From Melbourne’s newsrooms to the beauty aisle, Jacqui Felgate speaks exclusively to Melbourne My Style about her partnership with Chemist Warehouse, motherhood, raising daughters in the age of social media and why she’s saying no to AI-generated beauty.
By Melinda Sullivan | Editor in Chief, Melbourne My Style
Beauty | Exclusive Interview
Jacqui Felgate has built an impressive career across journalism, television and radio, but her latest venture with Chemist Warehouse is something she never imagined she’d be doing.
The Melbourne media personality and mother of two has launched Dot Dot, an affordable skincare and personal-care range developed specifically for tweens and teens, in partnership with Chemist Warehouse.
And it all started with her eldest daughter.
Like so many young girls growing up surrounded by social media, Jacqui’s daughter became fascinated with skincare, often purchasing expensive products that weren’t appropriate for her young, sensitive skin.
“I remember one day her dad took her. She basically manipulated her dad into buying a whole bunch of expensive skincare and I was looking at this going, oh my goodness. This is $80 for a serum. This is $100 for a moisturiser for a child.”
When her daughter developed a rash after experimenting with skincare products, Jacqui began to question why there weren’t more affordable, age-appropriate alternatives for Australian families.
Having worked with Chemist Warehouse through The House of Wellness, Jacqui approached the retailer with her idea.
“I went to them, and I said, ‘Look, there’s a gap here. I don’t think the average parent wants to spend this money, and we don’t know what we’re doing. We don’t know what’s in a lot of these products.”
Chemist Warehouse immediately recognised the opportunity, with Jacqui revealing that the team had already been considering the growing demand for skincare developed for younger consumers.
Almost three years later, Dot Dot was on the shelves.
I caught up with Jacqui for an exclusive conversation about the collaboration, raising daughters, and why she wants to change how young girls approach beauty.
Jacqui Felgate and Chemist Warehouse: Three Years in the Making
While the beauty industry is constantly introducing new products, Jacqui and the team at Chemist Warehouse weren’t interested in rushing something onto shelves.
Working alongside Chemist Warehouse’s Head of Beauty, Albina, and the wider team, Jacqui spent almost three years developing Dot Dot, with particular attention given to formulations, ingredients, testing and affordability.
“It took us nearly three years to get this on shelf because we took so long to formulate.”
The brand also worked with Melbourne dermatologist Dr Kara McDonald, with Jacqui explaining that every product underwent sensitive-skin testing.
The Dot Dot skincare range includes ingredients such as niacinamide, vitamin E and vitamin B5. According to Jacqui, the skincare formulations exclude parabens, dyes, denatured alcohol, formaldehyde releasers and phthalates.
The range also includes lip balms described as 98 per cent natural and aluminium-free deodorants.
“We’ve taken out things you don’t want. It’s stuff that is absolutely age-appropriate.”
For Jacqui, keeping skincare simple was always a priority.
She also stressed that parents of children with underlying skin conditions should seek advice from a dermatologist before introducing new products.
And while the range is already attracting positive feedback from families, Jacqui admits she has been surprised by some of the messages she’s received, including one from a mother who shared her daughter’s experience with eczema.
The feedback has been encouraging, although dot dot is not presented as a treatment for eczema.
With the support of Chemist Warehouse, Jacqui hopes the range will offer Australian families a more accessible option when their children begin taking an interest in skincare.
Why Are Young Girls Spending So Much on Skincare?
During our conversation, I mentioned my own 10-year-old niece, who last Christmas asked for a Sephora voucher.
Like so many girls her age, she’s already obsessed with beauty products and skincare, often influenced by what she sees online.
Jacqui knew exactly what I meant.
We even had a laugh remembering the rather harsh apricot face scrubs we used growing up, long before skincare became such a big part of social media.
Jacqui believes young girls will always want to experiment with beauty products, but parents need to understand what their children are putting on their skin.
“I think tweens are always going to experiment with products, and with the rise of social media, what we’re trying to do is empower parents with that knowledge.”
It’s an important part of the thinking behind dot dot and the partnership with Chemist Warehouse.
Rather than encouraging young girls to adopt complicated skincare routines, the brand focuses on simple products developed with their age group in mind.
Jacqui says the team is also working on sunscreen, which they hope to introduce to Chemist Warehouse shelves in early 2027.
And as she explained during our conversation, children don’t need endless beauty products.
They need a few basics, and that’s enough.
The Meaning Behind Jacqui Felgate’s Dot Dot Beauty Brand
I couldn’t help but ask Jacqui where the rather cute name Dot Dot came from.
“It’s so cute. It’s meant to be like the end of a sentence.”
She explained that the name represents the beginning of a young person’s skincare journey, with more still to come.
“Well, it’s because it’s the start of their journey and it’s more to come.”
It’s a lovely little meaning behind a brand designed for young people who are just beginning to discover beauty and skincare.
Motherhood, Journalism and Becoming a Beauty Entrepreneur
Of course, launching a beauty business while continuing a successful career in journalism and radio, and raising two daughters, comes with its challenges.
When I asked Jacqui how she manages to balance everything, her answer was one I think most working mothers will appreciate.
“Like the duck on the water, you know, you look calm on the surface, but actually you’re pedalling madly beneath.”
Jacqui spoke about the many successful Australian women who have built businesses while raising families, including Lana Wilkinson, Nadia Bartel, Zoë Foster Blake and Samantha Brett.
But perhaps the most rewarding part of her own business journey has been involving her daughters in the development of Dot Dot.
Throughout the process, Jacqui would bring products home for them to smell, test and give their opinions on.
And as any mother of a teenager knows, the feedback isn’t always sugar-coated.
“I hear about it if she doesn’t like it,” Jacqui laughed.
For Jacqui, however, there’s something particularly special about allowing her daughters to see firsthand what it takes to build a business.
She described watching her older daughter become involved in the process as one of the proudest moments of her career.
It’s a side of Jacqui we don’t often see. Away from the cameras and microphones, she’s a mum who is enjoying sharing something new with her children.
Why Jacqui Felgate Says No to AI Beauty Models
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was Jacqui’s decision to reject AI-generated models and heavily airbrushed imagery in dot dot’s beauty campaigns.
At a time when social media is flooded with filters, flawless complexions and unrealistic beauty standards, Jacqui wants young girls to see real people representing the products they’re using.
The brand features Melbourne-based children and teenagers in its campaigns, including Jacqui’s younger daughter.
“They don’t have makeup on and we’re not using AI. We’re not using AI models. We’re not going down that path.”
Jacqui believes it’s important that young girls don’t grow up feeling they need to look like the digitally perfected faces they see online.
“They’re real kids. They’re real tweens, they’re real teens, and we’ll continue doing that.”
And perhaps one of the strongest messages from our conversation came when we discussed the pressure young girls face to look perfect.
“I wouldn’t want to put anything out there that’s fake or airbrushed because, as you say, it puts a standard that nobody, whether you’re a tween, a teen or an adult, can live up to.”
It’s something I couldn’t agree with more.
Young girls are already exposed to enormous pressure through social media, and I think it’s important that beauty brands consider the message they’re sending to the next generation.
Melbourne My Style’s Beauty Verdict
I really enjoyed chatting with Jacqui about her move into the beauty industry. She’s someone we’ve watched build a successful career in journalism, and it was lovely to hear how much her daughters have influenced this next chapter.
I think most mothers, aunties and grandmothers can relate to what she’s saying. My own 10-year-old niece is already obsessed with skincare and beauty, and it’s incredible how much young girls know about products these days.
What I particularly like is that Jacqui hasn’t rushed into this. She’s worked closely with Chemist Warehouse for almost three years to develop a range specifically for younger skin, with affordability being a big part of the conversation.
I also loved hearing that her daughters have been involved along the way, testing products and giving their very honest opinions.
And I couldn’t agree more with Jacqui’s decision to use real children in her campaigns, without AI or heavily airbrushed faces. Young girls have enough pressure on them already without feeling they need perfect skin.
It’s wonderful to see Jacqui enjoying this new venture, and with the support of Chemist Warehouse, I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes dot dot next.
Dot Dot is available at Chemist Warehouse, with more products planned for 2027.
Melbourne My Style thanks Jacqui Felgate for speaking exclusively with us about motherhood, beauty, dot dot and her partnership with Chemist Warehouse.
To view the range please visit https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/dot-dot
Written by Melinda Sullivan.
Images supplied.
