Quit Nits by Wild Child // News Room

No More Nits

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700

From Cookie Magazine

It's a dreaded milestone of parenting: lice. Treat it naturally with Quit Nits, an Aussie-created lice treatment and prevention product. Instead of chemicals, its active ingredient is Quassia amara, a bark extract that includes a non-toxic insecticide. Overnight, the lice stop producing eggs, thus leaving your kid (and your home) nit-free. And in the case of an outbreak at school, the preventative spray is a preemptive attack on the little buggers. For more healthy tips, see our index.

'Quit Nits' Offers a Safe, Natural Alternative to Current Toxic Head Lice Products

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

From Women’s Health Weekly

Wild Child, an Australian-based natural health care products company that markets a range of baby, children and family products containing only natural or nature identical ingredients announced that its Quit Nits head lice products would be available in 44 states across the United States through a distribution agreement with CVS Pharmacies (see also Lice Infestation).

Wild Child Founder and CEO Leanne Preston said the agreement was the result of two years of hard work and means that parents in the U.S. would now benefit from the company's safe and natural approach to head lice treatment. "This represents a major milestone for our company and brings us closer to my original vision for Wild Child of becoming a major global pharmaceutical company," said Preston. The Quit Nits product line, available in CVS, includes both a treatment cream and a first of its kind preventative spray, made with natural, safe ingredients providing consumers with a homeopathic and natural approach to head lice removal.

The growing demands of U.S. consumers for safe and natural products like Quit Nits is supported by the results of a recent survey of 1,002 parents of children ages 6-13* When asked about the most important features in head lice treatments, 69% of surveyed parents said it was extremely important that the product not contain any toxic chemicals and 61% responded that the product should be safe for use by pregnant women. In addition, over three in five parents (64%) were bothered by the fact that many head lice treatments currently contain toxic ingredients with possible negative side effects. As compared to most of the current head lice treatments on the market today, Quit Nits contains non-toxic ingredients.

Quit Nits is a non-toxic head lice remedy made with natural actives from the Australian outback which are safe and have been proven through an in vitro study to be more effective than most other treatments. Wild Child was founded by Preston in Margaret River, Australia, following the unpleasant discovery that her youngest daughter had head lice. After consulting a local pharmacist, Preston was shocked to learn that the most common head lice treatment was a shampoo containing toxic chemicals that can cause illness and even death. Surprisingly, not a single natural treatment was available.

After a period of intensive research, Preston developed a prototype of a product (subsequently called "Quit Nits") which used entirely natural plant oils (Quassia amara -- a shrub or small tree of which extracts of the bark contain quassinoids used as insecticides and Eucalyptus globulus -- an evergreen tree, one of the most widely cultivated trees native to Australia) to deliver highly effective results. Being a recently separated mother of three children without financial support and wanting to be available for her children, she decided to set up a home-based business to manufacture and distribute the natural head lice treatment she had first developed for her daughter. Thus, in the living room of her home, Wild Child was born.

While just completing its first weeks of availability in the U.S., Wild Child is one of the most successful natural health companies in Australia, and a global pharmaceutical operation which sells its products in Australia, Europe and the Middle East. In addition, Preston just won the 2007 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year award, a further testament to the company's success. With a U.S. pharmacy distribution deal, Wild Child hopes to gain a 20 percent share of the $100 million dollar OTC head lice treatment market within its first 12 months of operation. In addition, within the next two years the company will attempt to raise $40-$50 million through an initial public offering on the Australian Securities Exchange.

New Broom in Clean Sweep

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

By Peter Switzer, The Australian

For the first time ever, an individual has taken out three categories in Telstra's Business Woman of the Year awards. The winner, Leanne Preston, also walked away with the Australian Government Small Business Exporter of the Year award last year.

And despite my reverence for the unique ingenuity of Aussie entrepreneurs, I reckon a big part of our recent success over the past decade comes down to a federal Government department -- Austrade.

There, I have said it. I've been nice to government and it is completely deserved. This team of unique public servants has mustered the support of state governments and not-for-profit outfits, such as the Australian Institute of Export, to create a very pro-active network of business assistants and door-openers in far-flung regions of the world.

The awards won by Preston underline the fact that exporters are benchmark businesses leading the way in innovation, productivity, growth and employment. These are operators who have chosen to dive into the deep end of the pool, the global economy, and have chosen to compete against the world's best. They have become stand-out performers, especially at home.

Leanne Preston is a case in point.

Her company is called Wild Child and her big product is called Quit Nits, an organic treatment for the eradication of head lice.

Her success story is a ripper, and it's all happening now, with the giant pharmacy group Boots stocking her product and major US outlets about to follow suit.

Having the right products or services has to be the starting point for export success, but once that has been achieved, you need to have expertise in international markets.

Austrade's people on the ground have strengths in knowing what the right channels are to introduce an Aussie business to a foreign market. And my reconnaissance tells me they aren't always as strong in all markets with their connections, but they're nearly always a great start.

Melinda Lawrence, the founder of Uchi, a clothing accessories business with worldwide exports, says Austrade's Trade Fairs overseas gave her foreign market entry opportunities.

Her unique toiletries bag, which she calls a "dunny bag'', has been a big export hit, but being a small operation based in Sydney, her export potential would have been considerably smaller if it wasn't for the government support.

And then there's the "free'' money up for grabs for would-be exporters. The Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) is an absolute bottler and many export successes have relied on this assistance in the early days of cracking a foreign market.

The EMDG scheme supports a wide range of industry sectors and products, including inbound tourism and the export of intellectual property and know-how outside Australia. It actively encourages small and medium-sized local businesses to develop export markets.

And the best bit is that it reimburses up to 50 per cent of expenses incurred on eligible export promotion activities once the spend exceeds $15,000.

And up to seven grants to each eligible applicant can be made.

Besides, state governments and the likes of the Australian Institute of Export assist budding exporters to access help -- financial and mentoring -- which could really make a big difference.

There's help overseas, too, from organisations such as the Japan External Trade Organisation that could assist both exporters and importers.

All too often we bag governments.

Often they deserve it, but sometimes it is done out of ignorance and opportunities are lost.

For exporters of tomorrow, a business plan is a smart first step, but in putting it together, the second step is to find out how much help is out there.

Mum turns head lice into $30m empire

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

By Tiffany Laurie, The West Australian

Financial necessity forced Leanne Preston to start her own business - and her children inspired her to turn it into a global phenomenon.

In 10 years, the divorced mother-of-three has turned her homemade remedy for head lice into Wild Child - a multi-million-dollar natural pharmaceutical company that is challenging the position of her major competitors.

Wild Child literally started from scratch after Ms Preston's daughter Hayley came home from school with head lice.

When she bought a chemical-based treatment from her local pharmacy, Ms Preston was disturbed by the "poison" warnings emblazoned on the bottles and horrified to learn the main ingredient was an agricultural pesticide that had serious side-effects for humans.

"What I couldn't understand was why would you use a chemical treatment to treat something like head lice which are no more than a social nuisance," she said.

"It really didn't make sense to be applying poisonous chemicals on to your child's head.

"And it still worries me today that these products are still in the marketplace and there is overuse of them and parents not realising that they are actually toxic."

After a year in the library researching natural medicines and the entomology of head lice, the stay-at-home mum cooked up her own remedy in the kitchen of her rented Margaret River home and tested it on volunteers from local schools and day-care centres.

Despite having no formal qualifications and being out of the workplace for seven years while she raised her children, Ms Preston backed her produ~ct, labelled Quit Nits, and started her own company.

In its first year, Wild Child captured 10 per cent of the $30 million head lice treatment market and gradually found a niche in 5000 Australian pharmacies as well as Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.

The product line has expanded to include sunscreen and baby health-care products, and the company is developing a natural preventative treatment for malaria. Wild Child products are sold in Asia, Europe and New Zealand and it is breaking in on the lucrative US market.

With pharmaceuticals the second most regulated industry in the world, behind aviation, Ms Preston realised that success would rest on a team of dedicated people who were experts in their fields. Her directors include pharmaceutical chemist John Found and Alinta chief executive Robert Browning.

"My vision was always that I would build a global business, because I knew this had global potential," she said. "What we are really trying to achieve is to bridge the gap between mainstream, orthodox medicines and natural medicines by basing them in science."

Her success has inevitably led to comparisons with Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, who also had no formal qualifications when the need to support her children drove her to establish her own business.

In a world with few female leaders, Ms Preston said Dame Anita's success was an inspiration.

"We both share the same philosophy in that we want to create products that are environmentally friendly and we are also very dedicated to giving back to the community," Ms Preston said.

It is a philosophy Ms Preston lives by. When Wild Child was approached in 2002 by a Cambodian orphanage which was plagued by head lice, Ms Preston not only supplied it with the product but also offered financial support.

"We are very committed to caring for children and I believe very strongly that every child should have the basics of food, clothing and shelter," Ms Preston said.

"Our focus has never been centred on making money, it is~ around making a difference. The money is a nice bonus."

Ms Preston is also working on her biography, expected to be released by Random House in May, which she hopes will inspire other people to take a chance on their ideas.

"I think the book will carry some important messages, not just for single mums but for anyone that faces adversity, that you can turn things around with a positive attitude.”

Starting from Scratch

Sun, 26 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0800

By Nick Butterly, Sunday Times (Perth, Australia)

Dreams of business success were far from Leanne Preston's mind when her daughter came home from school scratching her head.

Ms. Preston, a single mother of three from Margaret River, was more concerned about the harsh chemicals she would have to use to purge her daughter's scalp of headlice.

Determined to find an alternative, she began researching traditional and Aboriginal treatments and discovered a range of natural remedies.

She experimented with different mixtures in a backyard shed, came up with an effective formula and bottled it.

That was six years ago. Today, Ms. Preston's company Wild Child controls 10 per cent of the multimillion-dollar Australian headlice treatment market.

John Poynton, former managing director of Hartley Poynton and son of the firm's namesake, has bought into the business for an undisclosed sum and Wild Child is likely to seek a stock exchange listing in 18 months.

Ms. Preston, who has since moved from Margaret River to North Fremantle to concentrate on her business, is quick to emphasise that Wild Child was never about making money; rather, it was about producing natural alternatives to existing products.

As well as the lice treatment, known as Quit Nits, Wild Child manufactures a range of baby-care products including a nappy rash cream and soothing oils.

The company will soon begin marketing a "natural" sun cream with the help of another established Margaret River company, surf brand Wet Dreams.

Wild Child products, made under licence at a factory in Welshpool, are sold direct to pharmacies around Australia and the world.

Shopping chain Woolworths carries Wild Child products in the eastern states and Coles supermarkets sells them under licence in WA.

The company has also recently signed a deal to sell Quit Nits into the South Australian prison system.

Wild Child products have attracted worldwide interest. A team of rabbis travelled from Israel last year to declare Wild Child products kosher.

The Consul-General of Romania also phoned in person to make inquiries about his country importing the product.

The rapid rise of Wild Child has given Ms. Preston a lightning education in business.

"I've surrounded myself with experts," she said.

"The pharmaceutical industry has the second toughest regulations in the world behind the airline industry, so you have to know what you are doing."

One of those experts is John Found, a pharmaceutical chemist with nearly 30 years' experience. Mr. Found joined the board of Wild Child as a director in 1998 and has begun to push the company to expand its pharmaceutical products and markets. He is also behind the company's drive for a public listing.

Content with her success, Ms. Preston is now determined to give back to the community.

She regularly gives motivational speeches to aspiring entrepreneurs and will be one of the headline speakers at this year's Home Based Business Forum, an event held by the Small Business Development Corporation.

She is also especially keen to encourage single parents to start their own businesses.

"Single parents don't have to fall into that victim syndrome," she said. "They need to understand they can change their circumstances.

"We should all know about business because you can cross into any profession anywhere and become a leader.

"I feel that we have a responsibility to teach our children about business."