Since co-founding and launching, Contour Cube, in 2021, Sarah Forrai has established herself as a recognised name within the global beauty and business industry. Launching her ice-facial tool via a TikTok video, the product quickly went viral, selling out in a matter of hours, and solidifying its role as a pioneering and category-leading brand. “It blew my mind because nobody knew us or the product, yet somehow we created trust with the customer and sold out pretty quickly,” says Sarah. “We didn't know what we were doing, but we learned along the way.”
Cold, hard success
While sales figures are important – there was another set of numbers that Sarah had her eyes on – the brand’s social stats. “One of our first key milestones was building the community we have across our social platforms,” she explains. “We’ve grown to over a million followers across socials and hit over a billion views. The brand enjoyed a major sales spike after Kendall Jenner posted about Contour Cube and featured the brand in the official Kardashian-Jenner Christmas gift guide. “As a small Aussie brand, seeing our product take off internationally like that was a huge deal.”
Within three months of launching, Contour Cube had their first stockist reach out, which was Urban Outfitters in the US. “That was a big ‘wow’ moment because it showed us that what we’d created was genuinely resonating with buyers,” says Sarah.
Building a brand
With a background in branding, production and e-commerce, it comes as no surprise that Sarah was able to translate her skills and interests into a successful brand of her own. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney in 2013, Sarah spent her formative years learning about the different elements of business, as well as international business, before landing her first role at a design agency. “After uni, I really wanted to exercise the creative side of my brain and started working at a design agency where I learned about building a brand identity,” she says. “Then I worked in production, and that’s where my passion for creating ideas really came to life.”
This skillset was further honed during her time at The Iconic, where she spent four years immersed in the e-commerce space. “Looking back on my career, my journey makes sense because I went from studying business to learning how to build a brand, to how to launch a product, and then how to market it.”
Looking back on my career, my journey makes sense because I went from studying business to learning how to build a brand, to how to launch a product, and then how to market it.
Sarah Forrai
Bachelor of Commerce graduate
Swimming with sharks
Contour Cube didn’t just make a splash on our phones – it was also a hit on the small screen, with Sarah and her business partner appearing on a highly popular episode of Shark Tank.
Sarah submitted a video application using much of the content from their TikTok and social accounts, which she feels helped them stand out. “We never imagined four out of five sharks would make an offer,” Sarah adds. “We wrote and rewrote our pitch until we could say it in our sleep and ran through mock Q&As with friends and family – the experience itself taught us so much about the business.” This crash course in business strategy also doubled as validation for Sarah, giving her the confidence to keep pushing the brand forward. “It forced us to really look at what we were building and where we were headed,” she adds. “Now it reminds us of how far we’ve come and that we really were onto something special.”
Keeping it cool
While Sarah hopes to continue her pioneering efforts within the chilled skincare space, she’d like to take stock of the small but powerful moments in their journey. “I don't ever stop and celebrate the wins, but I really should because it's myself and my partner running the business – there's only two of us,” she says. “We’ve found this skincare category that we didn't realise was a thing, so we’d like to grow in that space and become a staple in everyone's skincare routine.”