catherine

The love of books and herbs were evident from a young age, living out of the garden and using weeds (as they were referred to then) as medicine, free of harmful chemicals. 

It started out as a love affair, married to a Medical Doctor and pregnant with her third child, it all came to a halting end with a miscarriage, but one that was the catalyst for KuuSh. On discussing the many reasons for miscarriages with her husband and other doctor friends, the one thing that came up time and again was that commonly used skincare ingredients were able to cause spontaneous abortion. As a natural health guru, this came as a shock that such harmful chemicals were even allowed in skinCARE products. Catherine quickly questioned what the governing bodies were, and if there were any, why weren't they being diligent.

Catherine put in up to 80+ hours per week every week for the next 4 years, researching what different brands were using, where the ingredients were derived from, what the reactions were when putting them together, their origin, the history of ancient Egypt and the preservation of skin. essential oils and their therapeutic benefits, and so much more, however, the focus was on what was detrimental to not only the skin, but also to the internal organs, as whatever is put on the skin is absorbed up to 95% better than if eaten! 

Being extremely dismayed at the offerings in terms of skincare brands and products, and even those that touted themselves as being natural, yet it was far from the truth, Catherine thought there has to be someone out there who is willing to actually produce a real, non-toxic, results oriented skincare brand. It wasn't long before Catherine realised that person needed to be herself as no one else had taken on the task. Maybe they weren't doing it for many reasons as it has been a tedious, long, very costly, hard road, and most are not willing to take on such a challenge and stick at it. 

After going to Laboratories and not receiving back what was asked for and being told to do what everyone else does (just wave the bottle over the top), meaning don't actually use real ingredients, Catherine decided to take it under her own control and ordered in ingredients, and prepared the ingredients, folding them gently one by one and without heat to produce the most wonderful feeling and results-driven skincare products, ever. 'It takes so much time', Catherine says, 'to prepare, to marry the ingredients, to putting the final product together. It is very different to putting 90% water in a Vat, throwing in less than 1% active ingredients, and then surfactants, pH balancers, waxes, emulsifiers, and a host of broad spectrum preservatives, probably of which many can cause detrimental health issues. KuuSh is an art, it takes skill. 

Catherine has produced many world firsts in skincare products, including the 24c Gold Range, and she has won several awards for her products and Spa Treatments. She has been the go-to for channels 10 and 7 when it comes to do with anything skin/hair/body care, and she became the Technical Advisor for an Organic Certifying Body which saw her write the standards for health and beauty products to be certified organic under.

Catherine has exported her products throughout the world, done high-level contracts and supplied products to the likes of Lufthansa Airlines in Germany, chain hotels throughout the globe and Luxury Spa Resorts, globally. Her Royal Highness officially opened the Spa in Oman where KuuSh was the exclusive brand. KuuSh has been a favourite among Celebrities around the world and is the Leader in natural, organic skincare and in changing the perspective of how skincare is to be; free of fillers and only containing 100% pure ingredients. 

Catherine has trained local staff to go overseas and train staff from different companies, and occasionally she goes, herself, depending on how many projects she is working on and what products are in development stage.

KuuSh remains a small family business, even though other well-known skincare brands have wanted to purchase the brand. It swaps the 'I can get products quicker from China' for real quality and genuine care. For those that don't appreciate KuuSh's modus operandi, there are other brands that may suit better that use preservatives and have sheds full of products made years in advance. 

Just as Rolls Royce isn't for everyone, neither is KuuSh. Being described as the Creme de la creme, it has earned its position of integrity, and honesty, and waiting lists may apply. 

After developing a product specifically for her son who suffered eczema, Catherine was asked to produce it for other people. The product, Skin Plus Relief Cream, was featured on Today Tonight, and quickly became the hero product that every family needed to have in their homes, as it not only helped those with eczema and psoriasis, but is great for bites, stings, after sun care, cracked lips, heels, hands, dermatitis, itchy skin, scaly and dry or weeping skin, and so much more. This product challenged the TGA, with 3 TGA officers flying from Canberra to try and get KuuSh to list with TGA. This would have been easy, had it not also meant relinquishing the actual making of the product and getting it produced in a GMP lab. But to amuse herself, Catherine sent the product to different GMP labs and asked them to reproduce the product. What came back each time was a product that was of extremely low quality, inferior, and it was evident that the labs were unable to produce what Catherine had so meticulously designed. So, although it would have propelled the business forward exponentially, Catherine made the decision to honour the brand, the product, the clients who desperately needed it, and the family values and did not, therefore, list the product with TGA. Today, you can find the same exceptional quality, unscathed, undiluted, Skin Plus Relief Cream on the KuuSh site.

Catherine and her son have degrees in Science, and high distinctions for Forensic Science. Catherine is a Homeopath and is also a registered Real Estate Land Agent in South Australia. Catherine's son has also done nutrition, fitness, and is a registered Real Estate Sales Agent in South Australia. They apply the same passion and integrity into everything they take on. 

Covid has taken a toll on some supplies including label materials and has affected some of the local businesses KuuSh supported, however, KuuSh is not alone. The vision for the future is to continue development of new products, streamline other products, and now with new suppliers, continue to enjoy the KuuSh journey. 

Nature continues to be at the top of the list of things to enjoy for Catherine and her family. This is closely followed by writing an on-going children's book that started when her first 2 of 4 grandchildren were little. Catherine's family all enjoy cooking, entertaining, country locations, the beach, and Catherine and her son do a great deal of bird rescue. Catherine's daughter, mother of the 4 grandchildren is keen chief product tester..

We don't apologise for being passionate about what we do.