Sundae Body Founder Lizzie Waley Reveals How She Built a Viral Beauty Empire
Creating a viral sensation is one thing, but mastering it completely is an entirely different achievement. Lizzie Waley, the innovative founder behind Sundae Body, has accomplished precisely that. With an astonishing 9.7 million views on TikTok, Sundae Body has rapidly dominated the Australian beauty landscape, captivating consumers with its unique approach to everyday body care.
The Secret to Sustaining Supply and Demand
So, what is the secret to keeping up with overwhelming supply and demand in such a competitive market? Waley has openly revealed that the key lies in cultivating healthy, robust relationships with manufacturers. She emphasizes maintaining open lines of communication and building trust, which have proven essential for the brand's scalability and success.
From whipped body wash to luxurious body lotion, Sundae Body offers a comprehensive range of products designed to transform routine self-care into a joyful experience. The brand's aesthetic and functional offerings have resonated deeply with a broad audience, turning mundane rituals into moments of delight.
Origins During the Pandemic
Let us rewind to 2021, when TikTok was exploding in popularity and the pandemic was in full swing. Lizzie Waley, sitting in her hometown, found herself scrolling through endless wellness trends online. Yet, when she walked supermarket aisles, she noticed the same products that had occupied shelves for over a decade. This disparity sparked a critical question in her mind: where is the fun in body care?
"The gap I saw wasn't about efficacy — body wash already worked," Waley explains. "It was about emotion. There was nothing that felt joyful, giftable, or worthy of sitting proudly in your bathroom. I wanted to take something mundane and turn it into a moment people actually looked forward to."
By stepping outside the conventional routine, Waley set out to create beauty products that could heal everyone's inner child, transforming body care into an exciting daily ritual. This vision involved turning a seemingly mundane space into a fun, therapeutic experience, one foam whip at a time.
Navigating Challenges in a Competitive Market
Challenging the self-care and body care industry is no small feat, and through the ever-growing influence of social media, Waley has faced numerous internal and external challenges throughout the company's journey. From managing supply and demand fluctuations to staying ahead of trends and combating dupe culture, Sundae Body has evolved into a global phenomenon that embraces obstacles as opportunities for growth.
Waley has learned to take these challenges in stride, adopting a resilient mindset. "If you're building something distinctive and it resonates, copies are inevitable and honestly, some of it is also a compliment," she states. "The fact that others are entering the space just reinforces why we existed in the first place, that the category needed disruption and we'd much rather be the brand redefining it than reacting to it."
The Crucial Role of Supplier Relationships
Often overlooked in business success stories are the suppliers and manufacturers who ensure products reach consumers. At Sundae Body, maintaining close relationships with manufacturers is a cornerstone of their strategy. This approach allows the brand to keep pace with the fast-changing environment of creating viral products, ensuring quality and consistency.
By fostering strong connections with every employee across the company, Waley can share predicted outcomes and plan proactively before trends peak. "We run a rolling 12-month forecast built around demand, supplier lead times, capacity constraints and inventory targets, and we're constantly analysing sales trends to sharpen accuracy," she details. "Where possible, we build flexibility into the supply chain, because at any moment we may need to re-forecast quickly."
Building a Loyal Community
Today, Sundae Body boasts over 127,000 loyal Instagram followers, demonstrating significant growth and development. By clearly articulating the "why" behind the brand, Sundae Body has cultivated a community that feels connected to its mission, rather than merely being marketed to.
"If you don't know your 'why,' you'll end up chasing every trend," Waley advises. "If you do, you build something much more powerful — a community that feels connected, not just marketed to."
The brand's carefully curated social media presence reflects this philosophy, prioritizing authenticity and engagement over mere promotion.
The Human Experience at the Core
At the forefront of Sundae Body is the human experience, with the brand built on quality ingredients and the unwavering support of its community. This Melbourne-based small business has successfully taken over the beauty space by focusing on creating products that evoke joy and connection.
The entire Sundae Body range is now available at major retailers like Woolworths and Priceline, making its innovative offerings accessible to an even wider audience. This expansion underscores the brand's remarkable journey from a creative idea during the pandemic to a beloved beauty empire.
