The trio behind new local beauty brand, Bowie, share the inspiration for their micro-needling tool with Ashleigh Cometti.
Formerly reserved for in-clinic only, micro-needling options for home use have quickly gained traction for their convenience and cost efficiency.
While the concept itself might sound slightly intimidating — a skincare treatment
Despite a handful of at-home micro-needling options being available to skincare buffs in Aotearoa, friends and colleagues Claire Barnes and Kate Smith couldn’t find any take-home solutions they felt would support their skin goals.
With a bit of a push from Claire’s husband, Matt, the trio decided to fill that gap by delivering a high-quality option into the hands of local beauty lovers.
That was 18 months ago, and last week the shared efforts between Claire, Matt and Kate culminated with the launch of Bowie, a skincare tooling brand that encompasses a micro-needling tool, serum and cleaning spray to deliver unparalleled glow to skin.
“Micro-needling is often reserved for salons and tends to come with a higher price tag, so we got really excited about the idea of making something that delivers amazing results and is also super easy to use,” says Kate.
“Being able to micro-needle at home makes this treatment accessible to everyone, and allows people to go at their own pace, building it into their routine.”
What’s in the name, I hear you ask? Before you go assuming that David Bowie himself consulted on the R&D (he didn’t), the trio love the rock and roll edge the name lends to the brand.
“Bowie felt like the right fit because it’s bold and confident — just like the feeling when you have plump, glowing skin. It really matched the energy we wanted for the brand,” Kate says.
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Claire and Kate have spent the past 13 years working together at Ecoya, where Claire is the CEO and Kate is the consumer brand and communications manager.
Balancing their day jobs in the home fragrance space while launching a new skincare offering has been nothing short of a juggle, Kate says, especially with young children in tow.
“But honestly, working on something fresh and completely different has kept us all energised,” she adds. “It’s become such a passion project and seeing it come together has been motivation to get us to launch.”
The benefits of micro-needling run the gamut from stimulating collagen production to minimise the appearance of scars and the signs of ageing through to restoring radiance to a dull complexion, smoothing uneven skin texture or boosting the efficacy of topical skincare.
It does so thanks to the tiny needles that create micro-channels in the skin, triggering the skin’s natural healing process and promoting a plump, healthy-looking complexion.
To test its efficacy, the team gathered a diverse group of people with different skin types, tones and textures to put the tool to the test. Across a period of four to eight weeks, each participant rolled two or three times per week, with Kate saying the feedback was “incredibly encouraging”.
“We’ve had amazing feedback on everything from brighter, plumper skin to reduced pigmentation and smoother texture,” she says.
While in-office treatments are typically performed using electric or battery-powered devices, at-home micro-needling requires going the manual route. The primary difference between a skin therapist performing the treatment versus doing it yourself is that professionals use longer needles to penetrate deeper into the dermis.
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Advertise with NZME.The Bowie Micro-needling Tool is dotted with 0.5mm needles which Kate says is deep enough to stimulate collagen production and see real results, but is still safe for at-home use.
“It’s the perfect middle ground. This depth lets you get that professional-level feel without worry of irritation,” she says. “It’s also versatile enough to work for most skin types, so it brings that mix of comfort and results we were after.”
For the best results, Kate advises a consistent approach: micro-needling two to three times per week. It pairs with the Bowie Chill Serum, a fragrance-free formulation that looks to hydrating cucumber extract, antioxidant-rich melon fruit and calming liquorice root to nourish and revitalise skin post-roll.
“After using our Micro-needling Tool, your skin is like a sponge, ready to soak up all that good stuff, so it’s key to feed it well,” Kate says.
For now, the trio are excited to have launched in Australasia and ship worldwide, but tease that plans are already in place to expand into global markets like the US.
Products are in the pipeline for 2025 to further the at-home micro-needling experience, with Kate adding their mission is to create a complete skin tool kit encompassing both prep and post-care.
A step-by-step guide to micro-needling
Armed with the right tools, here’s how to get the most out of your at-home micro-needling session.
- Prep your skin. Start by thoroughly cleansing your face and neck using a gentle cleanser to remove makeup, sunscreen or impurities.
- Disinfect your micro-needling tool. Sanitise the head of your tool with a spritz of the Cleaning Spray and rinse with hot water before you begin.
- Use the correct rolling technique. In front of the mirror, mentally divide your face into sections before gently rolling the tool over the skin using light pressure. Roll back and forth in vertical, horizontal and diagonal directions, taking care to lift the tool as you change direction. Repeat this process by rolling over each section 4-8 times (or however many are comfortable).
- Do’s and don’ts. Steer clear of the delicate under-eye area, bridge of the nose and any active breakouts. Take extra care where the skin is thinner, like your forehead or neck, but zero on areas of concern like fine lines, wrinkles or scars.
- Smooth on a serum. Apply a layer of the Chill Serum (or your serum of choice) followed by your regular skincare routine to aid skin recovery, but avoid using any skincare actives like retinoids, vitamin C and AHAs for up to 24 hours after rolling.
- Store (and dispose of) safely. Spritz the tool with the Cleaning Spray after each use and allow to dry before storing with the protective cap on. For hygiene reasons, dispose of your micro-needling head after 20 uses. These are not recyclable, so dispose of them safely in a sharps container or wrap them securely before placing them in a general waste bin.
The new Bowie Micro-needling Tool, Chill Serum, Cleaning Spray and additional micro-needling tool heads are available now from Wearebowie.com.
