAN magazine.

Read the original article here