Vanilla Mozi

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  The Vanilla Mozi body creme - with the heavenly scents of spearmint and vanilla and the richness or almond, shea and coconut.

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  Blend with nature - Vanilla Mozi acts as an invisibility cloak, hiding you from mosquitoes.

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  Vanilla Mozi is a natural alternative to traditional insect repellents, without the harsh chemicals and side effects of DEET.

The Problem Despite market demand for natural alternatives to harsh chemical-based mosquito repellents, there are very few effective options available on Australia’s supermarket and pharmacy shelves.

In Australia, insect repellents must be approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority - the APVMA. The APVMA prefers insect protection solutions that contain chemicals like DEET. Alternative products rarely gain their approval.

Scientific studies have shown that DEET based products can have a range of side effects. In the USA, a study of National Park employees to determine the effects of DEET found that 25% of the subjects experienced negative health effects that they blamed on exposure to the chemical. Effects included rashes, skin irritation, numb or burning lips, nausea, headaches, dizziness and difficulty concentrating. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-it-true-that-the-deet/)

For everyone out there who wants to protect themselves against insect bites but is concerned about the health and environmental impacts of harsh chemicals, Vanilla Mozi is a dream come true. Rather than repelling insects, Vanilla Mozi uses natural scents to ‘cloak’ your skin; “using nature to blend in with nature”.

Products that are not APVMA approved cannot be marketed as ‘repellents’ and it’s hard to distribute a product that falls outside mainstream categories. The challenge for the Vanilla Mozi team is to develop ethically and legally compliant communication materials that enable business owners, distributors and stockists to make this product available to everyone.

The Big Idea:

Vanilla Mozi offers a gentle, yet extremely effective solution to protecting yourself against biting insects. Imagine applying a beautifully scented and nourishing body cream that will help you blend in with nature; a sweet smelling invisibility cloak that hides you from mosquitoes!

During the summer months, the mosquito problem at the University of Newcastle is so severe that staff and students slather themselves with DEET based repellents, often several times a day. Many members of the University of community are looking for a healthier alternative. Once Vanilla Mozi is readily available, we will all have a choice, rather than being limited to harsh, chemical-based insect repellents.

Buy focusing on personal protection, Vanilla Mozi offers the most sustainable solution to the mosquito problem, as it does not require any resource intensive infrastructure or interference with our ecosystems or environment.

Describe & Illustrate:

Vanilla Mozi is a thick body cream that is applied to all exposed skin when going outdoors. It is specifically designed to contain a high concentration of plant oils, butters and waxes. This formula keeps the cream on the skin for longer and holds the magical scents that act as an invisibility cloak and hide you from mosquitoes.

Vanilla Mozi is formulated with predominantly natural ingredients with the aim of “using nature to blend in with nature”. Vanilla Mozi will hide you from mosquitoes for a minimum of 2 hours. Vanilla Mozi can be used day and night. Vanilla Mozi is suitable for all ages and skin types, including sensitive skin.

Core Foundation of Research:

Vanilla Mozi was created from a mum’s need to find a natural and pleasant option to protect her children from mosquito bites. With extensive knowledge and experience with essential oils and natural ingredients, Lea-anne created a cream she believed would be effective. Small scale testing with family and friends in the local area was met with extremely positive feedback. Vanilla Mozi’s growth has been organic, starting with markets, to wholesaling, an online store and manufacturing tonnes of cream at a time. The consumer demand for Vanilla Mozi over the last 15 years is reflective of the product's effectiveness.

End User:

Vanilla Mozi targets consumers who respect nature and are seeking a sustainable, natural, healthy alternative for insect protection. It will particularly appeal to parents of young children who are focussed on their family’s well being. It's an excellent option for people who are allergic to harsh chemicals like DEET. Vanilla Mozi offers a great alternative for members of the University of Newcastle community who want to avoid all the down sides of traditional repellents.

The Future:

Market Research organisations predicts strong growth in demand for natural insect protection. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/natural-ingredient-insect-repellent-market

Technology Readiness Level:

Vanilla Mozi is a tried and tested product currently on the market in the USA. Small scale trials of the product on the market in Australia, where it is promoted as a natural body creme, with secondary messaging around insect protectant properties, suggest that end users are receptive to Vanilla Mozi as a natural alternative to insect repellent.

Hypotheses:

1. Market Demand: A market exists for a natural alternative to chemical-based insect repellents and consumers are receptive to products that fall outside of this mainstream category.
   

Funding required:

Prepare draft marketing copy: $500 Conduct customer based market research and test marketing messages: $1000

Goal: Determine key messaging to position product in the market.

Next steps: prepare resources for supply chain stakeholders so that they can position the product and clearly communicate its benefits.

1. Supply Chain: Equipped with the right information, distributors and stockists will be able to sell Vanilla Mozi to a broad consumer base.

Funding required:

Prepare draft information packs: $500 Conduct market research with supply chain stakeholders: $1000

Goal: Create fit for purpose information packs for supply chain stakeholders to enable product sales.

Next steps: deploy messaging to Vanilla Mozi communication channels and online sales platforms.

1. Marketing Strategy:Vanilla Mozi can be successfully sold via grassroots marketing campaigns.

Funding required:

Build website: $2000 Design and test social media campaign: $1000

Goal: Generate 500 new leads, test and refine campaign and website.

Next steps: Raise funds for major product launch campaign.

Progress to Date:

Vanilla Mozi has been a novel product for 15 years. There have been many successes with a large retail and wholesale customer base in Australia and branching out internationally.

The biggest challenge during these years has been attempting to fit Vanilla Mozi into an existing pigeon hole of products like traditional insect repellents. It was never meant to fit. Vanilla Mozi was too innovative to slot into standard Insect Repellent guidelines and regulations in Australia.

Vanilla Mozi is unique, new and beautiful. It is now time for Vanilla Mozi to carve its own path.

What’s Unique About Vanilla Mozi? Vanilla Mozi provides an alternative approach to personal insect protection. It is not a mosquito repellent, rather, its natural scent protects users by blending them in with nature - it hides them like an invisibility cloak.

Built With

• coconut
• nature
• spearmint
• vanilla