How terrifying ordeal led to booming business

News.com.au - 16/03
“How cool would it be if we created a product?”

“How cool would it be if we created a product?”

This was the question that began the small business journey for two Adelaide-based best friends.

Nicole Tomasek and Nicola Nikolaidis have been friends for more than a decade and were discussing health and ageing during their usual Sunday catch-up when they discovered they both had a deeply personal connection to a terrifying disease: skin cancer.

Specifically, scalp melanoma.

As their conversation continued, the duo realised the severity of scalp melanoma was often overlooked.

“(We) started talking about skin cancer and because we use sunscreen every day … we went ‘what do you use on your head?’” Ms Tomasek said.

Best friends turned business partners Nicola Nikolaidis (left) and Nicole Tomasek (right) have launched their brand By NIKŌL, combining sun protection and beauty. Picture: NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

This line of thought propelled the friends to create a product that combined sun safety and beauty, under the brand name By NIKŌL.

“The reason we decided to blend (SPF) into a beauty product was we wanted everyone to pick up this product,” Ms Tomasek said.

They took their idea of a hair growth serum containing SPF to manufacturers across Australia and were surprised by how keen they were.

“When we were talking about SPF ...
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