A mother-of-two and small business owner made $100,000 in one week when reality television star Kourtney Kardashian recommended her pregnancy products on Instagram.
Lara Henderson, 35, from Papamoa, New Zealand, was cleaning the kitchen one morning after breakfast when she received an urgent text from her sister.
The message read: ‘Holy s***, we made it to Kourt’s hospital bag. She used it and is recommending us!’ The mega star first shared it on her Poosh page then on her own personal account.
Feeling instantly ‘overwhelmed’ at first, Lara noticed a massive spike in sales and could ‘barely keep up’ with demand.
‘We had to start our next run of production quickly to ensure we had enough stock,’ she told FEMAIL.
Sales in the US also increased by a staggering 400 per cent and one bottle of the brand’s best-selling Belly Oil sold every five minutes.
Lara Henderson, from Papamoa, New Zealand, (pictured with partner Richard and son Levi) launched Pure Mama in 2021
The mum was cleaning the kitchen one morning after breakfast when she received an urgent text from her sister alerting her that Kourtney Kardashian had boasted about the products
Lara launched the brand after she quickly became frustrated by the lack of natural pregnancy-specific body products on the market
When Lara was pregnant with her first child Levi in 2018 she quickly became frustrated by the lack of natural pregnancy-specific body products on the market.
Her skin was ‘pushed to the limit’ and she shouldn’t find the right product to suit her needs.
‘I was not only overwhelmed with conflicting information on the safety of ingredients but was shocked by the amount of synthetic ingredients and fragrances that were been used,’ she said.
‘This coupled with an outdated market landscape that failed to acknowledge the complexity of motherhood, especially around the physical, psychological, and emotional changes women go through, led me to lead the change.’
Three years later in May 2021 she launched Pure Mama offering a range of pregnancy and postpartum skincare.
The decision required $65,000 of her own savings but it paid off as she now considers Kourtney Kardashian as a fan.
The belly oil is the brand’s number one best seller formulated to deeply nourish the skin throughout pregnancy
While pregnant Lara’s skin was ‘pushed to the limit’ and she shouldn’t find the right product to suit her needs at the time before starting her own line of pregnancy and postpartum buys
Kourtney included both the Pure Mama $69 Belly Oil and $40 Nipple Butter in her hospital bag.
‘We know she is very particular about what she puts on and in her body, so for her to recommend us to her team at Poosh was huge,’ Lara said.
‘A lot of people have asked if we paid for the recommendation, but this was not the case which makes it even more genuine.
Three sets of Pure Mama products were sent to Kourtney – one to her house, one to Kris and Kylie’s offices and another to one of her apartments in Los Angeles.
‘We aren’t entirely sure if she received all three or not, or which one made the biggest impact but somewhere in amongst all of that she opened it and started using it in her journey,’ Lara added.
Kourtney included both the Pure Mama $69 Belly Oil and $40 Nipple Butter in her hospital bag. ‘We know she is very particular about what she puts on and in her body, so for her to recommend us to her team at Poosh was huge,’ Lara said
The belly oil is the brand’s number one best seller formulated to deeply nourish the skin throughout pregnancy. It’s made using all-natural, antioxidant-packed ingredients to deliver ‘unparalleled real results’.
The 100 per cent natural and organic Nipple Butter instantly smoothes, nourishes and restores dry and cracked nipples.
Ingredients include Calendula, New Zealand Kawakawa, Shea Butter, and Marshmallow Root extract to help ease discomfort while breastfeeding.
‘We know she is very particular about what she puts on and, in her body, so for her to recommend us to her team at Poosh was huge,’ Lara said.
‘A lot of people have asked if we paid for the recommendation, but this was not the case which makes it even more genuine.’
When asked what it takes to kickstart a business, especially as a busy mum, Lara said perseverance, persistence, and patience is ‘everything’
The belly oil (centre) is the brand’s number one best seller formulated to deeply nourish the skin throughout pregnancy. The 100 per cent natural and organic Nipple Butter instantly smoothes, nourishes and restores dry and cracked nipples
When asked what it takes to kickstart a business, Lara said perseverance, persistence, and patience is ‘everything’.
‘Embrace change and pivot when needed. Listen to your customers and adapt. You’ll keep getting better but it won’t be easy,’ she said.
But overall – just start.
‘Put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. You’ll need to take quite a few risks and learn by doing so don’t let mistakes hold you back. It’s all part of the journey,’ Lara added.
‘If it was easy, everyone would do it. Be prepared to give it your all and make a lot of sacrifices.’